Early box office projections for the Guillermo del Toro-less sequel to Pacific Rim are decidedly humble. According to BoxOffice Pro, Pacific Rim: Uprising is tracking for a $20 million opening weekend. With a reported budget of $150 million, that leaves the heavy lifting to the international box office. The robots vs. monsters action film was partially filmed in China and stars Chinese actress Tian Jing (The Great Wall), so perhaps Chinese audiences will be more eager to climb back into the cockpit of this franchise.

With a budget of $190 million, the first Pacific Rim came out of the gates slowly with a $37 million opening weekend. That film tallied $100 million in the U.S. but ended up making around $411 million worldwide. Time will tell if Steven S. DeKnight’s (Spartacus:War of the Damned, Netflix’s Daredevil) sequel will rise to profitability.

There are a few reasons why Uprising is tracking poorly. Its release is sandwiched between  Ready Player One and Tomb Raider, both of which are generating more positive buzz. The movie lacks star power, with John Boyega (from that little Star Wars franchise) as the only real draw (sorry Scott Eastwood fangirls). And the trailer (see below!) has been dismissed by fans of the first film for seeming to abandon the dark visuals and plodding movement of the heroic Jaegers that separated del Toro’s take on giant monster battles from properties like Transformers or Power Rangers.

Pacific Rim: Uprising‘s quest to prove the naysayers wrong begins on March 23rd. Are you excited for this new entry, or is it a few years too late? Do you wish the aesthetics hadn’t strayed so far from the first film? Let us know in the comments below.