The sad reality of the film industry is that every great idea is dependent on its box-office performance. A fun, charming, and creative film likeDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thievescan’t expect a follow-up without an appropriate mass of millions during its theatrical run. In the modern era, three or four weekends decide the fate of every new idea. Paramount didn’t like the numbers they saw afterHonor Among Thieveshit the screen, but the streaming spinoff may be a missed opportunity that haunts them.
There are too many streaming services. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Peacock, Tubi, Vudu, Pluto, and many more silly names crowd every smart TV. Finding a movie to watch is now a process of scrolling through dozens of menus or searching the internet to find the home of a favorite film. With endless competition, every streamer needs several ways to stand out.Paramount+ is not a leading competitor. It certainly can’t afford to start passing on its limited advantages.
Johnathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley
Johnathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley, and Michael Gilio
Chris McKay and Michael Gilio
Stars
Chris Pine, Melissa Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sofia Lillis, and Hugh Grant
March 31st, 2023
Rotten Tomatoes Score
91% positive from 310 critics
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieveswas a fun and exciting adventure in a franchise that has regularly struggled on the big screen. Like video games and comic books,D&Dis a hobby that used to be seen as the unreachable peak of nerd culture. Other nerds considered it a bridge too far. However, thanks entirely to actual play podcasts, video games, and independent creators working tirelessly to fix Wizards of the Coast’s game for them, the franchise is immensely popular.Honor Among Thievesshould have provided a massive mainstream touchpoint for the tabletop title, but the film struggled at the box office. There were several reasons for its poor performance.The Super Mario Bros. Moviekilled every competitor that stood against it when it hit theaters only five days afterHonor Among Thieves. Perhaps more importantly,Honor Among Thievessustained a mortal blow fromD&D’s biggest nemesis, Wizards of the Coast. The awful company’sshortsighted, cruel, and greedy decisionsprompted a boycott that unfortunately wounded the otherwise excellent film.Honor Among Thievesis the cinematic equivalent of crafting a flawless plan of action before rolling a two and losing it all. Luckily, Paramount seemed prepared to continue the legend.
Dungeons & Dragonshas franchise potential, despite its first film’s underperformance. Hasbro, eOne, and Paramount have suggested a potential sequel, but a spinoff TV series seemed to be the intended next step. Paramount+ gave the unnamed program an eight-episode straight-to-series order last January. Drew Crevello, a VP atFox who developedDeadpoolandX-Men: First Class, signed on as the showrunner. Rawson Marshall Thurber, ofSkyscraperandRed Noticefame, wrote and directed the pilot. The series entered a year-long period of silence before an unfortunate announcement cut celebrations short.
Paramount+ Passed on theD&DSeries
On May 30th, 2024, Paramount+ announced that they wouldn’t be moving forward with theirD&Dseries. Their straight-to-series order amounted to nothing. This leaves the show in a strange position, but its absence from Paramount’s future plans could cause several problems.Paramount+ has a few selling points. Oddly enough, it’s closer in business model to Disney+ than Netflix. Instead of having a massive library of original content that demands subscriptions, Paramount trades off a few key IPs. They haveStar Trek, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, theYellowstonefranchise, and a few other notable names. Oddly enough, Paramount+ has a selection of video game adaptations.Halo, Sonic the Hedgehog, andArk: The Animated Seriesmake up their most notable original series. With so few decent IPs to rely on,Dungeons & Dragonswould have unquestionably added a lot to the service. The closest thing they have to a killer app is the mess ofYellowstonespinoffs for older audiences and the world of Nickelodeon classics for kids.D&Dcould have been theirGame of Thronesor theirStranger Things. It’s an opportunity tostop relying on live football. They missed that opportunity.
Could theD&Dseries still come out?
Hasbro took theDungeons & Dragonsseries into their in-house studio. Hasbro Entertainment will soon make its cinematic debutwithTransformers One. eOne, the other production company involved, was sold to Lionsgate. With Paramount out of the picture, it’s up to Hasbro to fix up the show and shop it around for a new distribution hub. There’s no telling how long that process could take or whether it will ever work out. TheD&Dseries might be a going concern for the next several years. Hasbro continues its interest in projects likeG.I. JoeandTransformers, butD&Dremains a potential future avenue.
Honor Among Thievessuffered a tragic downfall due to factors outside the filmmaker’s control. Its first opportunity to redeem itself would have been the spinoff TV series, butParamount+ didn’t see the potentialit offered their service. If the show ever makes it to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, fans may wonder why it doesn’t share a platform with its predecessor. Time will tell whether Paramount will live to regret canceling its next campaign.
