Terminator Genisys was supposed to be the film to help revive the franchise into the mega-blockbuster one that it was known for. But nearly three weeks after its release, the film continues to struggle at the domestic box office, and is only faring well overseas. The fifth installment in the franchise has grossed $278 million at the box office. But when taking into account the $155 million production budget, and the promotional budget, it would seem that Terminator Genisys is just another disaster for the franchise and the studio.

Paramount has scheduled two Terminator sequels to be released in 2017 and 2018, but there is a new report saying that the future of the franchise is uncertain. More on the story below.

THR was the first to report on the news.

According to them, the studio is faced with a decision on whether or not to follow through with the sequels. Rentrak box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian told THR, “If a movie doesn’t kill at the box office, why move ahead? Studios will build franchises sometimes without the blessing of the audience.”

There are plans to release two more Terminator sequels in the next three years, with Paramount planning to shoot them back to back. But with underperforming box office numbers, and critics panning the film – with many of them criticizing director Alan Taylor for changing the mythology of the Terminator franchise – it would seem that the studio will go back to the drawing board to figure out the future of the franchise. One thing is for sure, studios scheduling sequels is common practice, and often times they change. So depending on their decision, don’t expect the sequels’ release dates to stick.

Both Paramount and Skydance declined to comment, but a source close to Paramount says “We will definitely need to see the holds globally to confirm that people like the film.” In some cases, studios decide if a film deserves a sequel based on the overseas market. For Terminator Genisys, there may be a future for the franchise. However, it is a soft $196 million overseas. But the film still has to open in a few more countries, and if it ends up performing well there, then there may be hope for some sequels.

Paramount may not want to write the Terminator franchise off their slate just yet, as it only takes one film to get audiences coming back for more. THR reminds us that Universal Pictures nearly dropped the Fast and the Furious franchise after Fast and Furious failed to meet box office expectations. But when the franchise was revamped, Fast 5 was a huge success and the studio followed it up by releasing two more sequels, and prepping for a third one.

[Source: THR]