Box Office Numbers Slow For ‘Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials’
The box office numbers are beginning to slow down for Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, even though it has had a decent turnout on opening night. Critics and movie goers alike have begun to realize that it’s exactly like the first film in the series. That’s a good thing, since Maze Runner did surprisingly well for a semi well-known book-turned-movie. It had an unpredictably good run during its debut last September and grossed a decent chunk of capital.
The same can be said for the Maze Runner 2 film. In fact, the numbers are almost exactly the same. Maze Runner managed to gross $1.1 million on opening preview night and $11.2 million the next day. Maze Runner 2 earned slightly less money on opening night, but made up for it with higher opening preview ticket sales. The Thursday night previews brought in $1.7 million in box office sales and 11 million the next day, according to a report from Forbes. The numbers for both years are quite impressive for a somewhat lower-budget blockbuster, and both movies have been relatively well-received by both moviegoers and critics.
Despite bringing in about the same ticket sales as its predecessor, the overall downfall for the film may be in the amount of money producers spent on The Scorch Trials. For the first film, they spent just $34 million and managed to gain an impressive $340 million worldwide. Not bad for a first film. However, this year, they spent $61 million to produce the film, meaning they’ll need some pretty good numbers at the box office to keep up their profit margins.
The box office numbers are already slowing down, even though it’s still opening weekend. It’s likely not because Scorch Trials didn’t get good reviews, but because critics are saying this film is at the same level as the first. Critics are saying they enjoy the gripping action and the strong emotion that courses through the film. The director, Wes Ball, has also received high praise for his work. Forbes has called him “an exquisite action director,” and they hope he will continue to use his passion and newfound wealth to develop similarly successful films.
Another potential reason for the ticket sales decline could be attributed to the competition in theaters now, namely Captive, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and Everest, which has sold out IMAX theaters across the nation. Another reason for the falling numbers could be that the second installment of a trilogy is generally the least appreciated. People historically lower their expectations and their viewership.
Even though the numbers are dropping, critics would hardly call the film a flop. Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials is looking to have a great week despite falling numbers, and fans and critics alike are anxiously awaiting the third and final installment of the series, The Death Cure, which is set for release in February 2017.
[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]
