Seeking to do what Red Sparrow, A Wrinkle in Time, and Tomb Raider have all failed to achieve, Pacific Rim Uprising is released next week hoping that it can take the box-office crown from Marvel’s all-conquering Black Panther.
Variety is reporting that the sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s underwhelming 2013 monster vs robots smackdown is tracking an opening somewhere between $20-$30 million, which should be enough to end Black Panther‘s five week run at the top.
Its predicted opening is a fraction below the original’s $37 million debut, but Legendary andUniversal will be hoping that the John Boyega starring, Steven S. DeKnight directed sequel will replicate that film’s overseas success, particularly in the Asian market, where Pacific Rim outperformed the US domestic gross.
SEE ALSO: Pacific Rim Uprising gets a Kaiju-sized batch of new images
The globe-spanning conflict between otherworldly monsters of mass destruction and the human-piloted super-machines built to vanquish them was only a prelude to the all-out assault on humanity in Pacific Rim Uprising.
John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) stars as the rebellious Jake Pentecost, a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi)—who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.
Jake is joined by gifted rival pilot Lambert (The Fate of the Furious’ Scott Eastwood) and 15-year-old Jaeger hacker Amara (newcomer Cailee Spaeny), as the heroes of the PPDC become the only family he has left. Rising up to become the most powerful defense force to ever walk the earth, they will set course for a spectacular all-new adventure on a towering scale.
Pacific Rim Uprising sees Steven S. DeKnight (Daredevil) directing a cast that includes John Boyega (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Adria Arjona (True Detective), Scott Eastwood (Suicide Squad), Cailee Spaeny (Counting to 1,000), Levi Meaden (Aftermath), Karan Brar (Diary of a Wimpy Kid), Nick Tarabay (Spartacus), Zhang Jin (Ip Man 3), Mackenyu (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure) and Jing Tian (Police Story: Lockdown), while Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day and Burn Gorman reprise their roles from the first film. It is set for release on March 23rd, 2018.
