Despite brutal critical reception (currently 14 percent at review aggregator rottentomatoes.com), the remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” earned more than $32 million in its opening weekend. Considering “Nightmare” cost Warner Bros. around $27 million to make, the studio is extremely happy with those results — so happy, in fact, that Warner has already greenlit a sequel.
TheWrap.com reports the “Nightmare” sequel will be produced in 3D. Moreover, with this being the best opening ever for an April/May horror release, it’s a good bet the sequel will be released in the same time frame.
I haven’t seen the rebooted “Nightmare,” but the reviews leave me without regrets. I’m sure I’ll see it sometime along the way, but I’m in no rush. Furthermore, news that the sequel will be shot in 3D only reinforces my belief the format is frequently used as a ticket-selling gimmick for otherwise dreary movies. There are exceptions, of course (the recent “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Avatar” spring to mind), but 3D has never been a selling point for me. The more prevalent it becomes, the more pronounced my dislike for it becomes.
In any case, though Warner hasn’t announced a definitive release date for a sequel, I’d expect a two- to three-year timeframe. Look for “Freddy 3D” sometime in April/May of 2012 or 2013. Of course, for the sequel to be a true April/May release like the reboot, it would have to release April 29, 2011. If that’s all the time Warner allots for a sequel, I’m already looking forward to not seeing it.
Click here for IJM’s review of the new “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
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Yeah, but if bad word of mouth spreads, they’ll probably quit while their ahead. Remember, the FRIDAY THE 13th remake had a sequel greenlit too, but a disastrous second-weekend and poor DVD sales caused them to abandon a follow-up. As NIGHTMARE made less in its opening than FRIDAY, it’s a slightly more dubious franchise opportunity.