4 Reasons The 'Dune' Movies Will Be The Next 'Lord Of The Rings'

All it took was for the Dune: Part III trailer to drop for whispers of 2027 Oscar predictions to start. Like the previous entries, Dune (2021) and Dune: Part II (2024), the trailer suggests that director Denis Villeneuve will keep the trilogy's quality and immersive cinematography intact. Dune swept the 2022 Oscars with six wins, while Dune Part II went home with a notable two. In that respect, the Dune trilogy is on track to become the next The Lord of the Rings. 

Both movie trilogies hail from dense, lore-heavy books from notable writers revered for reinventing their respective genres. Peter Jackson managed to condense J.R.R. Tolkien's sweeping fantasy story into three award-winning movies. Villeneuve did something similar with Frank Hebert's sci-fi epic, which was once considered "unadaptable" after David Lynch's failed attempt in 1984. 

Going strictly by Oscar wins, Dune is on par with Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) won a sizable four Oscars, while The Two Towers went home with two. However, 2003's The Return of the King—the trilogy's final installment—walked away with an historic 11 Academy Award wins. Only time will tell if Dune: Part III can match that success, but accolades and critical acclaim aren't the only similarities between these two properties. 

'Dune' Has Become Cemented In Pop Culture

Frank Herbert has had a loyal following of fans since he first released Dune in 1965. It remains one of the best-selling sci-fi novels of all time, but its prominence in mainstream pop culture didn't really explode until Villeneuve's film. Now, it's been memed online and parodied on SNL (1975), not to mention its soundtrack, composed by Hans Zimmer, has earned a spot on many people's Spotify playlists and reigned as "trending audios" on various social media platforms. 

Like The Lord of the Rings, the Dune movies have the potential to become modern classics. Arguably, The Lord of the Rings was more popular than Dune pre-movies, with bands like Led Zeppelin and Rush incorporating Middle-earth lore into their music, and Dungeons & Dragons pulling heavily from Tolkien's work. However, the quality, scale, and success of the movies pushed more prominently into mainstream pop culture. The same is happening to Dune. Sci-fi just tends to be a little more niche than fantasy. 

'Dune' VFX Rivals' The Lord Of The Rings'

The ways LOTR revolutionized VFX could fill an entire article, but its blend of practical effects and CGI continues to hold up over two decades later. Villeneuve's Dune movies do a similar thing by combining photorealistic CGI with practical and in-camera effects. If you've seen other Villeneuve-directed films, like Blade Runner 2049 (2017) and Arrival (2016), then you already know he knows how to make a nice-looking movie. 

Dune won Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects, while Dune: Part II won Best Visual Effects, too. Based on the maintained quality teased in the Dune: Part III trailer, it seems more than likely that the final entry will uphold the Oscar tradition of dominating the technical categories, especially for visual effects. 

Big Stars Flock To The 'Dune' Movies

Dune's reliance on big-name stars can be both a positive and a negative, depending on how you look at it. On one hand, recognizable actors help put butts in seats. On the other hand, it can influence how fans, especially book fans, immerse themselves in the story. Are we watching Paul Atreides ride a sandworm, or are we watching Timothée Chalamet do a cool stunt? 

Aside from Christopher Lee and Ian McKellen, most of The Lord of the Rings cast (yes, even Orlando Bloom) was relatively unknown. Even Elijah Wood, who previously worked as a child actor in projects like The Good Son (1993), didn't become a household name until after Jackson's trilogy. In contrast, Chalamet headlines Dune alongside well-known actors like Zendaya, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård, and Javier Bardem, with Robert Pattinson and Jason Momoa a couple of the new faces joining Dune: Part III. For many, this is a fun plus that makes the Dune movies exciting. 

'Dune' Is A Box-Office Success (Even If 'LOTR' Is Still More Profitable)

Here are the worldwide box-office breakdowns for Dune and The Lord of the Rings. (Note: the LOTR movies have been adjusted to match 2021 inflation—the release year for Dune. Numbers sourced from Box Office Mojo.)

• The Fellowship of the Ring: $1,373,458,049

• The Two Towers: $1,423,270,640

• The Return of the King: $1,692,206,600

• Dune: $410,668,500

• Dune: Part II: $714,844,358

• Dune: Part III (Prediction): $700 million to 1 billion  

Based on this, The Lord of the Rings is much more successful in the money-making area, which in turn, lends credence that the movies are more popular among audiences. Still, Dune's global box-office haul is impressive. Also, the near-doubling of box-office numbers between Dune and Dune: Part Two shows interest in the trilogy has only grown. (We also need to remember that the COVID pandemic put Dune's theatrical release at a disadvantage.)

Overall, The Lord of the Rings remains the more popular trilogy, both before and after the movies. However, Dune's impressive box office, combined with its stunning cinematography and big-name cast, put it on pace to become sci-fi's The Lord of the Rings.