Despite the branding of one of the biggest role-playing games in history, boasting an all-star ensemble cast, and now having found a successful home on streaming, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was not the billion-dollar franchise starting mega-hit Paramount Pictures believed it would be during its theatrical run. Hugh Grant, who plays the film’s secondary villain, Forge Fitzwilliam, believes he’s finally discovered why. Alongside Grant, the movie also starred Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, and Regé-Jean Page, a cast which should almost guarantee a successful box office venture.
But, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Hugh Grant says that market research teams should have done more analysis on whether audiences actually wanted the movie in the first place. Grant said he loves Honor Among Thieves, describing it as “such a good film.” However, while Dungeons and Dragons fans may have been excited about the movie, Grant believes general audiences weren’t interested enough before the movie came out. He said:
“Why didn’t anyone do market research before? I think that’s what went wrong: Basically, people just thought, I don’t want to see a film about this game. Why had no one asked the public?”
The ending of Dungeons & Dragons : Honor Among Thieves set up the rugged group of adventurers to return for a potential second campaign. Most of the cast have expressed an interest in re-uniting for a second film, but, the original’s box office performance means we could be waiting a long time. It seems getting all the players together is as much of a problem for Hollywood A-listers as it is for regular D&D players.
Dungeons & Dragons 2 Could Still Happen
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves wasn’t a complete box office flop. The movie grossed $208 million internationally, meaning it technically was profitable. However, the box office returns killed any hopes of a franchise. What’s sad is that the studio originally had some big plans for a potential franchise. As well as an obvious sequel, a live-action series was ordered by Paramount+ before the movie hit theaters. However, earlier this year it was confirmed that Paramount+ had canceled their order. The show isn’t completely dead, as there is a chance a different distributor could pick up the rights to the show. However, nothing has been confirmed.
Just like the live-action series, many fans assumed that a second movie was also a pipe-dream, given the original’s box office performance. However, according to Chris Pine, there’s always a chance of rolling a natural 20. While chances of a sequel are dicey (that makes two dice jokes), Pine believes Hasbro will make a second movie in the future, which could have more chance of being a critical hit (that one felt forced). Pine said:
“I think there’s a really good chance that we’ll make another one, because I think Hasbro owns the rights to it. I think there’s a good chance, and if they could figure out a financial way to make it work, I think they’ll do it.”
While fans sit creating countless character sheets that they’ll never actually use in a game, we have to be content with Honor Among Thieves being a one-shot adventure for now. In the meantime, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is enjoying a large audience on its permanent streaming home, Paramount+.
