‘Divergent’ Opens Strong At The Late Nights Beating 'Muppets Most Wanted;' Shailene Woodley Starrer Changing How Sequels Are Made?

"Divergent" opened strong at $4.9 million at the late nights, beating "Muppets Most Wanted" which landed at second place but on pace to earn in the $20-25 million range. The Shailene Woodley starrer is reportedly changing how sequels are made as release dates for its follow-ups have already been made.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer told Variety that based on the initial audience reception from the 3,936 locations which already include 346 Imax screenings, they already greenlighted the sequel for "Divergent."

"We're off to a great start with strong numbers from all regions of the country, urban, suburban and rural alike. We're confident that 'Divergent' is on its way to becoming another important franchise for us, and we have just greenlit the second film, 'Insurgent,'" he said.

Based on Victoria Roth's trilogy, the film follows the character played by Shailene Woodley who doesn't really fit into the five factions that society has set for each individual. It is helmed by Neil Burger. Variety said "Insurgent" will be released on March 20, 2015 while the third film, "Allegiance" will be released on March 16, 2016.

"Divergent's" strong start compared to the preview figures of "Despicable Me 2" which started at $4.7 million (which eventually grossed at $83.5 million domestically) and "World War Z" at $3.6 million, said Deadline.

Meanwhile, cinemablend.com has noticed a trend that studios, just like Liongate with "Divergent," have been using the release dates "to win or lose publicity games with each other."

"It's like a marking of territory, a bold show of confidence," the website said.

But the studios are taking a risk because their image will take a hit once the film doesn't make money and they already lined up the sequel release dates, cinemablend added.

"We'll see how well 'Divergent' does before we see follow-ups. The film carries a hefty $85 million budget, and will need robust worldwide success to justify follow-ups," it said.