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Don't Expect 'Jack Reacher' Sequel Unless Asia Turns Out for Cruise

by Ethan Anderton
January 15, 2013
Source: THR

If anyone ever wants to see a sequel to last winter's action thriller Jack Reacher with Tom Cruise as the titular private investigator bad ass, they need to tell their friends in Asian territories to see the film. Paramount Pictures wants to do a sequel, but right now their decision is contingent on seeing what their box office return looks like in Japan, China and Korea where the film has not yet been released. Jack Reacher will hit Korea this week, Japan on February 1st and China on February 16th. The film has grossed nearly $73 million here in the US and $80.4 million in the rest of the world, but that's not good enough to get a sequel.

THR says Jack Reacher needs to hit a total $165 internationally, double the current count, in order to hit the $250 million mark that will make Paramount get serious about a sequel. The film only cost $60 million to make, so it's already a success, but not necessarily worthy of a franchise. Personally, I found Jack Reacher to be wholly entertaining with Cruise great in the title role. It had some 90s action cheese, silly but solid one-liners and a decent crime plotline. Plus, you can't go wrong with Werner Herzog as a villain. Maybe Terrence Malick can be the bad guy in the sequel?

Honestly, the Jack Reacher character is going to be even better in any sequels, and there's plenty of novels by author Lee Child to pull a new story. Cruise is still a big international draw so the chances seem decent that Jack Reacher can make good money in these territories, but the problem in China is that it opens a week before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and also two days after a couple of Chinese movies that open on February 14th during ther Chinese New Year celebrations. So here's hoping all our friends in the West give Cruise a chance as Jack Reacher so we can see him show up again in the future.

Filed under Development, Movie News

From around the web:

Cs

I would definitely like to see a sequel. I thought the film was a lot of fun.
Gerardo Vazquez

I saw it last night for the second time.. I really enjoyed it, hope Paramount green lights a sequel soon.
nick

it was pretty sweet. i wouldn't be torn apart if it doesn't happen, but it would be nice.
Rosalee Adams

oh boo hoo hoo
Nick

So one studio won't make a sequel for an enjoyable and surprising film that garners a substantial profit and solid reviews but others will churn out sequels, even three-quels, to average or even terrible films struggle to even gain an audience? I struggle to make sense of this...
- Lamar
  
  Amen, brother.
- rocky728
  
  Well said. And I'd bet that a sequel would do double this after it builds an even bigger audience from the dvd and home market release
castingcouch

A great series of stories to mine. They make sequels out of worse movies. Tom Cruise is a little short to be a stormtrooper, but he gets things made.
- Love it !
  
  He's not a stormtrooper.He's a budding Jedi.
Ryan Kadlec

Reboot the whole thing and start with Reacher's Origin from a drifter to a Military Police Officer served for 13 years.
Wing

I got to be an extra in the film and my hand was the sniper's hand double for the parking meter scene, so it's hard for me to not like the movie.
booksarebetter

I hope they make another.....a lot of the other books would have made a better movie.IMO. I did enjoy this one. Now if they would do an Odd Thomas movie based on the books by Dean Koontz, that would be great.