Plans for a large franchise with multiple movies can quickly evaporate after a failure. Exactly this happened to the sequel of a film that was actually very good in the sci-fi genre.
Which film is it about? Pacific Rim is a movie from 2013. Directed by Guillermo del Toro. The director is known for his imaginative and detail-loving films, including one of the best fantasy films ever: Pans Labyrinth. But works like Hellboy, Shape of Water or Crimson Peak are also typically del Toro. The latter film still frustrates the filmmaker for a specific reason to this day.
In Pacific Rim, del Toro let giant monsters, called Kaijū, battle against humans in equally large battle robots. This led to impressive battles of the giants, with plenty of action. Following in the footsteps of Godzilla and others, the director created a successful film. On Rotten Tomatoes, critics rate it 72%, and it was also a success at the box office.
With a budget of around 190 million US dollars, Pacific Rim grossed 411 million worldwide (via boxofficemojo.com). In Hollywood, the following calculation applies: To the production costs, approximately the same amount is added for marketing. If a film makes more than this sum, it is considered a success.
So, there was nothing standing in the way of a sequel. However, the planned franchise was short-lived.
The second part was a harsh disappointment
How did the sequel perform? Five years later, Pacific Rim: Uprising was released as a sequel. Fans hoped that the universe would be meaningfully expanded and that new, cool battles would be presented.
But the result was disappointing. Critics rated the film with a score of 42% on Rotten Tomatoes. At the box office, the earnings of 290 million US dollars stood against a budget of around 150 million (via boxofficemojo.com). Unfortunately, this was not enough to be considered a commercial success.
What was the reason? The most obvious reason could be the absence of Guillermo del Toro. He was no longer involved in the film, even though it initially seemed like he would direct again. However, after difficulties arose during the planning of the film, del Toro exited the project.
Instead, he focused on other films, particularly Shape of Water, which was supposed to earn him an Oscar.
Will the franchise continue? Given the failure of part 2, it is unlikely that another sequel is on the way. There is currently no official information on this. Fans of the Kaijū genre can find good alternatives in films like Godzilla Minus One. MyMMO editor Niko Hernes had a real thrill at the cinema for the first time in a long while.
