Target audience is older (20-60+) men. Movie is clearly from the sci-fi genre; images of the sun and sand clarify this. Both posters are very geometric, which is often a part of science-fiction movie posters as they can be good for symbolism. It is stereotyped that most sci-fi fans are male, so for this reason the first and main intended audience is men.
However, the star cast with actors like Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler etc could cater very well to a younger, late teens- early twenty’s women, as typically a lot of their work has catered to this audience. The young stars also add a sense of status to the film, as they are showcasing well-known established talent. This combination may attract critics and award companies, who will be intrigued how all the actors perform alongside each other. It gives a sense of intrigue and excitement to the film, which is started by the posters, that highlight their names in the code at the top of the poster.
It would also attract fans of literature, as the movie is based off the Dune book series, meaning that it is a very intellectual film and is meant to be watched by intellectual people who previously enjoyed the book. The posters heavily resemble the books original cover, adding a sense of nostalgia and catching the eye of those who may see the poster in passing and creating a further attraction to those people wanting to watch the film.
The poster clearly wants to attract people who go to the cinema, as the written code shows the release date for the film in cinemas, not when it comes out on streaming. Whilst the production team could have done this to help improve box office ratings etc it could also be that they want a more middle-class audience to come and watch the film, as it is this group of people who will be more likely to afford a trip to the cinema, whilst those from a lower class may not have the budget to be able to afford.
In conclusion, the posters are largely aimed to white, middle-upper class, males with the age range of late teens to early 50's. This is shown through the use of cinema release date code and other visual codes as shown in the posters. However, the use of the celebrities names being showcased at the top of the poster aims towards a younger (also middle class) group of women.
The oppositional reading of the movie poster is of how the male character has its sword up while hugging the female character, which shows the case of protecting and the sense of winning something in life. This can be the poster, where it shows in as an aspect of a visual code, and shows the sense about survival, where the they are trying to stay alive. This can be represented towards a male audience due to the fact it feels like it is stereotyping men.