BOX OFFICE: The Future Of The PACIFIC RIM Franchise May Hinge On How Well It Does In China
Pacific Rim seriously underperformed domestically and after another disappointing weekend, it may now fail to even reach $100 million. However, if the Guillermo del Toro helmed movie does well enough in China, that could potentially leave the door open for a sequel.
Pacific Rim is set to be released in China on Wednesday, and it's there that the future of the franchise may now rest. Having grossed only $84 million domestically, it's overseas that the movie has earned most of its takings so far with around $140 million. If it manages to reach $50 million and later performs well in Japan and Brazil, it's possible that Pacific Rim will ultimately earn as much as $300 million worldwide. However, is that enough for a sequel? "That may or may not mean there’d be a sequel, but at least there’d be a discussion," says BoxOffice.com editor-in-chief Phil Contrino. It's unclear just how much Pacific Rim cost to produce, with some sources saying $180 million and others as much as $250 million. Either way, it seems unlikely that a sequel is particularly high on Warner Bros.' list of priorities based on numbers like these.