Part of a panel at TheWrap's 6th Annual Leadership Conference, Dana Goldberg, Skydance Media chief creative officer and producer for Terminator: Genisys, talked about studio plans for the movie after its dismal domestic performance.
To be clear, Genisys was no flop, earning $350 million overseas and clearly breaking more than even with its $155-million production budget. However, the movie only raked in $90 million in the United States over the summer, prompting Skydance to reassess its plans for Genisys.
"I wouldn't say on hold, so much as re-adjusting," said Goldberg, when asked about plans on pursuing a trilogy and a TV series, which was announced back in 2013.
She made it clear that production will not be beginning at the start of 2016 so it's not clear whether or not the sequel for Genisys will hit the big screen as planned in May 2017. There seems to more hope for the TV series, however, because Goldberg pointed out that, the way they talk in Skydance encompasses universes more than franchises and a Terminator TV series certainly fits in their universe.
Goldberg clarified that they are ultimately happy about Genisys' worldwide numbers but wish they could've done better domestically. She said they're planning on playing to a worldwide market but will definitely not take their domestic numbers lightly.
Speaking as a producer, however, she vowed that it's not the end for time-traveling cyborgs. To ensure that they are making the right move with their next one, Skydance will be carrying out a worldwide study, talking to audiences about what they loved and didn't with Genisys.
Getting to know your audience is always highly commendable but a worldwide study sounds like a lot of work, meaning it would eat up time, pushing back production for the second film. This move almost entirely ensures that a sequel to Genisys won't make it to the planned May 2017 release date.
Goldberg was joined at the panel on innovating the movie-going experience by Paul Yanover, Fandango president and IMAX international marketing head and senior vice president; Will Palmer, Movio chief executive and co-founder; and Josh Goldstine, Universal Pictures worldwide marketing president.
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