The sci-fi spectacle about children space warriors, “Ender’s Game,” came in No. 1 at the box office with an estimated $28 million. Pitched as a blockbuster for teens, the film actually attracted an older audience -- more than 54% were over 25 -- indicating that ticket sales were driven by adult fans who had read when they were kids.

“Ender’s Game” was first published in 1985 to commercial and critical success; author Orson Scott Card followed it with a number of sequels and prequels, and young fans read the series avidly. Many had been hoping for years that it would reach the screen.

On Friday, the day of the film’s release, Card announced that he would add more books to the series in a new set of sequels.

“It’s for a YA audience,” he said in a video posted by Southern Virginia University. “It’s about what happens to Battle School after the International Fleet loses its purpose of war.”


Card teaches at Southern Virginia University, a Mormon undergraduate institution. Card, a Mormon, has come under fire in the months leading up to the film’s release for his anti-gay views.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Card “was conspicuously absent from press events — and even the movie’s premiere — as promoters sought to distance themselves from the author.”

In the short video announcing the new “Ender’s Game” books, Card did not say how many sequels are planned or when they might be released.

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