Well, looks like the sequels are a wash; I haven't seen the world wide figures but I don't think the Box Office covered the cost to make the movie, let alone the $50M it needed in the N. Am. audience. I saw recently that Dredd opened in only about 2500 theaters in the US, pretty small number given other sci-fi movies. I think some exec somewhere at the studio really didn't want this movie to work.

I wouldn't write it off just yet; some films get a new lease of life on DVD (especially ones with favourable critical reaction and, most crucially, strong word of mouth). A lot of people wait til DVD with an unknown (to them) quantity : )

Dredd was more-or-less an indie film, from what Iunderstand. Since Indie film makers don't have the money to throw around that the large studios have Box office targets are pretty much critical for things like sequels. I don't think DVD sales will save the day in this case, but I suppose anything is possible.

Don't forget that the first Austin Powers film was a failure at the box office. It was the success in the home video/dvd market that eventually led to the sequels.

Again Shawshank Redemption wasn't a big office hit but found it's audience with the home market and subsequently became a hit.

Now say Dredd is £20 million short of guaranteeing a sequel, all it would take is a million copies of the dvd sold worldwide at release.

Yes I'm being optomistic!!!

I think we've more hope of tv series than another film.

One word: 'Halloween'

Though obviously let's hope the standard of sequels doesn't dip quite as sharply with 'Dredd'....

Ack! Did you really put Austin Powers and Judge Dredd in the same post? I haven't seen the most recent box office returns for the movie but lst I saw the movie was something like $45M short of the $50M US gross required for a sequel.

I'm not so sure aobut the TV series news...I think that could easily go the way of that terrible RoboCop series.

"Though obviously let's hope the standard of sequels doesn't dip quite as sharply with 'Dredd'...."

The treatments I heard were fairly promising for the other two movies. The second was going to the early history of Dredd, and the third was reported to center around a Dark Judges story line.

Yep, I did mention Austin Powers and Judge Dredd in the same paragraph! Just pointing out that even though the film didn't achieve the required $50 million in the US box office, it may well recover it's costs in the home video/dvd market. After all, it has already achieved $36 million worldwide against an estimated $45 million movie production outlay.

If some-one like HBO or AMC produced the series, it could work. After all, look how good "The Walking Dead" is on cable.

The biggest hindrance to all of this is how relatively unknown Judge Dredd is in the US.

"If some-one like HBO..."

Oh Grud, no! HBO does nothing but pander to the lowest common denominator in the audiance. Correct me if I am wrong, but did they not invent the character of Roz the prostitute in the Game of Thrones S1 so they could put in more explict sex scenes (even more then are already in the book) because I sure don't remember her being in the first book? If HBO were to get it they'll have DeMarco doing the nasty with Dredd somewhere between ep 2 and 3. I can't remember the last time I saw something from HBO I liked.

I would like to think you are right about the DVD sales pushing it over the top sequel wise. One thing for sure it will be a quick turn around for the DVD release...Jan 8th if rumours are true.

Well, to show my hope that DVD sales will rejuvanate the possibility of a sequel I will be pre ordering my copy of Dredd on Monday. One good thing about the low box office; we don't have long to wait for the DVD release.

Buy the Dredd DVD, or it's 30 years in the Cubes Citizen!

HBO didn't, the writers did - which include George R R Martin, who has almost full creative control on the TV series. HBO merely spends the money to get the series made.

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- Doug

So let me get this straight, you would be worried that HBO would not treat Judge Dredd in a serious and intelligent way. Which part do you think they would leave out, because it didn't pander to the lowest common denominator: Satanus the killer T-Rex? Walter the speech impaired robot? Judge Fish? Fatties?

To be honest Judge Dredd would be a better fit on Starz - they are going to have a bloody big hole to fill after the end of Spartacus - Blood and Tits.

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"... you would be worried that HBO would not treat Judge Dredd in a serious and intelligent way."

Not quite. I would be worried that any HBO treatment of Judge Dredd would suck! Just like everything else I've seen them put out lately. To be honest I am really not sure what Network would be the best fit. Maybe Starz, but since Dredd is a Brit invention perhaps one of thier Networks could do a half ways decent job...I just don't know.

The only UK channels I see doing justice to Dredd would be Sky and maybe Channel 4. As Dredd is so intrinsically violent, I can't see the BBC or ITV producing this without resorting to toning down the look and feel of Dredd. Both can produce quality drama, but violent quality drama. If Channel 4 did it, it would more than likely be relegated to a late night slot or one of there many digital channels.

Sky could afford to make Dredd. They did film the last series of Strikeback in South Africa. so the linkage with the movie is there, but they very rarely get above the 1,000,000 viewer mark (unless it's sports related).

Howsabout AMC? They're rolling in the dough and clout from Breaking Bad, Hell on Wheels, The Walking Dead, and of course, Mad Men. Seems like a gritty apocalyptic future sci fi show is missing from their current line-up...

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- Doug