Lynch instead chose to direct a big budget adaptation of Frank Herbert's science fiction novel "Dune" for Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis's De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, on the condition that the company release a second Lynch project, over which the director would have complete creative control. Although De Laurentiis hoped it would be the next "Star Wars", Lynch's "Dune" (1984) was a critical and commercial flop, grossing a mere $27.4 million domestically against a $45 million budget. De Laurentiis, furious that the film had been a commercial disaster, was then forced to produce any film Lynch desired. He offered Lynch only $6 million in order to minimize the risk if the film had failed to recoup its costs; however, the film, "Blue Velvet" (1986) was a resounding success. Lynch subsequently returned to independent filmmaking, and did not work with another major studio for over a decade.