‘Dune,’ on big and little screens, tops N.America box office

Los Angeles: New sci-fi thriller "Dune," a classic that almost demanded big-screen treatment, topped the North American box office this weekend with a take estimated at $40.1 million, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations reported Sunday.

Yet that solid three-day showing for Denis Villeneuve´s adaptation of the Frank Herbert opus came even as studio Warner Bros. released the film simultaneously for small-screen streaming via HBO Max, an increasingly common pandemic-era practice.

With an all-star cast led by Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa and Zendaya, the film tells the tale of a family in the distant future fighting for survival on a treacherous desert planet.

"Dune," with a plainly relevant environmental subtext, has taken in $180 million overseas, and Villeneuve, whose growing sci-fi catalogue includes "Blade Runner 2049" and "Arrival," hopes to make this the first in a two-part saga.

In distant second was last weekend´s leader, Universal´s horror flic "Halloween Kills," at $14.5 million. A follow-on to 2018´s "Halloween," it again stars Jamie Lee Curtis, and the studio has said she will be back for another sequel next year.

Third place went to United Artists´ latest James Bond film, "No Time to Die," at $11.9 million. Daniel Craig stars, supposedly for the final time, as 007 is dragged out of retirement for one last -- no really! -- assignment.

In fourth was Sony superhero film "Venom: Let There Be Carnage," at $9.1 million. Tom Hardy stars as a journalist whose symbiotic link to an alien gives him superpowers.

And fifth went to a new 20th Century release, computer-animated sci-fi comedy "Ron´s Gone Wrong," at $7.3 million. Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms are among the voice actors telling the story of a socially awkward middle-schooler in the future who receives a defective but good-hearted robot as a present.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

"The Addams Family 2" ($4.3 million)

"The Last Duel" ($2.1 million)

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" ($2 million)

"The French Dispatch" ($1.3 million)

"Free Guy" ($258,000)