Austin Butler's a new face to 'Dune,' but the dude's already got reason to celebrate ... 'cause his movie's expected to make big money at the box office this weekend.

According to Deadline ... "Dune: Part 2" is the year's first big blockbuster hit -- with projections coming out that the flick's gonna take home $76 million domestically.

This is a shade under-reported industry expectations of $80 million ... but compared to the $41 million opening the movie's predecessor picked up, $76 million is a boon.

BTW ... 'Dune 2' isn't facing any stiff competition for the top box office spot -- with no major releases risking facing down the sci-fi heavyweight, the "Bob Marley: One Love" biopic that came out weeks ago is currently expected to finish second.

Tons of people are excited about the new movie coming out clearly ... and, it may have something to do with stars like Butler who've taken on key roles in the second movie.

Among the newcomers joining 'Dune' veterans like Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya ... Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux and more.

Cast members have gotten fans excited by their frequent event appearances in the promotional lead-up to the release ... with Zendaya particularly exciting audiences, especially in her revealing chrome body suit.