Jack Reacher: Never Go Back opened on October 21, 2016, which makes this week its 10th anniversary. The sequel to the 2012 Jack Reacher brought Tom Cruise back as Lee Child’s drifter and former Major, this time opposite Cobie Smulders, and sent them on the run after an Army major is framed for espionage. But the film had to earn its green light. Here are eight things you may not know.
A sequel was not always on the cards
Though Jack Reacher was intended as a tent-pole for a film series, a sequel was initially reported to be unlikely due to its lackluster run at the North American box office. That changed in February 2013, when the first film surpassed $200 million worldwide. On December 9, 2013, Paramount Pictures and Skydance Media announced they were moving forward with a second film, based on Lee Child’s Never Go Back.
Edward Zwick already knew Cruise
Edward Zwick was reported to reteam with Cruise and direct on May 19, 2015. Zwick wrote the script with Marshall Herskovitz and Richard Wenk. He had previously directed Cruise on the 2003 film The Last Samurai.
The cast came together in a burst
Cobie Smulders was added on August 14, 2015 to play the female lead. Danika Yarosh signed on September 15, Aldis Hodge joined September 17, and Patrick Heusinger was cast as the villain on September 22. Holt McCallany, Austin Hebert, Robert Catrini and Robert Knepper followed, with Knepper cast as General Harkness on January 20, 2016.
Filming wrapped in Louisiana
Principal photography began on October 20, 2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Filming took place in Baton Rouge on November 23, 2015, and in St. Francisville in January 2016. It wrapped on January 30, 2016.
Tax incentives cut the spend
The film received tax incentives for filming in Louisiana. The gross total production budget was reported to be $96 million, with $65 million of spending on location in Louisiana eligible for tax incentives, which amounted to $21 million.
Promo ran from trailer to browser game
Entertainment Weekly premiered a preview of the first trailer on June 14, 2016, with Cobie Smulders introducing the footage. A full trailer followed on June 22. A browser game titled Jack Reacher: Never Stop Punching was also released to promote the film.
It beat its opening projection
In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross around $20 million from 3,780 theaters in its opening weekend, and the studio expected a debut of about $17 million. It earned $1.3 million in midnight showings at 1,850 theaters. The weekend came in at $23 million, finishing second behind Boo! A Madea Halloween.
Seven international markets put it on top
Outside North America, the film opened in 42 countries in conjunction with its United States and Canada debut, representing about 75% of the film’s total marketplace internationally. In 30 of those markets it posted a bigger opening than the first Reacher film, and it took the top opening of the week in the United Kingdom and Ireland, France, Australia, Russia, Indonesia, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates. Overall it grossed $162 million worldwide.
Which of these details changes how you see the sequel? Tell us your favourite Jack Reacher: Never Go Back memory.
Facts from Wikipedia: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.