Hello everyone,
BOX OFFICE: As predicted (and hoped for) “Dune Part 2” made an incredible $82.5 million in its domestic opening weekend. Although no other movie made more than $8 million (#2 was “Bob Marley: One Love” with $7.4 million), the total domestic weekend box office surged 90% higher than last weekends total. It’s now the highest 3-day weekend of 2024 (the Martin Luther King 4-day weekend made slightly more) and “Dune Part 2” is – of course – the highest opening weekend of 2024 so far. By the end of today (Monday Mar 4) it will be the #1 movie of 2024 so far (it was just under “Bob Marley: One Love” at the end of Sunday).
WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: “Dune Part 2” also zoomed to the #1 movie of 2024 worldwide with $182.5 million total after making approx. $100 million in foreign countries. Worldwide tracking for the movie is an amazing 81% ahead of “Dune Part 1” and the new movie hasn’t opened in China yet (it opens next weekend).
AWARD NEWS: Although the Academy Awards isn’t until next weekend, there were a few union awards given out this past weekend. At the Cinematographers awards (ASC), “Oppenheimer” took best picture.
At the Sound Editors awards (MPSE) “Maestro” won best music editing, “Society of the Snow” won best foreign film sound editing, and “Oppenheimer” won best feature sound editing – dialogue AND sound effects/foley.
At the (picture) editors awards (ACE) “Oppenheimer” won best feature – drama and “The Holdovers” won best feature – comedy. Also, the Taylor Swift movie won “best edited variety talk/sketch show/special” (although it was released theatrically).
STRIKE NEWS: The potential strike of 2024 that everyone is currently afraid will happen is the I.A.T.S.E/Teamsters strike. Today (Monday Mar 4) was the very first day of the talks while yesterday (Mar 3) there was a big rally in the Los Angeles area where the union said that they are willing to “shut it down”.
OTHER NEWS: CinemaCon 2024 in Las Vegas will start in just over a month (it runs from April 8-11). There are already 2 movie screenings scheduled. One is Universals “The Fall Guy” and the other is an unnamed “MAJOR HOLLYWOOD STUDIO SCREENING (CONFIRMED)” At least the traffic in Las Vegas will be better than the mess it was last year due to the preparations for the Formula 1 race last November. Unfortunately, I don’t think I will make it this year.
LITTLE BIT OF HUMOR: They actually made a t-shirt??????
It’s weird that the person didn’t want to be shown in the photograph but is perfectly OK wearing the UNCENSORED shirt in the movie theater while holding the popcorn bucket.
LOS ANGELES FILM REVIEW 