Raves for ‘Dune’; box office awaits

Canadian filmmaker Denis Villeneuve says he’s relieved to see many rave reviews for his sci-fi epic “Dune” on the festival circuit, but the real test will be how it performs in theatres next month.

The highly anticipated adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel had a world exclusive IMAX screening at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday after its recent premiere in Venice. Villeneuve doesn’t want to celebrate until he hears the box-office results when “Dune” hits Canadian and U.S. theatres on Oct. 22.

The sprawling interstellar story of warring families stars Timothée Chalamet as the protagonist anti-hero and Rebecca Ferguson as his mother. Oscar Isaac plays his father, who oversees a dangerous desert planet containing the most valuable item in the universe. The Canadian Press