How 'Harry Potter' Might Cause Warner Bros. to Make a 'Green Lantern' Sequel

There's persistence, and then there's stubbornness: after a poor showing at the box office over its first two weekends, "Green Lantern" is still in the running to get a sequel from Warner Bros.

Under normal circumstances, it would be a no-brainer. "Green Lantern" has two hot leads (Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively), wide audience appeal, and all the makings of a summer blockbuster. But the movie opened to only $52.6 million, and even worse, dropped 66% in its second weekend, due in part to awful reviews. With a reported budget of $200 million before its advertising campaign (which was obviously pretty hefty), it will be tough for "Green Lantern" to recoup its losses.

The planned sequel shows that Warner Bros. is starting to feel some pressure to perform. The "Harry Potter" franchise is ending soon with "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" releasing on July 15, which means a major source of reliable profits for the studio will be gone. Obviously they were hoping for "Green Lantern" to be a major tentpole, spawning sequels and setting up future releases of "Man of Steel" and movies starring Wonder Woman, the Flash, and the rest of the DC Comics roster.

But despite the disappointment at the release of "Green Lantern," the sequel might provide a golden opportunity. It's a second chance to prove that DC knows how to make a solid film, even without Christopher Nolan at the helm. If DC can create a "Green Lantern" sequel that focuses more on story and character than special effects, that could revive interest in DC in the same way that "Iron Man" boosted interest in Marvel.

Of course, those that saw "Green Lantern" and stayed through the credits know that a sequel was the plan all along. The video at the end of the credits very clearly sets up for another movie.