In a surprising admission, the directors of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves are pointing fingers at external factors for the film’s underwhelming box office performance. John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein claim that a perfect storm of unfortunate timing – including Wizards of the Coast’s controversial Open Gaming License (OGL) drama and the massive success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie – ultimately overshadowed their fantasy flick.
A Perfect Storm of Bad Timing
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, released in March 2023, arrived at a critical juncture for the tabletop RPG community. Just weeks before its release, Wizards of the Coast announced proposed changes to their Open Gaming License (OGL). This move sparked intense backlash from players and creators who feared it would stifle innovation and limit their ability to create and sell content based on D&D’s fifth edition rules. While Wizards of the Coast eventually walked back this disastrous decision, the damage was done.
Adding insult to injury, The Super Mario Bros. Movie exploded onto the scene around the same time, capturing the attention of moviegoers and dominating box office charts. According to director John Francis Daley, this confluence of events created a challenging environment for Honor Among Thieves.
“It was very much a product of not-so-great timing when the first movie came out,” Daley explained in an interview. “It came out four days before the Super Mario movie, which broke records. It came out a month after Wizards of the Coast changed the official gaming license, prompting many D&D fans to boycott the game, and I don’t think the marketing did enough to tell people who weren’t already fans that this movie might be for them.”
Hope for a Sequel?
While Honor Among Thieves struggled at the box office, Paramount Pictures ultimately decided against producing a sequel due to “financial” reasons. However, Daley and Goldstein remain optimistic that another studio might step in to continue exploring the D&D universe.
“Yeah, absolutely,” said Goldstein. “I think Hasbro is a big believer in it, and if they can figure out a studio partner to make it work, they’ll want to proceed. As are our producers.”
Daley added, “I mean, look, it’s something that is near and dear to our hearts in that we loved making the first one. We fell in love with the characters, and there’s so much potential in a sequel because the first act isn’t filled with exposition or introduction to this family that we’ve already become accustomed to. So you can kind of launch right into the story, which is really nice.”
Beyond the Big Screen
For fans eager for more D&D content, there’s still plenty to look forward to. A live-action TV series based on the gothic-horror world “Ravenloft” is officially in development at Netflix. Described as a “prestige fantasy series where adventure collides with gothic horror and tragic romance,” it will explore the origins of the vampire Darklord Strahd von Zarovic.
Furthermore, a new third-person action-adventure game titled Dungeons & Dragons: Warlock is slated for release in 2027. This promises to offer a fresh perspective on the beloved tabletop RPG franchise.
While the future of an Honor Among Thieves sequel remains uncertain, the D&D universe continues to expand across various media platforms, offering something for every fan.
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