Paramount announced that it will not follow Honor among thieves with any type of Dungeons and Dragons TV show, which is pretty disappointing, but I’m surprised none of the other studios took the opportunity to take advantage of this opportunity. Dungeons and Dragons-inspired movies and shows have proven to be successful. Honor among thieves is clearly a streaming hit, while The Legend of Vox Machina continues its 100% Rotten Tomatoes streak with its final season, so you’d think at least someone would recognize how hungry fans are for more D&D media.
Even just fifteen years ago, D&D was still mostly talked about in a derogatory way, as something nerds did, with notable exceptions, like when it was leaked that Vin Diesel was playing with Dame Judi Dench on the set of The Chronicles of Riddick. This didn’t help when the D&D the films of the 2000s have proven to be terrible and not even worth framing as nostalgia bait. Now, Dungeons and Dragons is at the height of its popularity and doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon.
Dungeons & Dragons’ recent successes prove the franchise’s potential
How can D&D Doesn’t it work as a TV show if it works for both animated series and real games?
While Honor among thieves did not do well at the box office, its performance since arriving on streaming platforms proves Dungeons and Dragons has staying power with the public. The streaming release more than made up for any weak ticket sales, and since then is a lackluster $207 million gross against a $150 million budget, as BoxOfficeMojo reported Honor among thieves won at the box office. Its initial VOD release on Amazon Prime was respectable and since launching to subscribers on Paramount+ and international viewers on Netflix Honor among thieves 3 million views and counting.
The film’s popularity should come as no surprise. We are living in a time when a D&D live show could immediately sell out Madison Square Garden, as reported by TechCrunch). This is incredible, especially compared to the cultural view on D&D when I learned to play in the 90s. Entire studios are popping up to create real game streams inspired by Critical Role and The Adventure Zone and Dimension 20 and all the other amazing tables out there. The Legend of Vox Machina continues to exceed all critical expectations. There has never been a better time to be a D&D fan.
Dungeons and Dragons has as much potential as a live-action TV show as it does as a tabletop game. There are infinite worlds shining like jewels in the Astral Sea, all containing an infinite number of stories. This could even be the main part of a show’s premise; an anthological approach to a Dungeons and Dragons show can allow a variety of creators to contribute in fun and engaging ways while playing across all D&Dcampaign settings.
Studios Are Learning Wrong Honor Lessons Among Thieves Box Office
It’s not about star power and special effects, it’s about fun
I’m always worried about the thought process studio executives have when it comes to deciding whether something deserves a sequel, which seems to have cost us a sequel. Honor among thieves. For years, it appears that executives have been content to earn diminishing returns from existing megafranchises rather than investing in new ideas or taking risks. I can’t remember the last time I went to the cinema. About that, movies like Honor among thieves, that so clearly create franchise opportunities with interesting narratives, may die.
Of course, it’s impossible to look at the mistakes studios are making lately without mentioning the worst trend of all, which is allowing finished films to go unreleased for tax relief purposes. The whole trend is infuriating when you look at it, in combination with the way so many other films end up in development hell for years on end, only to never be finished. Studios repeatedly ignore what the public says they want. On the other hand, D&D fans are used to being misunderstood at times, as can be seen in the recent controversies surrounding Dungeons and Dragons publisher Hasbro.
The most important lessons studios could have learned Honor among thieves and that Dungeons and Dragons adaptations should be fun.
The most important lessons studios could have learned Honor among thieves and that Dungeons and Dragons adaptations should be fun. There were lots of Easter eggs there for those who still have copies of the 2nd edition Player Handbook sitting proudly on the shelf, but it was also a serious attempt to replicate the adventure and chaos of an RPG campaign. Hopefully soon a studio will take the opportunity to make a Dungeons and Dragons show that we as fans can be proud – until then, I’ll be watching more Dimension 20.
Source: BoxOfficeMojo, TechCrunch