'Dune' is driving sustained online buzz and it suggests a bright future for the franchise

A picture of Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson in "Dune." — Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson in "Dune."
Warner Bros.

"Dune" is maintaining online engagement after its release despite mediocre box-office results.
It suggests strong word of mouth that could mean a bright future for the franchise.
A sequel is coming in 2023 and a prequel TV series is in development at HBO Max.

"Dune," the sci-fi epic based on author Frank Herbert's classic novel, hit US theaters (and HBO Max) on October 22 and made $41 million in its first weekend.

It didn't blow away expectations at the box office, but the studios Warner Bros. and Legendary quickly announced a sequel.

One reason could be strong online engagement, which suggests a potentially bright future for the franchise. Engagement data shows that "Dune" is maintaining online conversation despite mediocre box office, which means it could be a hit on HBO Max. A prequel TV series, "Dune: The Sisterhood," is also in development at Max and director Denis Villeneuve has expressed interest in making a film trilogy.

"Dune" cost $165 million to make before marketing costs and has earned nearly $300 million worldwide. It will likely stall soon, as it's already debuted in the US and China, the world's largest theatrical market.

But online engagement has been steady. The analytics company Diesel Labs compared "Dune" to other movies that topped the box office while being released simultaneously in theaters and on streaming services at no extra cost this year: "Halloween Kills," "Godzilla vs. Kong," and "Space Jam: A New Legacy."

While "Dune" premiered with less engagement than the other three titles, it's sustained more online conversation in the days following its premiere, suggesting strong word of mouth.

Diesel Labs pulls audience-engagement data from social and video platforms Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, which reflects posts, comments, and more to gauge the level of interest in a piece of content.

"Halloween Kills," which opened with $49 million domestically last month, led the movies in engagement when it debuted, but quickly dropped.

The horror sequel was hit with poor reviews, and has a 40% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and a 67% audience score. "Dune," though, has an 83% critic score and a 90% audience score. The former received a B- grade from CinemaScore, which surveys audiences on a movie's opening night, while "Dune" received an A-.

"Dune" also saw a spike in online engagement after its sequel, "Dune: Part Two," was announced, according to Diesel Labs. The movie will be released in 2023.

The chart below shows how "Dune" was maintaining interest moreso than the other movies measured as of October 25: