Dune: Part Twowon two Oscars on Sunday night, with director Denis Villeneuve scoring a heartfelt shout-out. Serving as a sequel to Villeneuve’s 2021 adaptation of Frank Herbert’sDune, the second installment in Warner Bros.' franchise sees Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides ascend to a leadership position within the Fremen on Arrakis. The film, which also stars Zendaya, Austin Butler, and Florence Pugh, was a major box office success, but despite glowingDune: Part Tworeviews, Villeneuve wasn’t even nominated for Best Director.
After being nominated for five awards at the 97th Academy Awards, including Best Picture,Dune: Part Twoultimately walked away with two wins for Best Sound and Best Visual Effects. The film’s sound team which includes Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, and Doug Hemphill, made sure to give Villeneuve a special shout-out during their acceptance speech, with one dubbing Villeneuve “the best director you could possibly work for.” This statement was met with an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience. Check out the moment (viaABC) below:
Other nominees for Best Sound includedEmilia Pérez,Wicked, A Complete Unknown, andThe Wild Robot.
Dune: Part Twoalso took home the award for Best VFX, beatingWicked,Better Man,Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, andAlien: Romulus. Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer accepted the Oscar for the film, with their win now viewable on the officialOscarsYouTube channel:
What Dune: Part Two’s Oscar Wins Mean For The Movie
Why The Sequel Didn’t Win Big At The 97th Academy Awards
Dune: Part Twowas also nominated for Best Production Design and Best Cinematography, but those awards went toWickedandThe Brutalist, respectively. The sci-fi sequel also lost in Best Picture, which went toAnora. TheDunefollow-up, then, was moderately successful at the Oscars, butit wasn’t the showing that some may have been expecting after the film earned a 92%Rotten Tomatoesscore and grossed $714 million at the box office.
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Ultimately,Dune: Part Two’s performance reinforces that sci-fi is a genre that often struggles to gain recognition at the Oscars. The fact that Villeneuve wasn’t even nominated hasn’t been particularly well-received, and evenDune: Part TwocastmemberJosh Brolin has expressed disappointmentthat the filmmaker wasn’t recognized. In addition to suffering because of its genre,some have speculated that Oscars voters could be waiting to see what Villeneuve does withDune: Part Threebefore showering the franchise with awards love after something similar happened withThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersin 2002.
Our Take On Dune: Part Two’s Oscar Wins
Villeneuve Deserves Recognition
When it comes to sound and VFX,Dune: Part Twois certainly deserving of taking home the Oscars. In addition to telling a compelling story,the film is a remarkable achievement on a sensory level, bringing the world of Arrakis to life with incredible detail and impressive senses of scale and intimacy.
Villeneuve, of course, was crucial toDune: Part Twocoming together and being so well-received, and it’s a shame that he didn’t earn a nomination this year. WithDune: Part Threeset to potentially arrive in late 2026, it’s possible that more awards recognition for Villeneuve and for the franchise will be seen at the 2027 Oscars.
