The Sequel to a Half-Billion Smash Debuts with 0% on Rotten Tomatoes

When a movie has a budget exceeding $100 million and revolves around Jason Statham battling a massive prehistoric shark, it’s not likely to receive critical acclaim. However, the first installment may appear to be a masterpiece compared to the early reviews of its successor, Meg 2: The Trench.

Thanks to its strong performance in China, National Treasure director Jon Turteltaub’s absurd fantasy, which took itself too seriously to embrace the campy fun inherent in its premise, generated $530 million worldwide, despite only receiving a 46 percent Rotten Tomatoes score.

Despite bringing in Ben Wheatley to direct the follow-up, a move that seemed like a stroke of genius considering his knack for producing quirky, eccentric, and occasionally insane genre films, The Trench has yet to receive a single positive review on the aggregation site.

Although this situation will likely change soon, it’s certainly not a promising start. Meg 2 is projected to earn less than half of the first film’s domestic box office sales this weekend. However, the good news is that pre-sale tickets in China are once again selling rapidly and in substantial amounts, even if reaching half a billion is unlikely.

This summer, we have unfortunately grown accustomed to underwhelming blockbusters sinking in theaters. Unless opinions shift dramatically and swiftly, Meg 2: The Trench will join the ranks of recent box office disappointments.