Get ready for "World War Z 2." Following the opening weekend success of Brad Pitt's zombie thriller, Paramount announced that the studio will begin developing a sequel. Or begin developing a sequel again: before production issues forced a reshoot of the film's finale, "World War Z" was envisioned as the start of a trilogy.
Judging from the first weekend grosses, audiences won't mind too much: "World War Z" earned $111 million worldwide, including $66 million in North America. That placed Pitt's film second at the box office behind "Monsters University," which grossed an astounding $82 million over three days, giving it the second biggest Pixar opening ever. ("Toy Story 3" has the biggest opening.)
According to THR, "World War Z" can lay claim to having "the best opening for an original live-action tentpole since [2009's] 'Avatar.'" Which is true, to an extent. Except that "World War Z" isn't technically "original," since it was based on the novel by Max Brooks. The $66 million opening puts "World War Z" in league with a films like "Thor" and "Captain America: The First Avenger," two adaptations that should also qualify as "original live-action tentpoles"; the Marvel films opened with $65 million apiece during the summer of 2011. Going back to 2010, "Inception" was an actual "original live-action tentpole," one without the benefit of 3D surcharges to goose earnings or previously published source material. Christopher Nolan's film opened with $62 million.
All of which is to say, "World War Z" has made a lot of money, no matter what Paramount offers as qualifiers. More on "World War Z 2" can be found at THR.
[via THR]
