Alan Taylor's Terminator Genisys didn't perform too well when it arrived in theaters last month... but believe it or not, the franchise might have a fighting chance to move forward. This is because the movie just had its opening in China, and the cash is finally starting to roll in.
Variety has posted an update from the China box office, and the trade notes that the feature is actually the fourth-biggest opening day for a Hollywood-made movie. According to sources, the film managed to make a surprising $27.4 million on Sunday from 25,000 locations. This total means that the worldwide box office total has reached $335.1 million - the project having cost a reported $155 million to make.
The explosive performance of Terminator Genisys in China is actually the continuation of a trend - specifically the movie doing way better internationally than it did domestically. In its time in theaters here in the United States, the feature has only managed to make a little more than $89 million - $27 million of which came from its third place opening the first weekend of July. In comparison, however, the blockbuster has absolutely been killing it abroad. To date, nearly three-quarters of the worldwide pull has come from foreign theaters. In addition to China, the movie is also doing well in Russia, South Korea, Australia, and the United Kingdom (according to Box Office Mojo).
The question of whether or not the Terminator franchise has a future is one that still has not gotten a firm answer. When Paramount Pictures announced that they were working on a series "reboot," they took the initiative to say that the first movie would be the first part of a planned trilogy. As of now, the studio still has "Terminator 2" and "Terminator 3" penciled in for May 19, 2017 and June 29, 2018. It's a situation that somewhat mirrors what's going on with The Fantastic Four over at 20th Century Fox, though the Terminator situation actually looks much less bleak by comparison.
Success in China could be the exact motivation that Paramount is looking for in considering the future of the new Terminator series - and the truth is that a sequel could actually succeed beyond Terminator Genisys simply because a follow-up wouldn't have to spend so much time establishing a new timeline. There are some interesting plot threads that still need to be tied up, and there still exists some beautiful potential to do something with this story. It's just a matter of spending the time and energy to figure it all out.
Now that Terminator Genisys is starting to pull in the big China bucks, do you think it will improve chances of seeing a sequel? Do you want one to happen, or do you think the franchise should just stop? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
