Last spring, Lionsgate saw their franchise hopes around “The Divergent Series” circle the drain when “Allegiant” hit cinemas. Though managing to strike surprising gold with the first film in the series, and getting decent returns on the follow-up “Insurgent,” the pictures were never that well reviewed or beloved beyond a very small, devoted fan base. Thus by time “Allegiant” arrived, audience interest had moved on, critical notices were dismal, and the resulting box office was so disappointing that the studio immediately axed plans to make the final movie in the series, “Ascendant.” But this is Hollywood, and a franchise never dies.

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Lionsgate really wants to believe that there’s “tremendous fandom” left for the “Divergent” franchise, but any look at the cold hard facts reveals that’s some delusional thinking. The audience has been thinning considerably for each successive picture, culminating in this spring’s bomb, “Allegiant,” which did so badly, the studio is now pivoting toward finishing the planned followup “Ascendant” on TV, and then launching a new television series.

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To the casual observer, looking at the sinking box-office returns for each entry in the “Divergent” series, and the recently announced plans to transition the finale,”Ascendant,” to TV which would then lead to a spinoff series, it would seem that the YA property isn’t exactly the most popular thing going. But Lionsgate, who certainly don’t want to look like they completely wasted what initially looked like a surprise homerun hit, are insisting there are still plenty of people invested in “Divergent.”

“There’s a tremendous fandom,” the studio’s TV Group Chair Kevin Beggs told Variety, going on to explain that the TV series would resolve “the [final] novel in a season across 10 to 13 episodes and then expanding from there into multiple seasons.”

Apparently, there are numerous buyers already looking at the potential show, but I’ll believe it when I see it — particularly when this is all news the cast members.

Continue reading Lionsgate Exec Claims “There’s A Tremendous Fandom” For ‘Divergent,’ Miles Teller Not Sure About The TV Series at The Playlist.

When “Divergent” opened in 2014, it took everyone by surprise, with the YA movie earning $288 million worldwide, and looking like a new franchise. But it’s hard to remember a studio fumbling the ball as hard as Lionsgate did. Each successive entry has been a creative and financial disappointment, with this spring’s “The Divergent Series: Allegiant” hitting the lowest bar yet, with an anemic $179.2 million worldwide, putting it $100 million off the pace of the other two movies in the series.

Continue reading ‘The Divergent Series’ Finale ‘Ascendant’ Will Now Be A TV Movie With A Spinoff Series at The Playlist.

Lionsgate Plans To Cut 'Ascendant' Budget After 'Allegiant' Underperforms

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As ‘Divergent’ Trends Downward, Hopes For Post-‘Hunger Games’ Dystopian Teen YA Franchises Look Dour

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Watch: 3 Clips, New Photos, And First Reviews Arrive For 'The Divergent Series: Allegiant'

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Watch: First Trailer For 'The Divergent Series: Allegiant' Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James & Miles Teller

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'Divergent' Trilogy Finale 'Allegiant' Will Be Split Into Two Films

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