There’s no surefire formula for predicting which mega budget blockbusters are destined to either sink or swim, but from the outside looking in, there were plenty of reasons to believe that Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was going to be one of the ones to float to the top of the box office.
Sure, it was effectively a reboot of a disastrous critical and commercial failure that led to a slew of even worse VOD sequels, but the tabletop favorite has only been growing in popularity in the two decades since. Not only that, but a Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating of 90 percent to go along with a 93 percent audience approval rating makes it one of the year’s most popular releases in any genre.
And yet, Honor Among Thieves has only just made it past $200 million in worldwide ticket sales, and when you consider the $150 million production budget in addition to the marketing and distribution costs, it’s starting to give off the impression it’ll be remembered as a gigantic bomb more than anything else.
Which is of course a crying shame, when there’s easily enough gas in the tank to spawn a fun-filled fantastical franchise delivering more acclaimed adventures in the richly-detailed world. Instead, it may have to make do with being a one-and-done cult classic, but at least it’s already sinking its claws into the streaming ranks, after FlixPatrol outed Dungeons & Dragons as one of Google Play Movies’ top-viewed hits this weekend.
Hopefully there’s more to come, but you’d be advised against holding your breath.
