Warning! Spoilers for Fantasy Island below.
While Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island has gotten largely negative reviews since it’s release on February 14, 2020, it’s not necessarily dead in the water - there are plenty of opportunities for the film to have a sequel or even branch out further, but will it happen?
Director Jeff Wadlow returned with his writing team of Chris Roach and Jillian Jacobs, who joined him for another Blumhouse movie in 2018, Truth or Dare. That film was considered successful, despite poor reviews, as it turned a meager $3.5 million budget into $95.3 million at the box office. Blumhouse movies tend to have quick turnaround, be made with relatively little money, and draw audiences even if critic consensus is poor; the studio has a positive reputation for making fun, easily digestible horror films that might not bring big scares, as many are rated PG-13, but sell enough tickets to consider a lasting legacy, perhaps by building on what worked and avoiding what didn’t.
Blumhouse knows how to market a movie and, as a major name in horror, they have tons of opportunities to grow a franchise. Jason Blum has said that he’d like some kind of cinematic universe in the future, and has acquired major franchises such as Halloween. That, coupled with the company’s expansion onto the television scene with The Purge, which branched outside of its film franchise, there is limitless potential if they decide to go all-in on Fantasy Island’s concept and don’t get bogged down by reviews.
Sony & Blumhouse Haven’t Announced A Sequel
Sony and Blumhouse have not announced a sequel to Fantasy Island. While there is certainly potential for another movie, the movie isn’t a big-name franchise, and is a relatively unknown entity in the grander scheme of things. Therefore, the announcement of another movie or future exploration of franchising will likely come in the months after its release, depending on how it does. Currently, critical and audience consensus on the film is negative, with it only having a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing.
When Could Fantasy Island 2 Release?
Blumhouse is known for quick productions and release of movies. For example, their Halloween trilogy released first in 2018, with the final two movies coming in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Production for Fantasy Island began in late 2018, and re-shoots were done in Fiji in July 2019. It is safe to assume that production takes about a year to 18 months in total based on this timeline, with two years being the longest. Since there’s no announcement of a sequel or other opportunity, it would likely be toward the longer end of the timeline, so the earliest the film would release would be late 2021. Most likely, it would release sometime in 2022.
What Fantasy Island 2’s Story Could Be About
The end of Fantasy Island saw Roarke with a new assistant at the film’s conclusion. Since this leaves a massive opening for future movies, there are numerous ways it could work. The island still exists, and its power is still capable of producing fantasies for other guests, so Roarke and Tattoo could entertain new guests on the island. The biggest potential here could be in branching out to a television series, as was done with the original in the ’70s and ’80s. Blumhouse does have a relationship with USA, and they also have an episodic anthology with Into the Dark on Hulu. While the concept for Fantasy Island was strong, the execution fell flat, so a greater opportunity might be in television. This would give an opportunity to show more of what the island can do and constantly rotate new guests - and victims - as well as follow the actions of Roarke and Tattoo, as the series did.
Next: Fantasy Island’s Ending Explained
- Fantasy Island Release Date: 2020-02-14
