Oblivion is one of the few Tom Cruise-led sci-fi movies, but it’s also one of the few of the actor’s underperformances at the box office, leaving the possibility of Oblivion 2 in a gray area. The 2013 sci-fi flick follows Jack Harper (Cruise), who roams a post-apocalyptic Earth following an alien invasion. Unfortunately, the film didn’t get a strong critical reception, as it holds a “rotten” 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it only made $288 million worldwide (via The Numbers). Given the film’s $120 million budget, which doesn’t include marketing costs or the movie theaters’ cut of the profits, Oblivion was likely still in the red when it left multiplexes.
However, that didn’t keep Cruise and director Joseph Kosinski from working together again, as the filmmaker directed Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick, which became a phenomenal success. The legacy sequel made almost $1.5 billion worldwide, and it has a huge 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. In that respect, it’s the polar opposite of the Oblivion movie, and it makes a great argument that Kosinski and Cruise should work together again. While Oblivion 2 would undoubtedly be a huge risk for Universal Pictures, it’s absolutely worth considering following Cruise and Kosinski’s shared success.
There Are No Plans For Oblivion 2
As Oblivion is based on an unpublished graphic novel of the same name, there’s likely way more material in Universal’s vault that the studio could adapt to continue the series. There were even rumors that Universal was considering not a sequel but a prequel (via Fortress of Solitude). Unfortunately, those rumors never became confirmations, and the studio didn’t once formally comment on the possibility. As it has been a decade since the original film, and it hasn’t become a cult classic in that time, it’s unlikely that the studio would greenlight Oblivion 2, even if Cruise himself was interested in returning to the franchise.
Why Oblivion 2 Makes Perfect Sense
The movie had several great elements that were completely unique and different from other post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies of its ilk, such as the designs that were inspired by 1970s sci-fi films and 1940s helicopters. Jack’s bubble ship looks identical to the iconic 1946 helicopter, the Bell 47. Given its original visual approach to the genre alone, the Oblivion movie should absolutely get a sequel. But what makes the potential of Oblivion 2 perfect is that it’d reunite Cruise and Kosinski, who have become something of a dynamic duo. Kosinski has developed so much as a filmmaker since 2013, and that’s totally proven by Top Gun: Maverick.
Kosinski shot 800 hours of footage for Top Gun: Maverick, and most of what’s seen on the screen is totally practical. Kosinski could apply this approach to Oblivion 2, as it’d undoubtedly feature much flight footage too, and the design of the aircraft could simply be altered digitally. The lack of thrills in Oblivion is what made it underwhelming, but Kosinski showed with the 2022 blockbuster that he can now make a movie on an epic scale. After all, while Top Gun: Maverick was overwhelmingly critically acclaimed, the original 1986 movie is rated “rotten,” just like Oblivion. With the right screenplay, Oblivion 2 could have Top Gun: Maverick-like success.