Summary:
- The Road House sequel can address missed opportunities from the original by reintroducing iconic elements and new characters.
- Rectifying Amazon’s mistake of not releasing the 2024 remake theatrically can be achieved with a smaller budget and a big-screen debut for the sequel.
- Despite a smaller budget, focusing on the franchise’s core elements can lead to box-office success for the Road House sequel.
Now that Jake Gyllenhaal is definitely in for the remake of Road House for a sequel, whoever got the writing assignment had better know how to avoid the biggest mistake of that film.
In the 2024 film, the movie didn’t even wait until the film was over to tease the sequel, which would feature Conor McGregor’s villain, Knox, at a hospital, raising hell in a mid-credits scene. This was to set up a rematch between Knox and Gyllenhaal’s Dalton, which Amazon has now confirmed is in the works.
But a confirmed sequel to Road House offers Gyllenhaal and company a chance to right the wrongs of the first movie. It could take from the premise of the first film, the classic bar the Double Deuce, and bring in a new talent to replace the character of Dalton’s friend Wade Garrett, of course played by Sam Elliott.
Most importantly, though, a Road House sequel does offer a path to redemption from the screw-up of a release that Amazon made for its 2024 remake.
Amazon Must Opt for a Theatrical Debut for Road House 2
There was previous controversy surrounding the 2024 Road House, which opted to skip a run at the theater to go straight to streaming on Amazon Prime Video, an unpopular decision with several filmmakers and investors in the film.
While it was a success on the streaming service, hitting 80 million viewers, most believe this film could have made big money on the big screen, especially considering the light competition on the slate at the time.
To do this, as much of the sequels should be run in as many theaters as possible, using the franchise and its established popularity as a means to chop off any financial risk associated with this one.
Apparently, Jake Gyllenhaal and the Road House team had to decide between two production budgets: $60 million to push for the movie’s release in theaters, or $85 million to be streamed (via Variety).
The team decided to do the latter to give them a chance to up their production quality. That, however, closed the door on a big screen release, something that has had some industry insiders debating why.
Road House 2 Could Succeed in Theaters with a Lower Budget
As much as the post-pandemic landscape will be difficult for finances, Road House 2 has a play to be able to make it at the box office.
While the streaming budget for the film was increased with the 2024 film deal, and this is more reason a sequel could get the budget reduced to include a theatrical release. With a budget as low as that of Road House, this is not a franchise known for waste.
The sequel need only focus on gritty action that calls back to the first film rather than huge, budget-eating sets, so $40 million could make for a massively successful film here.
What Amazon and the creators have to do is to pull every available resource into giving the Road House franchise an update, but they have to do it in such a way that it means the film cannot be a true behemoth of a spectacle, a la.
Releasing Road House 2 in Theaters Could Address Another Issue with the Remake
A theatrical run for Amazon’s Road House sequel would also help assuage one of the 2024 remake’s significant criticisms. While it was an $85 million dollar budget, many felt that the CGI affected the movie detrimentally, acting against its overall experience.
A theatrical release would put the CGI under more strenuous testing on the bigger screens and force the effects to be better but also potentially increase the budget.
Sequels typically have increased production values for a franchise, and there is a precedence with the Creed series, which incrementally spent more on every entry than the last, with all performing better at the box office than the former.
Road House 2 Might Reverse Jake Gyllenhaal’s Recent Box Office Decline
Despite the continued high regard for Jake Gyllenhaal and his recent films, he does seem to lack a bit in the box office.
All of his movies have been critically acclaimed, but many, like The Covenant under Guy Ritchie, have seen failure. The one before his last great result was Spider-Man: Far From Home in 2019.
Well, an Amazon-produced sequel of his biggest hit sounds really unlikely to get close to that benchmark, but a major release for Road House 2 could send him in the top ranks of Gyllenhaal’s best-grossing movies, shining through a summer blockbuster for men à la Bad Boys, Fast & Furious.
