Movie sequels are seldom as good as the original. The excitement and anticipation of watching the follow-up to a beloved film is frequently met with disappointment, and this seems to be a phenomenon that is increasingly common nowadays. Some sequels are so disappointing that they diminish the quality of their predecessor.
That being said, some franchises have cracked the code, such as Shrek, a series that has produced at least four quality films. Even the Despicable Me franchise had one of the best prequels the animated movie business has ever seen. Despite these few exceptions, many movies and TV shows that have seemingly run their course, continue to produce more seasons, more movies, more episodes, stretching their success thin.
The TV industry has yet to master the art of leaving viewers wanting more and ending on a good note. However, Hollywood continues to pump out movies with little consideration for quality, leaving hopeful viewers with a feeling akin to a bad taste in their mouths. This trend, particularly with sequels like Frozen II and Kung Fu Panda 4, begs the question of why: why continuously try to revive a flame that burned out long ago? Why choose to make a third or fourth sequel when its predecessors were already so poorly received? The plain and simple truth is that it is for profit.
Many people in the industry have also noticed this trend and have their criticisms. In an interview with The Guardian, Canadian actor and comedian Rick Moranis commented on how viewers do not just want more of the same and old, saying, “I am wary of sequels. I understand them from the studio’s point of view, but the audience doesn’t want more, they want better, and I thought the second ‘Ghostbusters’ was not very effective, it did not really work, so there’s no reason to believe a third would.”
Contrary to the logical conclusion that original screenplays usually outperform adapted material, statistics prove otherwise. The book You Are What You Watch by Pulitzer Prize winner Walt Hickey states that the average sequel has made back 4.2 times its budget at the global box office since 1980. Sequels based on original concepts did even better, earning back 4.7 times their budget at the global box office.
These movies might sell out, but they also give the impression of being sellouts. Trading quality for quantity turns most people off to not only the sequel itself but the entire franchise. There are many ways that a sequel can fail, but when done justice, it can become a powerful tool to develop new and exciting characters, expand the plotline of a story universe, and go above and beyond its predecessor.
