In the weeks leading up to the premiere of the film based on his book "The Maze Runner," Utah author James Dashner said he was hoping to enjoy the experience and not worry about box-office numbers or critical reception.
Both, however, seem to have taken care of themselves.
Twentieth Century Fox's "The Maze Runner," directed by Wes Ball and based on Dashner's 2009 young adult dystopian novel, earned an estimated $32.5 million at the domestic box office, "one of the biggest September debuts ever," according to boxofficemojo.com. Internationally, "The Maze Runner" pulled in an additional $49 million.
The film also fared respectably with critics, earning a 63 percent "fresh" rating on rottentomatoes.com. Deseret News film critic Josh Terry gave the film 3½ stars.
"For Twentieth Century Fox and myself, this weekend couldn't have possibly gone any better," Dashner told the Deseret News via email. "Not only did we have one of the biggest openings ever for September, we did even better internationally. It's been exciting to watch it unfold. The best part is how enthusiastic and receptive people have been, both fans and those who haven't read the books alike. I couldn't be happier."
Also this weekend came the expected but now official announcement of a sequel, reported by several news outlets on Sunday. "The Scorch Trials" will be in theaters Sept. 18, 2015, according to Variety.
"We've known for a while that 'The Scorch Trials' would probably happen, but to see it officially announced with a date and everything — it's hard to describe the excitement," Dashner wrote. "The next couple of years are going to be insane and fantastic."
Email: ashill@deseretnews.com
Twitter: aaronshill