Will ‘Uglies’ viewership be enough for ‘Uglies 2’ to happen?

After spending several years in post-production, Uglies finally made its long-awaited Netflix debut. Meanwhile, its cliffhanger ending appears to tease Uglies 2.

Based on Scott Westerfeld’s book of the same name, Uglies follows Tally Youngblood (Joey King), a teenage girl living in a futuristic dystopian society. In this futuristic world, everyone must undergo a cosmetic procedure when they turn 16 to correct all their flaws and attempt to create equality through appearances. Those who have not yet had the procedure are referred to as “Uglies” and banished from the city where the post-procedural “Pretties” live luxuriously. Initially, Tally can’t wait for her impending surgery. However, her perspective changes when her friend Shay (Brianne Tju) opts to skip the surgery and joins a band of fellow rebels who live in hiding to evade the government’s control.

The movie ends on a cliffhanger, which isn’t surprising, considering Westerfeld’s book was the first in a trilogy. Netflix could continue the series by adapting the other two books, Pretties and Specials.

Is Uglies getting a sequel?

Although Netflix has the source material for one or two more sequels to Uglies, it has not yet greenlit Uglies 2. Given the movies’ mixed reception, the chances of the streamer greenlighting a sequel are challenging to gauge. Upon its release, Uglies was largely panned by critics and audiences. It was criticized for being dull, superficial, and failing to go deeper with its body-positivity message. At the same time, the movie has been thriving in terms of viewership.

Uglies has spent two weeks on Netflix’s Top 10 Movies in the U.S. list. It sits in the #1 spot ahead of brand new arrivals like The Garfield Movie and His Three Daughters. According to Forbes, the movie was watched 20 million times in its first three days on Netflix. Its poor reviews raise concerns about how a sequel would perform, but its high viewership could be incentive enough to make another movie. After all, there are signs that streamers like Netflix weigh viewership more heavily than reception, given that numerous well-received series have been canceled after one season, seemingly solely based on ratings.

In an interview with Decider, Westerfeld expressed hope that Uglies 2 will become a reality and suggested director McG is also interested in a sequel. He stated, “Well, I want to do it. I’m pretty sure McG wants to do it. And obviously, when it comes down to it, with Netflix and the other powers that be, is how many people watch it, how many times. So, I will leave that up to the viewers to decide.” Lead star Joey King expressed a similar sentiment, indicating it all depended on how the movie “resonates” with people.

Ultimately, Uglies has the source material for another movie, but it remains to be seen if its viewership alone is enough to secure a sequel.