Ranker Spotlight: Dune

In 1965, Frank Herbert changed science fiction forever with his novel Dune, an exploration of power, politics, and religious prophecy. The book is set thousands of years in the future as great galactic houses battle for dominance over the Spice Melange, a mind-enhancing drug that’s also the key to interstellar space travel. Its success led to five literary sequels from Herbert.

But aside from a 1984 flop directed by the iconic David Lynch and a quickly forgotten cable miniseries in 2000, the Dune franchise hasn’t translated that well onto the big or small screen. It’s no wonder the well-regarded novel ranks #1 on Ranker’s list of 20 Books That Deserve Much Better Adaptations Than They Got (13.5K votes).

These days, fans hope that director Denis Villeneuve’s version will lead to a Dune renaissance — the new film is already rolling out globally and is set to open in the U.S. on Oct. 22, both theatrically and on HBO Max. Villeneuve, whose 2017 Blade Runner 2049 sequel won critical acclaim, has long wanted to put his stamp on Dune. But the ongoing viability of the franchise will come down largely to fan reactions, box office, and streaming numbers. 

With that in mind, let’s use Ranker data to take a look at Dune’s fanbase for both the original novel and the 1984 movie (which over time has built up its own considerable and cultish following among fans of the enigmatic Lynch, though the director has himself disavowed the movie). What can we learn? And how might Warner Bros. and other stakeholders ensure that this time the would-be Dune cinematic franchise sticks?

How Dune Ranks on Ranker

To truly understand the Dune fandom, it’s perhaps best to separate the books from the 1984 movie (we’re ignoring the 2000 miniseries, which is largely forgotten). One indicator of Dune’s literary resilience is that it beat out 98 other classic science-fiction novels to become #1 on Ranker’s list of The Best Sci-Fi Novels For Smart People (5K votes). Not only that, but it’s ranked as #7 on The Greatest Science Fiction Novel Of All Time (371.6K votes) out of 176 books listed, coming in behind Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game (6), H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine (5), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (4), Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (3), Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2) and George Orwell’s 1984 (1). That’s a prestigious group — although most agree that the cinematic adaptations of those books have produced mixed results.

But while most Dune fandom stems from the novels, the 1984 movie has built up its own following over time and now sits roughly in the top 10% of The Greatest Sci-Fi Movies Of All Time (489.1K votes), ranking #51 out of 503 movies listed. Sure, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Alien, and The Terminator are perched at the top three slots, but the once-derided Dune is even better ranked than classics like ET: The Extra-Terrestrial, Avatar, and perhaps most interestingly, Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049. Time will tell whether his new take on Dune eventually surpasses Lynch’s film on the list. Indeed, time has been good to Lynch’s 1984 effort: outside the sci-fi genre, it now even ranks in the top third (#169) of The Greatest Movies Of The 1980s (565.3K votes) out of 512 listings. And while Villeneuve gained younger fans with Blade Runner 2049, he also can bank on interest from older demos, considering that people over the age of 50 are 3X more likely to vote up the 1984 Dune film as one of The Greatest Epic Movies Ever Made (300.5K votes), where it ranks 190 out of 549 movies listed.

Interestingly, both the book and 1984 film are generally viewed positively across the U.S., but are most beloved in the South, where they tout 72% and 63% positive scores, respectively. So perhaps it’s fitting that Dune star Zendaya is most popular among Southern Ranker voters, with a 67% positive score. She’s also been ranked #1 on our list of The 50+ Best Young Actresses Under 25 (51.1K votes), even though she aged out of that list following her 25th birthday last month.

All of this suggests fertile ground for the new Dune: Part 1, as Warner Bros. looks to capitalize on steady and perhaps even ascending fandom around the Dune universe. In its favor is building buzz from the slow international rollout of the film, positive reviews and, of course, the credibility of director Villeneuve, who now ranks #11 on Ranker’s list of The Greatest Living Directors (82.9K votes), where he sits a slot ahead of David Lynch.

What Do Dune Fans Love?

It perhaps makes sense that people who consider the Lynch film high-quality are still nearly 9X more likely to like the 2000 TV miniseries despite its obscure status. However, these fans also show a love for other sci-fi classic movies from the 1970s and 1980s, such as 1976’s Logan’s Run (6X) and 1985’s Ladyhawke (1985). They’re also 6X more likely to vote up 1982’s The Dark Crystal and 5X more likely to dig 1980’s Flash Gordon, 1981’s Excalibur (another movie that has gained cult fandom over time), 1982’s Tron, and 1988’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. It’s perhaps also good news for Warner Bros. that fans of Lynch’s Dune are 5X more likely to vote up 1982’s Blade Runner, considering Villeneuve’s recent takeover of that franchise.

In terms of those who most identify with the book series, they are 9X more likely to love the sequel novel Dune Messiah. But they also are 7X more likely to vote up Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot, Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles, Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land, and Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. When it comes to Dune author Frank Herbert as a novelist, his fans also love Philip K. Dick and Isaac Asimov (6X), as well as L. Frank Baum (5X), Arthur C. Clarke, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams (4X).

With few Dune adaptations of the novel so far — and its most well-known one now nearly 40 years old — it’s hard to predict how fans will react to Warner Bros.’ effort to reinvigorate one of the most famous science-fiction stories in existence. But the first few markets where Dune: Part 1 has premiered suggest a potential hit for the studio, even though the success of its Oct. 22 premiere in theaters and on HBO Max in the US may yet be the best indicator of whether Dune can spur Dune: Part 2 and perhaps even more sequels and spinoffs for years to come.

These stories are crafted using Ranker Insights, which takes over one billion votes cast on Ranker.com and converts them into actionable psychographics about pop culture fans across the world. To learn more about how our Ranker Insights can be customized to serve your business needs, visit insights.ranker.com, or email us at insights@ranker.com.

MORE INSIGHTS LIKE THIS: