Summary
For many fans of both the long-running multimedia franchise and the original movie, the fact that a secondWarcraftfilm never happened is a constant source of disappointment. Released in 2016, theWarcraftmovie built on the legacy of the long-running videogame series by uniting an impressive cast and director Duncan Jones, creating an epic original fantasy story. However, despite retaining many of the elements that madetheWarcraftgamesso popular, the movie never received a sequel – remaining as a standalone entry in the franchise.
Warcraftis available to stream on Netflix.
The firstWarcraftmovie follows a conflict between orc tribes and humans against a background where a mysterious evil threatens both groups' existence. Although the movie does not copy its story from any singleWarcraftgame or pre-existing material,the film was heavily influenced by the widerWarcraftseries. Unusually, the movie featured the perspectives of both human and orc characters, an approach that helped it stand out from other fantasy projects likeThe Lord of the Rings. However, despite this novel perspective, no sequel toWarcraftever happened – with the film’s performance explaining its aborted future.
7 Reasons Why The Warcraft Movie Isn’t As Bad As People Say It Is (& 3 Reasons It Is)
Let’s look at the Warcraft movie’s greatest successes as well as its most damning issues to see if it’s truly as bad as people say it is.
Warcraft’s Box Office Performance & Reviews Hurt Plans For a Sequel
It Didn’t Make Enough Money To Become Viable
Despite the global popularity of theWarcraftbrand, theWarcraftmovie simply did not make enough money for a sequel to be a tempting prospect for producers. In many ways, this is surprising – not least because it was actually thefirst videogame movie to make over $400 million at the global box office, largely thanks to animpressive financial performance in China. However, its budget of $160 million and extensive marketing campaign left the film needing to make between $450-500 million just to break even. The result was that the movie made a loss of around $15 million (viaThe Hollywood Reporter).
The narrowness by whichWarcraftmissed out on becoming profitable may have been forgiven had the film proved to be a critical hit. However, on this front too,Warcraftfailed to impress.The movie scored an unimpressive 29% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, indicating generally unfavorable reviews from critics. Combined with the disappointing box office, this meant that there was little incentive to greenlight a sequel.
Every Warcraft Movie Easter Egg & Game Reference
We catch each and every easter egg and video game reference in the Warcraft movie, from secret cameos to details only diehards will spot.
How Warcraft 2 Could Still Happen
Plans Have Previously Been In Place
Despite there being no concrete plans in place forWarcraft 2, it’s clear that the sequel is not completely dead.Director Duncan Jones has previously expressed interest in such a project, although he admitted in a 2018 tweet that prospects for the movie “(don’t) look good” (viaX). Nevertheless, attempts have still been made to revitalize the cinematicWarcraftfranchise.
Although there has been little news on the project since,Warcraftremains a hugely popular franchise and videogame series, suggesting that there may be interest in such a movie.
In 2020 (viaKnight Edge Media) plans were reportedly in place to adapt the second game in theWarcraftseries into a movie. Although there has been little news on the project since,Warcraftremains a hugely popular franchise and videogame series, suggesting that there may be interest in such a movie. Although the originalWarcraftfailed to set any box office records, it performed well enough to suggest that there could be an audience for another movie in the right circumstances.
Warcraft
Cast
Warcraft is a fantasy film depicting the conflict between the human realm of Azeroth and invading orc warriors fleeing their dying world. As a mystical portal connects the two worlds, two heroes from opposing sides emerge, facing choices that will determine the fate of their people and homeland.
