'Insurgent' Movie News, Cast & Update: Is Divergent Sequel's Disappointing Start a Bad Sign for Summer Box Office?
"Insurgent" opened on Friday, March 20, and failed to capture the box office as most pundits and analysts expected.
The film made a total of $54 million, which was on par with the original film, "Divergent." However, most believe, after the exact ticket sales are calculated, the movie will make less the original film's opening weekend.
The film's under performance continues the trend studios saw last year as sequels and franchise films disappointed. "Insurgent" was expected to make $60 million especially after the first film became popular. However, it seems Disney's "Cinderella" was tough competition for "Insurgent."
However, in another year, competition would probably only helped bring more audiences to theaters and given Hollywood bigger numbers. While "Insurgent's" opening is not horrible, it is a bad sign for what is to come during the summer.
Last year, "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" only made $202 million after a massive opening weekend and saw audiences decrease for the franchise. "Transformers: Age of Extinction" also saw the series hit an all-time low, making $245 million domestically. The third installment to "Night at the Museum" also saw a franchise low, as did "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2." What these sequels all had in common was that the films were among the worst reviewed in their respective franchises and the fact that the box office was very crowded.
"Insurgent" is not the first film this year to underperform, but it is the first sequel in a major franchise to disappoint. The year has already seen a number of high profile films flop at the box office. These have included "Blackhat," "Mortdecai," "Jupiter Ascending," "Seventh Son," "Run all Night" and this past weekend's "The Gunman."
All these films were definitely trashed by critics, but they starred bankable actors and were financed through big studios. Additionally, they had substantial marketing campaigns. They were also films that could have been big hit regardless of reviews.
With the summer fast approaching the studios should be worried for original concepts and sequels to badly reviewed films. Studios should not be worried about "Furious 7," "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" or even "Ant-Man," which is a new franchise. However, they should perhaps be wary about "Mad Max: Fury Road," which has never been a box office seller, especially with an R-rating.
"Tomorrowland" could flop if it does not have good word-of-mouth or good reviews as well as the "Poltergeist" remake, which many fans are upset about.
"Insidious Chapter 3" could prove a bad move especially since horror films have had a mediorcre performance throughout the past year. "Terminator: Genisys" has a hard task to follow after the last one flopped. Audiences have to be inspired or have to hear good things if they are to make the trip to see yet another "Terminator" film.
Even "Minions," which is one of the few offerings for families, could struggle. "Despicable Me" was beloved by fans, but that does not mean spinoffs will be. "Penguins of Madagascar" is a key example that spinoffs are not always the key to success no matter how beloved a franchise or character is.
Fox should also worry about its "Fantastic Four" reboot. The first two films were disliked by audiences, and this one has to be good if audiences are to engage with a new set of actors and plot lines. Fox, however, has more time to promote as the film comes out at the end of the summer when competition is low and audiences have nothing to see.
However it turns out, it will be interesting to see how the box office holds up and if the "Insurgent" disappointment is really a continuation of last year's box office.