Box Office News: Dune: Part Two Tracking to Open at $65 Million, But Why Are Smaller Films Suffering?

The box office news story this week stems from the upcoming Dune: Part Two film, which reportedly is tracking to open at $65 million. Despite being three weeks out from its release, it has garnered attention for its projected numbers, which have been favorable compared to this weekend's actual box office numbers.

This past weekend, Argylle took the top spot but saw a significant dip in earnings, falling to a disappointing $6.5 million in its second weekend, raising its domestic total to a meager $28.8 million. The Matthew Vaughn-directed spy comedy has yet to make international waves, with its worldwide earnings barely crossing $60 million.

Diablo Cody's Lisa Frankenstein, opening in 3,144 theaters, could only manage a shockingly low $3.8 million, including $690,000 on Sunday. Some have pointed to the Super Bowl's saturation of advertisements as the culprit for these poor numbers, but considering American Sniper earned $30.7 million and Bad Boys for Life hauled in $17.6 million the weekend preceding the Super Bowl in past years, it seems unlikely.

Critics haven't been kind to either Argylle, sitting at an underwhelming 32% on RottenTomatoes, or Lisa Frankenstein, currently at a 49%. The rerelease of Dune: Part One also didn't inspire, earning $1.66 million in 2,100 screens to raise its domestic total to $110.55 million.

Madame Web and Bob Marley: One Love Are Released This Week This week sees the release of Madame Web and the biopic Bob Marley: One Love. With the box office in need of a boost, it remains to be seen whether these films can attract enough of an audience to deliver that boost.