After the runaway success of many YA adaptations over the last few years, it was just a matter of time before their appeal died down and after The Divergent Series: Allegiant opened to poor box-office last weekend, it seems the strain is well and truly showing on the sub-genre.
Debuting last week, Lionsgate’s third Divergent film, Allegiant, grossed just $29.1 million which has caused the company and its investors to feel particularly unhappy at the results. And as such, the fourth and final film in the series, Ascendant, will now have its budget slashed in the wake of its lacklustre opening. Shares in Lionsgate also fell in the wake of the opening, down $35 to $22.
Ascendant is set to start shooting sometime this summer, and is the second part of the final book which was split into two films, mirroring the similar decisions taken on the final Harry Potter and Hunger Games instalments, a move which upset many fans. In fact, the final Hunger Games film Mockingkay – Part 2 disappointed at the box office last November, with a series low of $653 million grossed at the worldwide box-office, over $200 million less than Catching Fire.
Allegiant had a reported budget of $110 million but its $29.1 million opening was down 44% on the previous film, Insurgent, which was released at the same time last year. Overseas, the film is also struggling with just $54 million grossed thus far.
SEE ALSO: Read our review of The Divergent Series: Allegiant here
Analyst Eric Handler, who works for MKM Partners told Variety: “It’s a series that has clearly lost momentum… This is a case where a fourth chapter did not seem like the way to go.”
The Divergent Series: Ascendant is set for a slightly later released next year on June 9, 2017, where it will go up against The Mummy reboot starring Tom Cruise and the sequel to World War Z.
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Originally published March 23, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
