Opening weekend success of The Young Offenders could lead to sequel
Director Peter Foott says there has been a lot of interest in potentially developing follow-up projects to his movie debut.
The director is in talks to see if the characters could be brought to an international audience.
The Young Offenders is set to have the biggest opening for an Irish film in 2016, taking €202,000 at the box office over the weekend, with some cinemas still to add to this number.
Foott said the film could be released worldwide. “We’re still in talks but it is looking very good,” he said.
Shot in Cork and inspired by the drugs seizure at Dunlough Bay in 2007, the film follows two Cork City teenagers setting off on a road trip in the hope of finding an unrecovered bale of cocaine.
The Young Offenders charted ahead of horror sequel Blair Witch and The Infiltrator, starring Bryan Cranston, on its opening weekend.
The film came second overall at the Irish box office chart, behind Bridget Jones’s Baby.
Foott and his team are heading to Texas today where the film will screen at Fantastic Fest, the largest genre film festival in the US, before heading to London Film Festival next month.
The Young Offenders’ haul of €202,000 over its opening weekend including previews compares to €186,000 for Room without previews during its opening weekend.
Sing Street raised €145,000 without previews, according to the Irish Film Board.
