After The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones flopped last month, German studio Constantin Film announced on Tuesday that production on the sequel has been delayed indefinitely.
City of Bones opened on Wednesday, Aug. 21 and after five days, it grossed just $14.7 million. While constantin claims that the $60 million film has grossed $70 million worldwide, TheWrap notes that Rentrak’s numbers show that it has only made $58 million.
A source for TheWrap said production on the sequel, titled City of Ashes, was supposed to start next week. But in a press release on Tuesday, Constantin delayed it until further notice.
“Constantin Film has a long tradition of adapting books to the big screen. Pushing back the start of production of City of Ashes was a decision we did not take lightly,” Constantin executive Martin Moszkowicz said in a statement, notes EW. “After speaking with all of our partners on the creative and distribution side, it was clear that it will be beneficial to have more time to reposition the film in the current market place.”
The planned franchise is based on Cassandra Clare’s successful Young Adult novels and starred Lily Collins. “While taking Cassandra Clare’s vision to the screen we want to make sure to draw on the full potential of the franchise,” Moszkowicz added.
City of Bones was slammed by critics and was the latest YA adaptation to flop. In the post-Twilight landscape, only The Hunger Games has proven successful.
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