Believer 2 was the sequel to the popular South Korean movie Believer that was directed by Hae-Young Lee and starred Jung Seo Kyoung. The film, released in 2018, followed the story of a police detective determined to catch the enigmatic head of Asia’s biggest drug cartel. The film was a middling hit, and found an audience that appreciated the gritty storytelling, so a sequel was eventually greenlit. However, the second outing, although a solid enough film, did not have the same resonance as the original, and there were some mixed reviews and confusion over the narrative that flashbacked to the first entry but replaced two of the leads in the process. The question is, will all this confusion lead to Believer 3, or has the story run its course?
Do Netflix have plans for Believer 3?
At the time of writing there are no plans for Netflix to be behind Believer 3.
Of course, if the second film manages to perform well, there is always a chance that it will get another outing, but just now it does not look as if a third film is a possibility. Another sequel will depend on the number of views the film gets and the completion rate, but with streaming platforms reluctant to release such details, it can be hard to speculate about the future of some properties.
However, according to Netflix Top 10, Believer 2 did manage to crack the top ten in 37 countries and has remained in the global top ten for the two weeks since its release. It is currently at the #2 position in the Non-English films Top 10, with 12,300,000 watch-hours.
What do the reviews of Believer 2 say?
IMDb rates the first film at 6.6/10, and the second film is running behind that with a lowly 5.6/10, so that does not bode well, and some of the reviews for the second film have also been disappointing. Fans have stressed that events in the second film deconstruct the action from the first, and have deemed the sequel unnecessary.
The bad reviews continue with people saying the sequel is a mess and a let down, and replacing actors from the film made the narrative even more confusing. James Marsh of the South China Morning Post delivered a scathing review of the film, scoring it a lowly 1 out of 5. Decider would not recommend streaming the second film, saying the sequel added nothing to the original, and LeisureByte calls it “Imperfect and unaffecting”.
Unfortunately this may also go against the series receiving another sequel, but stranger things have happened. If Paul Blart Mall Cop can get a sequel, I guess anything can.
What could the Believer 3 movie be about?
If we are honest here, we are not sure if a third outing for the film is even viable. We broke down the ending of Believer 2 in depth and said the following:
The film finale goes back to that cabin where 2018’s Believer ended. Rak confesses to Won-ho that after successfully killing Mr. Lee and avenging his parents, he no longer finds meaning in his life. He then reaches for his gun, forcing Won-ho to kill him. When the detective checks the chamber on Rak’s gun, he realizes there are no bullets in it.
However, Won-ho doesn’t have to live for long with his guilt. As soon as he exits the cabin, one of the twins shoots him in the head in retaliation for Rak’s death.
The second film does pretty much tie things up for the majority of the cast and the storylines, and Rak and Won-Ho have their arcs resolved so there is not much left for a third film. Sometimes you just have to know when to stop.
