You probably thought Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters was a huge flop. I also labored under the same reassuring delusion until today, when Box Office Mojo slapped me in the face with the rotten carp of truth. (I am not good with analogies.) The movie just passed the $200 million mark at the global box office, with nearly three-fourths of that money coming from the international market. This is off a budget of $50 million, which means (after distribution costs) Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters has likely doubled Paramount, MGM, and MTV Films’ investment after fewer than eight weeks in theaters. Is this real life?
It turns out that $200 million milestone was more significant than we realized. Deadline reports it was key to the studios’ decision to start developing a sequel. Yes, they’re trying to turn frikkin’ Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters into a franchise. You know who’s even more excited than we are? Jeremy Renner, who is likely praying his contract wasn’t a three-picture deal.
Vulture aptly sums up Renner’s inability to care about the movie during press tours with their extensive video evidence. We won’t repost all of their finds. Instead we’ll merely summarize Renner’s promotion of Hansel And Gretel: Witch Hunters with one picture.
[Sources: Reddit, Vulture, Deadline, and Box Office Mojo]