In addition to being this year’s first animated movie, Escape from Planet Earth proved to be a box office success. Distributed by The Weinstein Company, the film opened mid-February with $16 million before eventually collecting more than $55 million domestically. Does this mean that animation studio Rainmaker Entertainment might soon enter pre-production on a sequel?
“The film has done well domestically, and seems to be starting well overseas. If the demand is there, it’s quite likely that it would happen,” Escape director and co-writer Cal Brunker tells Animated Views. “I’m not working on anything Escape-related at the moment though, so we’ll have to wait and see. It’s really in The Weinstein Company’s court.”
Rainmaker is presently keeping busy adapting the popular Ratchet & Clank video game franchise for the big screen, working with Blockade Entertainment. But in case the Weinsteins decide they want an Escape sequel, Brunker has already begun considering story ideas. “I think there’s another good movie in those characters, and I have some stuff I’d definitely like to explore,” he says. “So if we make one, I think we could make it even better than the first.”
The Escape from Planet Earth Blu-ray 3D combo pack will hit stores on June 4.