Thanks to a $37-million opening weekend, and a budget of just $30 million, the little sci-fi movie that could, District 9, may be more than just a dark horse, late-summer hit. It might be the start of a whole new franchise.
Director Neill Blomkamp was known primarily for his work on commercials before his short film Alive in Joburg, the thematic inspiration for District 9, caught the eye of producer-director Peter Jackson. District 9 has already carved out a place in the hearts of sci-fi fans and could rake in the kind of cash that makes a sequel compulsory.
Just prior to the opening of District 9, Jackson was hesitant to jump into sequel plans. Blomkamp, however, said that a sequel is up to the fans.
I'd love to make a sequel, because it's so creatively rewarding to me; there's just something about (the story). It's my background mixed with the science fiction that I loved. I'd really like to go back to the world of District 9 — which, without [lead actor Sharlto Copley's] character, would be a very different kind of movie. So I think automatically the two of us will be reunited again, should the public decide that this film is something they want to see and it's successful.