JACK REACHER: NEVER GO BACK Director Explains Why The Tom Cruise Sequel Flopped

You know what’s funny? I actually forgot that Tom Cruise made a sequel to his 2012 action film Jack Reacher, which is based on Lee Child’s book series. The sequel is titled Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, and it was released in 2016. I don’t remember much from the sequel, but it co-starred Cobie Smulders.

The sequel bombed at the box office with only $58.7 million domestically. So, what went wrong with this movie? Why is it so forgettable and why did it bomb at the box office? The film’s director recently weighed in on that in his book, “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.”

Zwick took over for Christopher McQuarrie, who directed the first film, and when talking about what the problem was with the sequel, he said:

‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,’ which Tom Cruise and I made in 2016, fizzled at the box office. I blame myself (and my willing accomplice, Don Granger) for thinking the audience might enjoy a mash-up of ‘Jack Reacher’ and ‘Paper Moon,’ when in fact they just wanted more red meat. I had a wonderful time working with Cobie Smulders, and I certainly don’t blame Tom for not being six two — as the novelist Lee Child described his protagonist — and should Tom happen to call about making a third movie together, I’ll definitely pick up.

For me, it’s just hard to buy Cruise as Jack Reacher. That was easily one of the most miscast roles in Hollywood. Alan Ritchson is perfect in that role in the series Reacher, and with that awesome show in full swing, there’s no way Cruise is going to attempt to revisit Jack Reacher in a movie again.

In case you forgot about Jack Reacher: Never Go Back like I did, here’s a trailer!