Dune: Part Two followed in The Lord of the Rings‘ footsteps at the 97th Academy Awards, but Dune 3 is unlikely to repeat The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King‘s awards success. Denis Villeneuve’s adaptations of Frank Herbert’s classic science-fiction novel have been well-received, with Dune: Part Two reviews being particularly stellar. This positive reception translated into recognition at the Academy Awards as Dune received 10 nominations and Dune: Part Two received five nominations.

Long before Villeneuve’s take on Dune, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings movies took popular culture by storm. Each installment in the trilogy was a critical and commercial success and the movies are still widely admired more than two decades later. At the time, the movies’ success led to Return of the King winning a staggering 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture. As anticipation for the release of Dune 3 builds, there are inevitably comparisons between the two fantasy and science-fiction franchises, especially after Dune: Part Two‘s Academy Awards wins.

Dune 2 Won The Exact Same Oscars As The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

They Were Recognized For Their Sound And Visual Effects

Both Dune: Part Two and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Dune: Part Two won Best Sound and The Two Towers won Best Sound Editing. At the time, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing were two separate categories, but they were later combined into the single category of Best Sound. It is an intriguing coincidence that the second installment in both the Dune and The Lord of the Rings trilogies walked away with the exact same awards.

Despite the positive reception, these second movies received fewer nominations than their predecessors. Dune had double the number of Dune: Part Two‘s nominations. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring more than doubled The Two Towers‘ number of nominations, with Fellowship of the Ring garnering 13 and The Two Towers having six. This is arguably not a reflection of Dune: Part Two and The Two Towers‘ quality, but instead has more to do with the Academy Awards’ aversion to sequels and franchises.

Through Two Movies, Dune Has More Oscars Than The Lord Of The Rings

The First Dune Movie Won 6 Oscars

When comparing Dune and Dune: Part Two to Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, Dune has more Academy Award wins. In addition to Dune: Part Two‘s two Oscar wins, Dune won Best Music (Original Score), Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Visual Effects. Along with The Two Towers‘ two wins, The Fellowship of the Ring won Best Music (Original Score), Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, and Best Visual Effects. Two movies in, this puts Dune at eight Oscar wins compared to The Lord of the Rings‘ six wins.

In both cases, the first of the two movies won the majority of the awards, although Dune was more dominant than The Fellowship of the Ring. This would seemingly indicate a downward trajectory, with the third movie receiving even fewer nominations and wins than the second. Return of the King‘s 11-win sweep ensured that this would not be the trajectory as a total of 17 Academy Awards became part of The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy’s enduring legacy.

Why Dune 3 Is Unlikely To Repeat Return Of The King’s Oscars Sweep

The Unconventional Dune 3 Will Struggle To Match Return Of The King’s Dominance

Any movie matching Return of the King‘s 11 Academy Award wins would be a difficult feat. Return of the King was an epic movie that had the rare ability to resonate strongly with critics and general audiences. While Dune 3 will undoubtedly have an epic scale and be another quality adaptation from Villeneuve, it is unlikely to be as well-received by audiences and critics. Dune 3‘s weird moments, as seen in Herbert’s novel Dune: Messiah, will probably lead to a more divisive response, and the weirdness may even be too much for the Academy Awards.

Return of the King‘s 11 wins were partly in recognition of the entire trilogy’s groundbreaking success. With Dune and Dune: Part Two adapting a single novel, and Dune 3 adapting a story that takes place 12 years later, it is not a conventional movie trilogy compared to The Lord of the Rings. Academy voters may not feel the need to give Dune 3 recognition for the entire trilogy. Dune 3 will definitely be a successful movie, but it probably will not reach the same heights Return of the King did at the Academy Awards.