A blockbuster-sized Thursday night preview and furious Friday ensured that “Dune Part 2” will open well over $70 million, perhaps even reaching the $80 million mark, according to Deadline.com. UPDATED — $81.5, per Box Office Pro Sunday afternoon estimate.

Social media engagement suggests that a new generation of stars are driving this, as well as the built up demand of sci-fi fans and moviegoers in general.

Zendaya and Chalamet and Austin Butler are draws, with Oscar winner Javier Barden, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin and the vintage Frank Herbert tale nearly icing on the cake.

“Bob Marley: One Love” and the rest of this weekend’s holdovers — “Migration,” “Argylle,” etc  — will pick up the scraps. With “Marley” the big surprise of the new year, slim hopes that it may hit the $100 million mark linger as its run winds down. Adding another $7.4 million this weekend, it is on pace to clear the $82 million mark in North America by Sunday night.

The faith based drama “Ordinary Angels”  isn’t catching fire. Not reactionary enough, I guess. Another $3.8 million, average fall off from its opening weekend, it’ll clear $12 million, all in by Sunday.

A shrug of a third weekend for “Madame Web” suggests it will clear $40 million by the end of the weekend. Not a franchise starter. A lousy $3 million and change this weekend.

“Drive Away Dolls” is officially a bomb. 

“Kung Fu Panda 4” will chase the middling but very successful “Migration” off its screens. “Migration” will have cleared $122 million by Midnight Sunday, largely by default.

This post will be updated as more data rolls in, but suffice it to say that the rapturously reviewed  “Dune” will almost certainly encourage Warner Brothers to move on from high risk comic book movies and grab hold of a franchise that works. Frank Herbert wrote plenty of “Dune” novels.