Dylan O’Brien’s ‘The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials’ Trailer Garners 12 Million Views in First 24 Hours

Interest in YA franchise sequel “The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” is way up over the original film led by Dylan O’Brien, judging by statistics comparing the performances of the two trailers.

The first trailer for “Scorch Trials” brings back O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Ki Hong Lee and the reset of the Gladers, and logged over 12 million views in its first 24 hours online. That number represents a twelvefold increase over the number of people who viewed the first “Maze Runner” trailer in 2013.

Social media awareness of the sequel is also up, with “Scorch Trials” receiving 158,000 mentions in the first 24 hours of the trailer release, which is up 232 percent from the same period after the first film’s trailer release.

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In the preview, Thomas (O’Brien) and his fellow Gladers face their greatest challenge yet: searching for clues about the mysterious and powerful organization known as WCKD. Their journey takes them to the Scorch, a desolate wasteland that proves even more challenging than the maze.

The film also stars Aidan Gillen and Nathalie Emmanuel, who both currently appear on the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones.” Thomas Brodie-Sangster, who plays Newt in the film, previously appeared on “Game of Thrones” as Jojen Reed.

Also Read: 'Maze Runner: Scorch Trials' First Trailer Sees Dylan O'Brien Preparing for 'Phase 2' (Video)

Wes Ball returned to direct this sequel, with T.S. Nowlin again writing the screenplay. The film is the second in a planned trilogy, based on the young adult novels by James Dashner.

“Maze Runner: Scorch Trials” opens in theaters September 18.

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'Maze Runner: Scorch Trials' First Trailer Sees Dylan O'Brien Preparing for 'Phase 2' (Video)

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