When Jordan Mechner developed the Prince of Persia game in 1989, no one knew the seismic shift in the world of gaming and film that was to follow. Over the next several years, 2 sequels were developed and the franchise reached new heights. Fans fell in love with the mythos and story of the Prince of Persia, leading to the classic PS2-era video game Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, a game that brought forth a whole new generation of fans.
By 2004, when the film rights to the video game were purchased but it wasn’t until 2010 that Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was released in theaters around the world. The plot followed the same story from the games and was centered around powerful performances by Jake Gyllenhaal in his prime and Ben Kingsley fitting into the world of the story like a glove. Despite the film’s positive reception at the box office, the Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time film adaptation never received a sequel but has arguably formed an interesting legacy over the years. Let’s dig into how and why it would’ve been better if the stakeholders had gone through with a sequel.
Contrary to Popular Belief, Prince of Persia’s Box Office Returns Weren’t That Bad
The biggest reason that a movie doesn’t receive a sequel is usually due to disappointing box office returns. However, this wasn’t necessarily the case with The Prince of Persia, since it grossed over $335 million in its combined box office against a budget of $200 million. Considering the golden rule of most movies having a marketing budget that’s 50% of its production budget, Prince of Persia may have cost the studio $300 million when all was said and done, indicating that the movie broke even at the very least.
Things get more interesting when you compare Prince of Persia’s performance with other video game adaptations, a subgenre of films that have often failed both critically and commercially, including 1993’s Super Mario Bros., and 2005’s disastrous Alone in the Dark. Prince of Persia, as per ScreenRant, was actually the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time up until Warcraft was released in 2016, and, today, it still sits comfortably as the 8th highest-grossing game-to-movie adaptation. With a popular IP being the focus of a potential film series, and the powerful backing of Disney, this box office return seems more than enough to justify a sequel, and this is where the story gets complicated.
The Movie Incorporated Some Elements From the Franchise’s Game Sequels
In a bid to appeal to the loyal fans of video games, Sands of Time incorporated many elements from the Prince of Persia trilogy of games that were released while the movie was being developed: The Sands of Time (2003), Warrior Within (2004), and The Two Thrones (2005). These games each provided an additional layer of lore, development, and worldbuilding for the Sands of Time universe, and the film pulls from these influences when tackling the main story and its villain.
The 2003 original was a swashbuckling adventure serving to capture a whole new audience for the rebooted series, but 2005’s Warrior Within was darker, grittier, and explored the character of the Prince deeper, including the toll that all of his adventures have had on his psyche. This angle of the character is explored in detail in the movie, leaving Warrior Within as a significant influence on the story. This particular detail just highlights that the film was captured in more nuance that it is credited for, and how a sequel would’ve helped the franchise.
The Actual Reasons Behind Discontinuation Were Multifaceted
When a promising film series ends prematurely, it’s often due to a myriad of reasons, and Sands of Time is no different. While the film at least broke even, or even provided a small profit for the studio, it didn’t provide the kind of returns that Disney was expecting when they announced Sands of Time as being a tentpole movie in 2007. After the 2007-2008 Writer’s Guild strike, the production of the film was delayed, and, not wanting to push back the release date further, the studio mandated a late 2010 release which resulted in the budget of the film skyrocketing as millions were spent to finish the special effects as fast as possible, eating into its profit potential.
Although the gaming franchise emerged as a powerhouse in the early 2000s, it later ran out of steam as the years went on, with fewer fans tuning in for each game sequel. So among disappointing returns, the series was rebooted for the second time in a decade when Prince of Persia came out in 2008, but, for many oldies of the games, it was too little and a little too late.
This film was released during a time of dissipating interest around the series, and, with lower excitement than expected and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 37%, the writing was on the wall, and a sequel was never ordered. Lately, however, the interest has been picking up again as Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown also just released in January 2024. So will we ever see a sequel to the film adaptation? Well, the chances of it are thin but seeing Gyllenhaal break a leg in Road House, you can never say never. Although at this point, if there’s another film, it’ll probably be a remake. Also, don’t forget to check out this cast guide on Gyllenhaal’s Road House.
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