Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thievesstar Hugh Grant bluntly explains why the film underperformed at the box office. Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, the 2023 movie is based on theDungeons & Dragonstabletop role-playing game and follows a team of unlikely companions, led by Chris Pine’s Edgin, as they face off against Grant’s nefarious Forge Fitzwilliam. Despite thepositiveHonor Among Thievesreviews, the film disappointed at the box office, grossing $208 million worldwide on an estimated budget of $150 million.
In a recent interview withTHR, Grant is speaking more broadly about his distaste for studio interference in the making of bigger movies when he singlesHonor Among Thievesout as an exception, calling it “such a good film.” As for why it didn’t make a mark at the box office, he calls that the “biggest mystery.” He goes on to say, however, that there clearly wasn’t widespread audience interest seeing a movie based on theDungeons & Dragonsgame. Read his comment below:
“Why didn’t anyone do market research before? I think that’s what went wrong:Basically, people just thought, I don’t want to see a film about this game.Why had no one asked the public?”
What Grant’s Comments Mean For The Honor Among Thieves Franchise
Will Honor Among Thieves 2 Happen?
Daley and Goldstein’sDungeons & Dragonsfilm currently sports an impressive 91% critics' score and 93% audience score onRotten Tomatoes. Clearly, those who saw the film tended to enjoy it, and talk quickly emerged regarding apotentialHonor Among Thieves 2, with Pine himself expressing interest in returning to that world. With a $150 million budget, however, the project may have been looking at a break-even point of as high as $375 million, a goal it clearly fell far short of.
The positive reception and strong VOD performance has kept hopes forHonor Among Thieves 2alive, andParamount CEO Brian Robbins addressed the possibilityin an interview last year, saying that for a sequel to happen,“We’ve got to figure out a way to make it for less.”
Honor Among Thieves 2 Wishlist: 15 Things From D&D It Absolutely Must Include
If Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ever gets a sequel, there are plenty of characters, races, monsters, and spells that it has to include.
Robbins and Grant, then, are really touching on the same thing, which is that the budget level forHonor Among Thieveswas not commensurate with the size of the audience that is interested in aDungeons & Dragonsmovie. If the franchise continues and picks up the story after theHonor Among Thievesending, it will continue at a scale in keeping with general interest in this kind of content.
One key challenge that a sequel would face is maintaining the fantastical action and effects-driven spectacle of the first film on a lower budget. The world of D&D necessitates lots of effects, which is part of why the first film cost so much.
Our Take On Grant’s Honor Among Thieves Explanation
The D&D Film Deserved To Succeed
Dungeons & Dragons, the game, was born in the 1970s, and it has become one of the most popular tabletop role-playing games of all time. A popular web series calledCritical Rolelaunched in 2015 in which voice actors embarked on epic D&D campaigns, andStranger Things(2016-) has also helped to introduce the game to a wider audience. On paper,Honor Among Thievesappears like it should have worked, but perhapsthe underperformance is proof thatD&Dstill remains too niche of an IP for a blockbuster film adaptation.
That being said, the positive reception to the film suggests that even those not interested inD&Dfound things to enjoy aboutHonor Among Thieves. The cast was charming, the filmmaking inventive, and the movie effectively mixed action and humor. ADungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thievessequel seems unlikely, and the film stands as proof that quality and box office performance don’t always go hand in hand.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Cast
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves follows a cunning thief and a group of unlikely adventurers on a quest to recover a lost relic. The film details their epic heist, which takes a perilous turn as they encounter formidable adversaries, adding complexity to their mission.
