Why Dunes Streaming Performance is More Important (to WB) Than Box Office

Why Dune’s Streaming Performance is More Important (to WB) Than Box Office

Dune’s box office potential has been a big point of concern, but the movie’s streaming performance actually matters a lot more to Warner Bros.

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Why Dunes Streaming Performance is More Important (to WB) Than Box Office

As one of the year’s biggest movie releases, a lot has been made of Dune’s box office potential, especially after the low performance of Blade Runner 2049, but Warner Bros. is more concerned about how it does on HBO Max. Dune is only the first half of director Denis Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation, but box office concerns mean a sequel could hang in the balance, although it’s been reported Warner Bros. will be looking to HBO Max, not box office, before making a decision on Villeneuve’s sequel.

The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the box office in 2020, and while 2021 has seen a few hits, the recovery still has a way to go. One of the consequences of the pandemic was the move to release more theatrical films on streaming the same day as their theatrical release. In Warner Bros. case, every single one of their 2021 theatrical releases also got an HBO Max release. A major part of this move was to alleviate losses due to the pandemic box office, but also to take advantage of the situation to help grow HBO Max’s subscriber base to be more competitive with Disney+ and Netflix.

Warner Bros. caring more about Dune’s HBO Max performance before greenlighting a sequel, and releasing Dune a day early on HBO Max shows how much more they care about streaming. While Warner Bros. certainly cares about Dune’s box office success, streaming is a much more profitable avenue. Streaming revenue is eclipsing box office revenue, and the studio gets to keep a larger percentage of each dollar than they do from box office revenue. So when it comes to Dune, Warner Bros. sees box office as a nice short term cash injection, whereas any subscribers brought to the platform thanks to Dune will ideally provide a consistent source of income as they pay their monthly subscription fees, which, again, are a much higher profit margin for Warner Bros.

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Much of the dialogue surrounding Dune has been about how streaming compares to the theatrical experience, and while the bigger screen and sound are seen as a better experience by many, it’s unfortunately not the most lucrative release method for WB, which has led to a bit of friction between the studio and directors like Villeneuve, and even contributed to Christopher Nolan’s decision to make his first movie for another studio in nearly two decades.

Of course, with a suppressed post-pandemic box office, Dune securing a sequel due to streaming performance may actually be a benefit to theaters in the long run, as Dune 2 would hopefully release in a healthier market a few years down the road, but may only exist if Dune does well on streaming, suggesting there may be more symbiosis between theaters and streaming than people assume.

Next: Dune’s Best Chance For Success is on Streaming, Not the Big Screen

Stephen has been writing for the site since 2016 and enjoys all manner of movies and TV, especially when it gives reason to obsess over minor irrelevant continuity minutiae. Stephen has been infatuated with movie magic on screen and off since wearing out his VHS copy of The Making of Star Wars when he was 7. This passion continues in his work as a film journalist, whether it’s hunting down breadcrumbs about the Snyder Cut, breaking down box office trends, or obsessing over Rotten Tomatoes data, Stephen lives in the minutiae, as listeners of his podcast, Batman v Superman: By the Minute (with fellow-Screen Rant editor Andrew Dyce) know all too well. When he’s not writing on the site, Stephen can be found obsessing over vintage camera lenses, chasing his tiny children around, or getting himself into trouble on Twitter @smcolbert. Yes, that’s his real name.

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