Despite massive hype leading to a mid-range box office bow, Sony insists that "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" has been successful enough to green light a sequel.

"['Dragon Tattoo'] continues to do strong business and nothing has changed with respect to development of the next book," a rep from Sony told Entertainment Weekly over the weekend. Indeed, a strong second week in theaters that included a $14.8 million weekend (up from $12.7 in its extended first week in theaters) for the first film may have saved the rest of the planned American adaptation of the Stieg Larsson books; the next film would be "The Girl Who Played With Fire."

That people expected huge box office numbers for "Dragon Tattoo" may also be contributing to questions over whether the franchise would proceed; as an R rated film that includes copious violence and anal rape, it was never a "bring the whole family" event, and having been released over Christmas, it would figure that it would have to wait behind more tame films to get its time in the sun later in January.

Before the film was released, both Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig, who star as Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, respectively, confirmed to reporters at a press conference in New York that they were on board for any prospective sequels. Director David Fincher was less committal, saying -- with a wry smile -- that directors tend to get one year contracts "in case they make any trouble." Still, Fincher said that shooting those films back-to-back would most likely be his approach to making the film.

Overall, "Dragon Tattoo" has grossed $60 million in the US and $72 million overall, though it has yet to be released in many foreign territories.

For more, click over to EW.

