When The LEGO Movie first hit theaters a half-decade ago, the hype surrounding the original was purely nostalgic. But since then there have been a whopping four installments in the franchise, all of which utilized the same novelty. Is the sequel's $35 million three-day total proof of the cinematic universe's oversaturation?
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part opened to a disappointing $34.4 million domestically this weekend, which is $20 million below The LEGO Batman Movie and nearly 50% below the film that started it all. Though the film opened higher than The LEGO Ninjago Movie, that was expected due to the fact that the movie itself only earned $60 million total.
Warner Bros. waited five years for a direct follow up to The LEGO Movie, and fans can't help but wonder what took them so long in the first place.
With the average franchise multiplier at 3.35x, The LEGO Movie 2 is expected to finish at around $115 million, which means the sequel would ultimately gross almost $140 million less than the original. Depending on how frontloaded it is, the film will likely end its domestic run below the estimate. With a reported budget of $100 million this does not fare well for the future of the franchise. It is possible that overseas grosses will ultimately make the film profitable, but only time will tell.
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