Will We Ever Get The 5th Wave 2?
During the 2010s, audiences were treated to many young adult sagas, from "Twilight" to "The Hunger Games" to "Divergent." Among those young adult novel adaptations was 2016's "The 5th Wave," starring Chloë Grace Moretz. This was not Moretz's first time starring in a young adult adaptation, having been in both 2010's "Let Me In" and 2014's "If I Stay." However, this role was very different for the actor, who had not previously dipped into the sci-fi thriller genre.
The film follows the story of Cassie Sullivan (Moretz), a teenage girl trying to survive and locate her brother, Sam (Zackary Arthur), after events following an alien invasion of Earth. The aliens attack in what the characters call "waves." The first wave was the destruction of technology, the second was a catastrophic earthquake, the third was a deadly and incurable virus, and the fourth was aliens disguised as humans. Now, Cassie and other survivors await the dreaded fifth wave.
With the movie having been released back in 2016 and it being based on a three-book series written by Rick Yancey – not to mention the trend of young adult saga adaptations — fans might be wondering why there hasn't been a sequel to "The 5th Wave" yet. So will there ever be? Here's what we know.
A sequel doesn't seem to be in the cards for The 5th Wave
So far, there has been no official comment from the film's stars or Sony Pictures about a potential sequel to "The 5th Wave." However, upon further investigation, the series' fate can possibly be determined.
On Rotten Tomatoes, "The 5th Wave" has a 16% critic score and a 38% audience score. The general consensus reads, "With unimpressive effects and plot points seemingly pieced together from previous dystopian YA sci-fi films, 'The 5th Wave' ends up feeling like more of a limp, derivative wriggle." "The 5th Wave" unfortunately did not seem to sit well with either critics or fans due to its reliance on tropes often found in this genre.
Furthermore, the film's box office outcome wasn't too pretty either (via Box Office Mojo). With an estimated budget of $38 million, the $34 million domestic gross wasn't even enough to break even. The overall worldwide gross, however, was just under $110 million. Both factors of critical reception and box office performance could have affected sequel potential, as touched upon by Daily Hind News.
The editor speculated, "In the face of disappointing revenues from The 5th Wave ... and the disastrous reviews, Sony Pictures decides to put an end to the exploitation of the literary saga." Although there has been no official announcement of cancellation from Sony Pictures, Daily Hind News seems to be implying that these factors led to Sony's disinterest in continuing the series.