What's The Point...of Sequels?

 

Another hit movie. Another box office success. Another critically acclaimed feature. Another opportunity for the studio executive to milk more out of it. 

And that’s when a sequel is born. 

But that is also when disappointment is born. In most cases. 

How many successful sequels can you name? You probably used only one hand. Now let’s talk about the disappointing ones. How many do you remember? Did you have to use your toes and someone else’s fingers and toes as well?

Most sequels are not even needed. We see the protagonist get their happy ending in the first movie. The fans loved it and began working on fanfiction based on what they believed happened after the events of the movie. The studio executives begin to think, why not cash in on this. The movie is a hit and has a solid fanbase. Why not give the fans what they want?

You know what the fans don’t want? A stale story that drags until the end. They don’t want the protagonist to go through similar events of the movie and come out winning again. They don’t want them to have a change of heart or doubt their partner (if it’s a romance) only to realize in the end that no, they are the one. 

Or if it’s a slasher, how many times do we want to see the protagonist end up being the final girl? Yes, we get it, the protagonist is the face of the franchise, so there’s no way she’s dying. Yes, it’s a she. In slashers, most of the women are usually spared. A sequel to any of these slashers, robs the suspense because by now the fans have understood that the protagonist will never be killed, or else the franchise wouldn’t exist. 

Then there are the action movies. One hit action movie spawns four to five sequels. In the first, the hero’s romantic interest is kidnapped. In the next, it’s the wife. After that, it’s the brother. Then girlfriend again because each one of the romantic interests keep dying around the hero just so he could have a proper tragic story. 

It’s hard being related to the hero in an action movie. 

But perhaps the worst is when an animated movie has sequels. Most of the voice actors do not return. It’s not only the character designs that are loved, but the voices that give it personality. So, when an animated sequel releases and the protagonist sounds nothing like the original, is it even worth watching? 

At this point, the studio only wants to sell merchandise, and no one will buy anything until there are dozens of sequels, a prequel, a spin-off, and then a TV series. Most of the sequels go straight to streaming, so you probably haven’t even heard of them. And if there are songs, trust me, they are nowhere as good as the ones in the original. 

And so, what is the point of sequels that add nothing to the original story but are a drab extension? Why do these sequels even exist? Is it because the studios have run out of ideas? Are they trying to cash in on a moment of popularity?

Can there for once, be a sequel given the same amount of attention as the first so we, the viewers, at least have something decent to watch?

But I guess what most studio executives think is: yes, this movie is a hit. Let’s make another one just like it, but worse!

Here is one of the better sequels you may just want to watch: 

Middle-earth Theatrical Collection (BD) [Blu-ray]