AP

In 2nd weekend, ‘Dune’ bests ‘Last Night in Soho,’ ‘Antlers’

Oct 31, 2021, 8:42 AM | Updated: Nov 1, 2021, 4:51 pm

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Timothee Chalamet, left, and Rebecca Ferguson in...

This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Timothee Chalamet, left, and Rebecca Ferguson in a scene from "Dune." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

(Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

After a record-breaking start, October’s box office closed out quietly this weekend with “Dune” repeating at number one and two prominent genre newcomers, ” Last Night in Soho ” and “Antlers,” stumbling.

Whether it’s due to Halloween falling on a Sunday, too many new options or simply a lack of enthusiasm, moviegoing audiences seemed to have other plans this weekend. Notable exceptions are the latest “My Hero Academia” and the new Wes Anderson pic “The French Dispatch.”

First place still went to the bigger budget and wider release Timothée Chalamet film. In its second weekend in theaters, “Dune,” which is also available on HBO Max, grossed an additional $15.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. Although down a steep 62% from its debut, the ticket sales were enough to give it one more week atop the North American charts.

With a production budget of $165 million (not including marketing and promotion), “Dune” has now grossed $69.4 million in North America and $292.1 millon globally. Warner Bros. and Legendary last week confirmed plans to go ahead with a sequel that is expected to open exclusively in theaters in 2023.

“Halloween Kills,” in its third weekend, placed second with $8.5 million. The penultimate film in this modern trilogy has now grossed $115.1 million globally.

Edgar Wright’s “Last Night in Soho,” meanwhile, opened in sixth place. Playing on 3,016 screens, the stylish thriller distributed by Focus grossed an estimated $4.2 million. Thomasin McKenzie stars as a modern-day fashion student who at night dreams increasingly realistic dreams of Anya Taylor-Joy’s aspiring singer in the 1960s.

“There are few bigger champions of the theatrical experience than Edgar and we couldn’t be prouder he has made Focus his home,” said Lisa Bunnell, Focus’ president of distribution.

Scott Cooper’s ” Antlers,” about a mythical beast terrorizing a blighted Oregon town, also earned an estimated $4.2 million from 2,800 locations. The Searchlight-distributed horror stars Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons.

“Obviously, we hoped for a little more but we went up head to head against ‘Last Night in Soho,’ another really good genre film,” said Frank Rodriguez, Searchlight’s head of distribution. “They may have cancelled each other out.”

But he’s optimistic going forward since next weekend’s big releases include the Princess Diana film “Spencer” and the Marvel epic “Eternals,” and “Antlers” has a different audience.

One of the brighter spots of the weekend was ” The French Dispatch,” also distributed by Searchlight, which expanded after a limited debut and made $2.8 million from only 788 total locations. In 10 days of release, it’s made $4.6 million.

“We’re still ecstatic about it,” Rodriguez said. “It’s amazing to see art house theaters who haven’t seen numbers like this in 18 months finally starting to see people coming out … We are helping to open up the doors to art house and specialty theaters.”

Although the weekend was muted, October has become the highest grossing month of the year with total grosses expected to net out around $625 million. The previous high-water mark came in July with $583.8 million.

“October became a blockbuster month by virtue of the unusual nature of the pandemic. So many big movies moved into October,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for Comscore. “It surpassed July. That never happens.”

Things aren’t quite back to “normal” yet. For comparison, total grosses in pre-pandemic October 2019 were around $781.6 million and in 2018 were $830.8 million. But, Dergarabedian said the robust October 2021 box office has created a momentum that should continue through the end of the year.

“This sets up a final three months of the year that feel more like summer than summer did in 2021,” he added. “Audiences follow the movie no matter what month they’re in. The movies define the month — the month doesn’t define the movies.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Dune,” $15.5 million.

2. “Halloween Kills,” $8.5 million.

3. “No Time To Die,” $7.8 million.

4. “My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission,” $6.4 million.

5. “Venom: Let There Be Carnage,” $5.8 million.

6. “Antlers,” $4.2 million.

7. “Last Night in Soho,” $4.2 million.

8. “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” $3.8 million.

9. “The Addams Family 2,” $3.3 million.

10. “The French Dispatch,” $2.8 million.

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


              This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Jesse Plemmons, from left, Jeremy T. Thomas and Keri Russell in a scene from "Antlers." (Kimberly French/Searchlight Pictures via AP)
            
              This image released by Focus Features shows Thomasin McKenzie in Edgar Wright's "Last Night in Soho."  (Parisa Taghizadeh/Focus Features via AP)
            
              This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Timothee Chalamet, left, and Rebecca Ferguson in a scene from "Dune." (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)

AP

Republican presidential candidates, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, left, talking with forme...

Associated Press

The GOP debate field was asked about Trump. But most of the stage’s attacks focused on Nikki Haley

The four Republican presidential candidates debating Wednesday night mostly targeted each other instead of Donald Trump.

2 days ago

Law enforcement officers head into the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, campus after reports of an ...

Associated Press

Police say 3 dead, fourth wounded and shooter also dead in University of Nevada, Las Vegas attack

Police said a suspect was found dead Wednesday as officers responded to an active shooter and reports of multiple victims at UNLV.

2 days ago

President Joe Biden's son, Hunter Biden, leaves after a court appearance, July 26, 2023, in Wilming...

Associated Press

Republicans threaten contempt proceedings if Hunter Biden refuses to appear for deposition

House Republicans are threatening to hold Hunter Biden in contempt if he does not show up this month for a closed-door deposition.

2 days ago

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., listens to a question during a news conference, March 30, 2022, in W...

Associated Press

Tuberville is ending blockade of most military nominees, clearing way for hundreds to be approved

Sen. Tommy Tuberville announced Tuesday that he's ending his blockade of hundreds of military promotions, following heavy criticism.

3 days ago

An employee works inside the Hanwha Qcells Solar plant on Oct. 16, 2023, in Dalton, Ga. On Tuesday,...

Associated Press

US job openings fall to lowest level since March 2021 as labor market cools

U.S. employers posted 8.7 million job openings in October, the fewest since March 2021, in a sign that hiring is cooling.

3 days ago

Megyn Kelly poses at The Hollywood Reporter's 25th annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast, Dec. 7,...

Associated Press

The fourth GOP debate will be a key moment for the young NewsNation cable network

By airing the fourth Republican presidential debate, NewsNation network will almost certainly reach the largest audience in its history.

3 days ago

Sponsored Articles

Follow @iamdamonallred...

Avoid a potential emergency and get your home’s heating and furnace safety checked

With the weather getting colder throughout the Valley, the best time to make sure your heating is all up to date is now. 

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

Follow @KTAR923...

The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation. Now, […]

In 2nd weekend, ‘Dune’ bests ‘Last Night in Soho,’ ‘Antlers’