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The Hollywood film industry has had a peculiar habit of missing pivotal moments/opportunities; a notable example is the live-action Pokémon adaptation, Detective Pikachu, which premiered in 2019. The film went beyond the typical video game adaptation, offering Hollywood a rare chance to embrace a lucrative franchise. Unfortunately, the industry let the opportunity pass without so much as a sequel.
Upon release, the film grossed over $430 million worldwide, demonstrating audiences’ readiness to embrace Pokémon on the big screen, with favourable reviews and merchandise sales performing incredibly well. By most measures, the film achieved what many video game adaptations struggled to accomplish.
Yet years later, no sequels and no broader universe have . Even as one of the highest-grossing franchises in the world, valued at $100 billion, Pokémon remains largely absent from the big screen.
Detective Pikachu's Numbers Did More Than Enough To Secure A Sequel
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Pokémon’s Detective Pikachu opened with $54.4 million domestically and went on to earn more than $100 million internationally in its first week, a success driven by the record-breaking run of Avengers: Endgame, despite the intense competition. The film’s opening success established a strong box-office presence and became the highest-grossing video game adaptation at the time, overtaking Warcraft.
Unsurprisingly, the numbers confirm the film’s profitability, and industry standards suggest that a movie must earn roughly 2.5 times its production cost to break even after publicity expenses, which totalled $433 million. Detective Pikachu exceeded the supposed threshold, with Home Entertainment adding nearly $30 million from DVD and Blu-ray sales by August 2020.
Worldwide earnings suggested that the profit was not limited to a single market. Both the United States and Canada generated $144 million combined, China generated $84.4 million, Japan contributed $21.2 million, and the United Kingdom added $13.6 million. Together, these figures showcase Pokémon’s global marketability and relevance.
However, rather than building on the success, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures allowed the momentum slowly grind to a halt. Truthfully, the appeal initially looked secure, as Legendary Entertainment announced plans for a sequel just four months before the film hit cinemas in January 2019. Screenwriter Oren Uziel was brought on immediately, indicating early confidence in the studio’s project.
However, by 2021, all the excitement had faded as actor Justice Smith publicly cast doubt on the sequel’s prospects. In an interview, he hinted that the sequel was not in the works and urged fans not expect a return to Ryme City. This statement stunned the Pokémon fans, leaving many grappling with the fact that a profitable release lacked a -up.
Behind the scenes, the project also faced significant uncertainty. Chris Gellata later replaced Uziel as the writer, while Jonathan Krisel took over directing from Rob Letterman, all of which unfolded slowly due to COVID-19 disruptions. Additionally, events such as the 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have further slowed down development.
To add, Ryan Reynolds’ thriving career introduced new production hurdles. With Deadpool taking up most of his time, his availability became limited, and his costs increased. Without his voice, Pikachu lost its charming feature that made the film appealing, diminishing the sequel’s draw. However, those challenges alone do not explain the hesitation. Other films have navigated similar issues.
For instance, Sonic the Hedgehog built a thriving franchise despite its initial box office numbers being lower than expected. The determining factor being the studio’s commitment to investing, even as others pulled back. Narratively, a Detective Pikachu sequel also carries some challenges. The story ended with Pikachu and Harry Goodman returning to their original forms, which removed the film’s distinct detective element.
Continuing without that signalled a creative gamble, something studios are typically hesitant to sign off on. Additionally, leaks from the Game Freak 2024 data breach further heightened confusion as major plot details for the sequel, titled The Great Detective Pikachu, came to light.
The reports stated the sequel has been in the works since 2021, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts set to direct, with a release planned for 2024. Unfortunately, the project never progressed, and even Justice Smith admitted he was unaware of its status.
Detective Pikachu: Hollywood’s Missed Opportunity
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Pokémon is one of the highest-grossing media franchises in history, generating over $200 billion since its 1996 debut. This figure beats the combined earnings of Star Wars, the MCU, and Harry Potter. The franchise’s reach spans video games, trading cards, memes, merchandise, and mobile apps, woven into a connected ecosystem with unique global and cross-generational appeal.
With more than 1,000 Pokémon varieties spread across various regions, the franchise’s creativity has near-limitless potential. The universe offers an endless supply of new stories and concepts, allowing the introduction of new trainers and adventures without risking repetition or overburdening viewers.
The Super Mario Bros. franchise showed exactly what Pokémon could have accomplished. Nintendo’s widely recognised character generated $1.36 billion in 2023 by simply respecting its source material and staying committed to fans’ expectations. In Pokémon’s case, Hollywood had a clear roadmap for success, so the problem wasn’t a lack of opportunity, but a lack of execution.
Sonic the Hedgehog has been a successful franchise thanks to its patience. The first film grossed $319 million worldwide, which is less than Detective Pikachu’s $433 million. Yet, Paramount wasted no time and adapted a sequel, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, which improved sales, pulling in $405 million. A third instalment was released in 2024, taking the franchise to the billion-dollar sales mark.
Paramount’s approach focused on building trust and accepting feedback. After the backlash over Sonic’s design, the studio redesigned and won back the fans’ goodwill. The studio kept releasing movies, treating Sonic as a lasting franchise rather than a quick profit venture. This commitment stands out sharply from Legendary Pictures’ treatment of Detective Pikachu.
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Meanwhile, HBO’s The Last of Us achieved both critical and commercial success. Amazon’s Fallout grabbed global attention, while Netflix’s Arcane pushed animated storytelling to new heights. Yet, somehow, Pokémon has been all but left out of this resurgence.
Theoretically, successful films cash in on merchandise sales, including toy lines, apparel, and brand partnerships, and Detective Pikachu did moderately well in all these categories. Nonetheless, a steady run of sequels could have significantly increased those returns. Curiously, streaming platforms also missed an unrealised opportunity.
These platforms typically aggressively fight for recognisable content, and a Pokémon live-action franchise could have given them that, considering the brand power. Warner Bros. Discovery could have leveraged exclusive deals to drive subscriptions, but it decided not to do so, reflecting a major misstep that extends beyond box-office revenue.
Every year without a new Pokémon film, competitors take the spotlight. Minecraft got a live-adaptation in 2025, and Five Nights at Freddy’s has rolled out sequels despite mixed reviews. Meanwhile, the iconic Pokémon franchise sits idle, letting other studios claim its spot.
Ironically, the film should have been a significant win for Warner Bros. Pictures. Unfortunately, leadership changes ing the merger of Warner Media and Discovery shifted the company’s focus, leading to production problems, and Pokémon, despite its proven profitability, got lost in corporate realignment and was further pushed away from its potential.
