'Dune' has been the most pirated movie 2 weeks in a row after debuting in theaters and on HBO Max

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in a still from the upcoming movie "Dune." — Timothée Chalamet in "Dune."
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures

"Dune" has been the most pirated movie for two weeks.
It premiered simultaneously in US theaters and on HBO Max October 22.
The movie has earned $69 million domestically and nearly $300 million worldwide.

"Dune" topped the box office the last two weekends, but it also dominated piracy charts during that time.

The Warner Bros. and Legendary movie, based on the classic sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert and directed by Denis Villeneuve, has been the most pirated movie for two weeks, according to the piracy news website TorrentFreak's weekly ranking.

"Dune" debuted simultaneously in US theaters and on the WarnerMedia streaming service HBO Max October 22. It topped TorrentFreak's lists for the weeks ending on October 25 and November 1.

Of the 43 weeks tracked by TorrentFreak so far this year, a Warner Bros. simultaneous release has topped 16 of them.

"When a movie is released simultaneously to a streaming service, a pristine copy of that movie is made available day one that it's in cinemas," John Fithian, the CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, told Insider in a recent interview.

"Dune" opened with $41 million domestically and dropped 62% in its second weekend to $15.5 million. It's earned $296 million worldwide and will likely top out between $300 million and $400 million, having already debuted in the US and the world's largest theatrical market, China, where it made $22 million in its first weekend.

It's a sluggish box office for the big-budget movie, which cost $165 million to make before marketing expenses. But a sequel has already been greenlit for a 2023 release.

Box office isn't the only measurement of success WarnerMedia is eyeing.

Warner Bros. simultaneous releases have helped boost subscribers for Max this year and likely helped the service win back HBO customers who lost their subscriptions after HBO left Amazon Channels. HBO and Max have a combined 69 million subscribers worldwide, parent company AT&T said during its earning report last month.

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