The X-Files 3 Not Going Direct to DVD… At Least Not Yet

Posted by on August 20th, 2008   Filed under: Horror, Rumours, Sci-fi, TV
Source: The Movie Blog

The X-Files: I Want To Believe came and went rather quietly this summer, grossing just $20 million worldwide. Some fans claim it was unfairly criticized for being a bit more quiet and restrained than the rest of the summer blockbusters, but I still think that even when taken as a TV episode it was a pretty mediocre one. This week a rumour popped up over at Dread Central that said a third X-Files movie was in development, but that it was being planned as a direct to DVD feature. Talk about getting kicked while you’re down.

Fortunately, it turns out that this was nothing more than a rumour, and was debunked on writer Frank Spotnitz’s Big Light Productions blog. I’m glad to hear it, if only because it seemed like a rather rash decision. However, I will say that if they decided to release another X-Files movie direct to DVD, assuming it was around the same production budget, would there be anything wrong with that? Direct to video is usually an indicator of something that is poor quality, but that doesn’t mean it has to be that way. Just look at what they’re doing with the Futurama movies. If this meant that they could do more X-Files flicks without having to live up to the expectations of a massive theatrical release, then it might actually be a smart move. Thoughts?



  • 1138

    I wonder do direct to DVd’s have to be so bad? I’m kind of waiting for someone to make a kick ass straight to DVD movie that will become a huge success! But like I said is that possible? Would profits earned by DVD sales and rentals be able to overcome a (Most likely) large production budget?

  • It was out already? huh

  • The only way I’d see an X-Files movie (besides lazily flicking to it when its on a sateliet movie channel) is if they ended the X-Files saga with stuff like finally finding out about the biggest alien conspiracy ever and Mulder meeting his abducted sister again and of course having Mulder and Scully finally get down.

  • After seeing the X-Files earlier this month in the cinema I left the screening thinking that it would have made more sense to have been a direct to DVD movie. I did enjoy it, as I’m a massive fan, but I there wasn’t anything in the film that had real cinematic quality.

    I would like to see a series of movies being released to DVD. I for one would buy them.

  • damien

    “The only way I’d see an X-Files movie (besides lazily flicking to it when its on a sateliet movie channel) is if they ended the X-Files saga with stuff like finally finding out about the biggest alien conspiracy ever and Mulder meeting his abducted sister again and of course having Mulder and Scully finally get down”

    man…lol they have already dont everything you said up there …some of it has been done twice do you even watch the x-files?

  • Virginia

    It’s really annoying to read things like this “article” you have written, firstly because you have given a wrong data, that is the world wide gross the movie has gotten till today, it’s not 20$ million as you have said it is 60$ millon by the moment(http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/XFIL2.php), and there are still some countries that have not seen the movie…sowe hope to get at least 10$ millon more…

    And secondly because the trully fans of the series and the movies have loved it, and we are not going to accept this kind of comentaries…so please you should show a little of respect for the fans.

  • According to Box Office Mojo, it has currently made $29 million worldwide.

    http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=xfiles2.htm

    There seems to be a discrepancy between the foreign box office numbers in your source and at Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo at least has the breakdown of the various countries however, so I tend to believe them.

  • TRENT

    Have to agree with Virginia, the x files has made 60million and rising worldwide, It made 20million on its US release. For whats being called a flop, it is on its way to at least doubling its budget (though obviously not the numbers that were expected). I think they could make money releasing dvds, but i think we deserve to see the x files make one last theatrical movie to tie things up.

  • Kayce

    I think that we deserve a third movie as well. I think that “The Truth” left alot of things to be settled and that the second movie did not really tie up many lose ends. I think that the new movie should atleast mention what happend to the other agents involved in the series, especially Reyes and Doggett. They played major roles in the 8 and 9th series and for them to just be left out completely is just wrong. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching Mulder and Scully, it’s just… I really wanna know what happened to Reyes and Doggett!

  • Calvin

    I know it’s been previously mentioned, but the film has made over 60 million worldwide. I’ve seen it on several box office sites, the numbers being one of them. Even still I realize that thats less than half of what the previous movie made worldwide. I enjoyed the film and thought it was a cool movie to reintroduce the characters and offer longtime fans a new “episode” of sorts. Now they have a chance to do a third movie and wrap up the mythology.

  • A

    Ok, dvd movies have a bad rap because they usually suck. BUT they don’t have to. There can be very good ones. Stargate has done a couple, and so has Futurama, as mentioned in the article. Budget, honestly, has very little to do with the quality of a movie. The main issues are: the talent involved, and how much the team making the film actually cares about their film, and the people involved with 1013 and the x-files have both those areas covered. A dvd movie would still be at least the quality of the television series, probably better, and many of the episodes were already pretty cinematic. So, obviously a theatrical feature film would be preferable, but if any franchise can make a direct to dvd film really work, the x-files can.

    P.S. Don’t give up hope for the theatrical film, though. The scifi market is booming. Avatar, Star Trek, Inception, etc. I think there is a very good chance that Fox will see the light.