14 DAY TRIAL // Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” came out in 2013 and expectations for it were sky-high: this was supposed to be the biggest blockbuster of the year, the perfect blend of action robot / monster movie and sci-fi, with astounding effects, solid acting, good directing and an excellent story.
It wasn’t exactly a flash in the pan in terms of critical and commercial reception, but it was far from the hit Universal thought it would be: with a huge budget of $190 million (€167.7 million), it made $411 million (€362.8 million) at the box office, which saved it from being a flop.
Since most of that money came after the release in China, “Pacific Rim” was a disappointment too.
It took Universal another year to confirm a sequel and then a little longer to set a release date for it: it would be out on August 4, 2017, they said. Then, last week, the film was pulled from the studio’s schedule, which is the first sign that it will suffer pretty much the same fate as Disney’s “Tron 3.”
“Pacific Rim 2” is probably dead in the water but we don’t know it yet
Disney brought back the “Tron” franchise after decades, with “Legacy” opening in 2010 to warm praises from the longtime fans / nerds, mixed reviews from the critics and lukewarm sales (compared to the high production costs).
The threequel was initially supposed to come out shortly after that, but it kept being pushed back. This year, Disney finally admitted that it would never be made: simply put, it had too many big franchises in the making to take a risk with “Tron.”
All those franchises had already proven their appeal with the public, so while the studio could afford to lose money on a possible third “Tron,” it had no reason to want to do it.
Universal is in the same position right now, Forbes points out after “Pacific Rim 2” disappeared from the studio’s release schedule for the year 2017.
That might depend on whether “Crimson Peak,” del Toro’s new Gothic horror that drops this year, is a hit: if it’s successful, bosses could be talked into giving the director another shot on “Pacific Rim.”
Too many successful franchises to take any chances
However, what’s most likely happening here is that Universal is already working with a full slate. Studio bosses see no need for them to risk losing money or putting out a movie that performs only decently at the box office, when they can focus on already established franchises.
With so many franchises making them billions, the logical thing is to drop the ball on “Pacific Rim 2” and concentrate on them.
“With Universal now having surefire franchise plays in Fast 8, Jurassic World 2, Despicable Me 3, Pitch Perfect 3, Fifty Shades Darker, The Purge 3, Ride Along 2, Neighbors 2, and whatever else might break out in 2016 (such as Monster High or whatever becomes of their alleged monster universe franchises), a not terribly surefire proposition like Pacific Rim 2, with the important caveat that we’ve already seen one film barely avoid being a massive money loser, doesn’t seem like a must-have item on the docket,” Forbes writes.