All indications suggest that National Treasure 3 won’t be able to break the franchise’s divisive Rotten Tomatoes score. When the National Treasure movies were released, they were panned by critics, with both movies receiving Rotten RT scores. Following the release and success of National Treasure: Book of Secrets, there was an expectation that there would be a third installment in the franchise shortly after. However, it’s been 17 years since National Treasure 2 and National Treasure 3 still hasn’t happened.
Seeing as the movies were popular with audiences, a TV show, National Treasure: Edge of History, which didn’t have Nicolas Cage in the cast, was released in 2022. Unfortunately for the show’s future, it didn’t go over well with critics and was ultimately canceled. However, this issue it faced was not unique to the show, as the movies – in spite of their reputations with fans – suffered from the same problem.
National Treasure 3 Is Unlikely To Break The Franchise’s Rotten RT Record
National Treasure 1 And 2 Were A Box Office Hit
National Treasure 1 had a 46% Rotten Tomatoes critics score while National Treasure 2 had a 36% Rotten Tomatoes critics score. Although the two movies were not well-liked by critics, audiences seemed to love them, with National Treasure 1 and 2 garnering audience Rotten Tomatoes scores of 76% and 67% respectively. There are valid reasons why the National Treasure films were not popular with critics, with the main one being its improbable plot. The plot of the films relied too heavily on clues that seemed impossible to solve except by Gates, and it made them frustrating to watch.
National Treasure 3 will likely follow the same formula as the past two movies, which will make it unlikely for the film to break the franchise’s Rotten RT record. It’s usually tough for threequels in family adventure movies to be beloved by critics when the past two movies were panned by them. Despite the disappointing Rotten Tomatoes critic scores, the movies were a box office hit. National Treasure had a production budget of $100 million and made $347.5 million at the box office, while National Treasure 2 had a production budget of $130 million and made $449.2 million at the box office.
Why National Treasure 3 Should Still Be A Hit With Audiences
National Treasure 3 Might Tie Up Some Loose Ends
Given that the National Treasure movies received disappointing reviews from critics, it’s likely that the third installment in the franchise will fare the same way. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that National Treasure 3 won’t be a hit with audiences. The success of the first National Treasure movies shows that there is still a demand for simple and entertaining family adventure films.
National Treasure 2 ended on a cliffhanger with Gates not revealing what he read on page 47 of the president’s book. Getting to the bottom of the page 47 mystery is something audiences have been waiting for more than a decade. Diving into that, not to mention the possibilities that come with Cage’s return, lend National Treasure 3 a ton of exciting storytelling possibilities, enough to satisfy longtime fans of the franchise.
