47 Meters Down outperformed expectations at the box office (taking in $61 million on a $5.5 million budget), proving that audiences remain hungry for attractive girls in swimwear being gruesomely consumed by giant fish. Its success meant a sequel was a no brainer and director Johannes Roberts quickly signed on the dotted line to continue the franchise.
Apparently, he thinks that the next film should up the ante, too – and it has – by one meter! That’s right, we’re going 48 Meters Down. Eager to give us a more shark-based suspense and oceanic terror, Roberts revealed in an interview with Bloody Disgusting that he’s taking inspiration from a classic contemporary horror film:
“If I had to pitch it in a very simple way, I would describe it as The Descent underwater. So it will be six or seven people trapped in the caves in Brazil, an underwater city… It’ll all be cave diving which is the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done. I trained to do cave diving while I was shooting 47 in the Dominican Republic. It’s beyond terrifying so it just seemed like a really great idea to make that the sequel.”
I’ve got to admit, underwater caving scares the living crap out of me. I mean, just look at this. Imagine being trapped deep underwater, stuck tight between two jagged rocks in the pitch black knowing that your air is slowly running out. At this point, throwing a killer shark into the mix is starting to seem like overkill. The Descent captured the claustrophobia of caving to terrifying effect and if Roberts can match that, but underwater and with sharks, then he’s onto a serious winner.
Back when the project was first announced, I was a bit skeptical. After all, shark-film sequels are rarely a good idea and I was doubtful they could match 47 Meters Down. But this little taster of what’s to come has won me over.
More on 48 Meters Down the moment we have it.