Back in 2014, the box office results for the first weekend alone were enough to convince Paramount to make a sequel for their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. Sadly, it’s been a few weeks since the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and the studio has yet to announce any such plans for the future. Many of the actors have been signed on for multiple films, but there is no guarantee that the studios will actually move forward with TMNT 3.

There are a lot of factors to consider when trying to determine whether or not this sequel will be made. With their first attempt at a Ninja Turtles film, they managed to rake in enough money during the opening weekend to pay for the production budget, and the film made enough money during its entire theatrical run to warrant the production of a sequel. Unfortunately, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows didn’t fare as well at the box office during its opening weekend, and it has taken until just recently for the film to earn back its production budget through worldwide box office receipts.

As many fans have rightfully pointed out, the film has yet to be released in China. Given that the first movie in the franchise made roughly $50 million in China alone, chances are that the release of the sequel in markets such as this will provide a pretty big boost to the overall box office numbers. However, we have yet to see whether or not the return will be enough to convince Paramount that TMNT 3 is still a viable project. It’s reasonable to expect that China will push Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows over the $200 million mark worldwide, but something tells me that this won’t be enough to cover costs of advertising, production and distribution.

If we’re being honest about this situation, there’s still a likelihood that Paramount will decide to move forward with TMNT 3. However, the next film might see a much lower budget than this one, and it will probably be a few more weeks before they announce anything. It’s currently a bit of a toss up, but with the Chinese release coming up this weekend, there’s still a chance that Out of the Shadows will make enough money from the box office to convince Paramount that they should continue with a sequel for the franchise.

None of this even gets into the area of merchandising. When you consider how much money Paramount is likely to make from their Out of the Shadows toy line, chances are that this profit could make enough of a difference to convince them to continue with their plans for TMNT 3. If we’re being honest, Out of the Shadows probably won’t end up being as successful as the first movie, but there is a chance that it could be successful enough to continue making Ninja Turtles movies. Don’t be too surprised if Paramount announces plans for another sequel at some point during the next few months.