Uncharted, the long-awaited film adaptation of the hit video game franchise, appears to be defying its critics.
Released in theaters on February 11, expectations for the film weren't high, after critics gave it an average rating of just 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In the days leading up to its release, critics lined up to call the film a flop, but it turns out the movie's audience scores were much more generous, with Uncharted now boasting a 90% audience rating.
However, more importantly to the producers at Sony, the film also did business at the box office.
Again, expectations were low, with Sony forecasting opening weekend revenue of around €30 million in the US. However, Uncharted beat those projections, grossing over €51 million domestically. It's now $139 million worldwide, and there's already talk of more big-screen adventures for the franchise.
Uncharted is based on Naughty Dog's immensely popular video game series and follows treasure hunter Nathan "Nate" Drake as he travels the world to uncover various historical mysteries.
In the film, Drake, played by Spider-Man star Tom Holland, teams up with Mark Wahlberg's Victor "Sully" Sullivan. Sullivan, an older explorer and Drake's mentor, leads the young man on an adventure where the pair come face to face with a rich and ruthless treasure hunter and his mercenaries in search of a lost fortune.
An action-packed blockbuster, Uncharted seemed like a surefire commercial success, but early reactions suggested Sony might be considering a flop instead. Turns out the audience didn't agree.
Sony must be delighted...
In fact, they are, so much so that Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group Chairman and CEO Tom Rothman sent an email to staff congratulating them on a job well done.
Deadline reports that Rothman called the film's success "...a huge win for all divisions of the company" and, more importantly, described the film as "...a new blockbuster film franchise for the company".
A franchise means only one thing. Talk is already considering a sequel to Uncharted.
Is the movie's success really a surprise?
With two Dutch-based stars and Wahlberg, and a blockbuster video game franchise as the source material, it's not as if the ingredients for success aren't there.
But it's worth saying that Sony's low expectations for Uncharted weren't limited to the box office. Normally, studios are happy to have critics yelling about movies from the moment they saw them, but Uncharted's reviews were embargoed until release day, which isn't a sign a studio trusts their product.
Agregue a eso el difícil viaje de Uncharted a la pantalla. Sony had been developing the film for over a decade, and during that time six different directors – including David O. Russell, Shawn Levy and Travis Knight – came and went before Venom filmmaker Ruben Fleischer stepped in in 2020 to finish. the project.
In fact, development took so long that Wahlberg, who was once cast as Drake, grew up enough to take on the role of his mentor, Sullivan.
So, all in all, it's kind of surprising that the movie was a huge hit with audiences.
Have we ever talked about a sequel?
Director Ruben Fleischer had previously hinted at the possibility of future Uncharted movies, but, perhaps due to the backlash from critics, he was reluctant to say too much. He told Collider: I would love the opportunity to do a sequel and you can't help but work on this movie for two years... I can't help but imagine different adventures these guys could go on. meet and would love to find a way to bring them to life. But in the end, the audience will decide if it's something they can't wait to see.
It seems that Sony is eager to get going, it will just be a matter of identifying the key cast.