For all of the critical hate Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles received this weekend following its debut, it was a financial success, making $65m to take the top spot at the box office away from Guardians of the Galaxy. As if the notion was ever in doubt, Paramount Pictures announced that a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel has been greenlit with a scheduled 2016 release. The film’s screenwriters, Josh Appelbaum and André Nemec, will return to write the sequel’s script, but there’s no word if director Jonathan Liebsman will return. Here’s the official word from Paramount’s Adam Goodman:

Launching a new take on the Turtles into the feature film world was a daunting task because as fans of them ourselves, we felt a great responsibility to ensure audiences were going to experience everything they loved about the Turtles, while also getting to see them brought to life in a way they had never been seen before. The result exceeded our high expectations and the response to the film is beyond great, making it all the more fun to get started on the continuation of their story.

I caught Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Saturday, and while I had major qualms with the film’s plot and narrative, I ultimately liked the film’s message and characterization of the Turtles themselves. If you haven’t seen it yet, go into the theater knowing that it’s a film created with the current generation of kids in mind and not meant to appease older fans. The film still has a lot for both young and old fans to enjoy, but here’s hoping the sequel will skewer a bit towards the older crowd.

[via /Film]