The Weigh In #63

Riding the sequel tide part 2:

Last week I took a look at what I thought was a strange disparity between the sequels of the past and what seems to be its emergence as a guaranteed summer blockbuster.
The obvious answer is that there will be more sequels. Every summer we are sure to see another sequel to any film that studios executives consider “successful”. This seems to completely fit with the Hollywood maxim “if it ain’t run completely into the ground we could probably make just one more”. Big studios horror films seem to be taking this to heart and are making films just to see which they can turn into a sequel. They are using the basic formula that works with low budget studios all over the country. Make a cheap film and if the movie makes its money back and more, use that money to produce the next one, until it becomes unprofitable to keep churning out new ones. Horror franchises have run for decades with this formula and, with few exceptions, you can almost track on a graph the drop in quality from film to film. Major studios seemed to be of the same mind in years past.

While genres, like everything else, run in cycles and what is popular now is destined to be replaced by the next big thing. While this rash of sequels will eventually play itself out in favor of westerns, musicals, or maybe even soft core animated porn, something about this little trend seems to be different. These films are making an insane amount of money. While some are doing it solely on the backs of their originals, there do seem to be some, more specifically franchise films that seem to build on and are actually considered better films than the original. This may be too early to predict, but I think major studios are finally hitting on a happy medium that may allow the sequel trend to continue for quite a while. Franchise films, and more specifically comic book films, seem to have a plan of action before putting the films together.

The trilogy:

There is some argument as to whether or not Star Wars was originally meant to be a trilogy. Certainly not six, and not (as has been rumored) nine. After the success of the original Matrix film, two more films were made to complete a trilogy. Both of these franchises initially turned one film into a financial success story without ending the franchise with a direct to video film starring Richard Grieco. While a normal film that spawns a sequel could continue on and on until it runs into this fate, studios are making films that (as long as the original is successful) are designed to actually end after the third. Spider-Man, X-Men, Batman, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Superman, are all rumored to run through a trilogy and then move on. It also seems that is going to be the case with any other superhero and a lot of big budget films that are successful. I personally think this is a good idea. Get in while the getting is good and don’t wear out your welcome. More importantly, judging by the numbers I was able to put together last week, it seems that the studios that are producing these franchise films, are actually trying to make these sequels better than the original. Rather than producing films hoping to just cash in on the original. But of course just because it sounds like a great plan, it doesn’t mean that this practice is going to stave off the four horsemen of the apocalypse that many in the industry are sure will be traipsing through Southern California any day now.

There has to be a downside:

Big studios are bound to strike out without really knowing it. When a film sequel is greenlit because the original did gangbusters at the box office, if this latest trend is any indication, it will probably retain a large portion of its core audience and probably pick up a few more. Since the most important period of time in the life of a Hollywood movie is opening weekend, these sequels are bound to make a lot of money. More than the original if people begin to expect that it could be better than the original. Regardless of Hollywood’s current track record with these franchise films the sequels aren’t always going to be considered a superior film. If people flock to the theaters expecting a better film, they will eventually become more and more disappointed all while the studios continue to make large amounts of money based on the opening weekend. Which in turn will convince them to make sequels to films that people really aren’t interested in seeing. This will in turn cause these movies to tank. Hollywood will then run searching for the next great idea. It’s an ugly circle but it is bound to happen.

In conclusion:

I do think that these bigger and better sequels are going to be here for a while and the idea of keeping them to the trilogy formula will help from turning off moviegoers. I think it is a pretty good model and I hope that movie studios that are looking to release sequels of other moderately successful films will restrain from running them into the ground. Because a little restraint can only be a good thing.

While putting my article together I flipped over and was able to check the unofficial grosses for the weekend of 7/14/2006. I wanted to include these in my article this week just to because I really couldn’t believe my eyes.

(courtesy of www.joblo.com)|


Weekend Grosses:

1. Pirates of the Caribbean 2: $62.20million (expected)
2. Little Man: $21.70million (pretty much going to guarantee that the Wayans family will be making films for quite a while and it will lend credence to any of their next projects).
3. You, Me, and Dupree: $21.30million (Probably took advantage of the fall off from Pirates 2.)
4. Superman Returns: $11.60million (unless the slate of new films this week or any of the above completely tank next weekend, Superman Returns could drop to the bottom of top ten after only three weeks. Although it made more money than Batman Begins, at this rate it is dangerously close to being considered “unprofitable”. Not the greatest way to convince Warner Brothers execs to spend $250 million on a sequel).

Stay tuned next week for a look at a recap of the movie news coming out of the biggest comic book convention of the year, SDCC.


This weekend at you local multiplex (7/21/2006):

Lady in the Water: Thriller (see review)
Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jeffrey Wright, Bob Balaban
Plot: A manager at an apartment complex finds an un-registered tenant. She claims to be a nymph that is hiding from evil creatures that mean to do her harm. The manager and the tenants must band together to protect the nymph and their lives.
Buzz: M. Night Shyamalan’s newest film and judging from his past grosses, he has a pretty good track record (I kinda dig his films too). There is really no reason to think this one won’t make a pretty insane amount of money.

Clerks 2: Comedy
Brian O’Halloran, Jason Mewes, Rosario Dawson, Jason Lee, Ben Affleck
Plot: Kevin Smith picks up with his familiar characters Dante and Randall 10 years after the original film. They are in their thirties and are forced to re-evaluate their lives after the Quik Stop convenience store burns down.
Buzz: Most people are pretty on the fence about this one. A sequel to a great film over a decade after the original? There are plenty of fans out there so I am sure it will do pretty well.

Monster House: Children/Animated
Steve Buscemi, Nick Cannon, Matthew Fahey, Maggie Gyllenhal, Jon Heder, Kevin James
Plot: Three children realize that the house down the street is a real life monster. Since no one will believe them, they have to defeat the monster and protect their neighborhood.
Buzz: It isn’t getting the buzz of the earlier summer animated release of Cars, but early reviews are pretty good and this is really the only new kid’s movie in release.

My Super-Ex Girlfriend: Comedy
Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, Anna Faris, Rainn Wilson, Eddie Izzard
Plot: A man ends up breaking up with a woman and then finds out she is a super hero. She proceeds to take out her revenge on him.
Buzz: Ivan Reitman hasn’t had the best luck with comedies over the last say... 20 years. He is due and this could be the one to put him back on the map. It has some pretty stiff competition this week though.


This week on DVD (7/18/2006):

She’s the Man
ATL
Edison Force
Amazing Stories (season 1)
Road House (se)
Road House 2
The Adventures of Briscoe County Jr. (series)
The Pee-Wee Herman Show (series)
Carnivale (season 2)
The Incredible Hulk (season 1)
Tsotsi
The Pretender (season 4)
Queer Duck: The Movie
Some Like it Hot (se)
An Early Frost
Sybil (se)
Film Noir Classics (vol 3)

As always, you can send you loving adoration and/or you thoughtful provocative prose to: DPlace76@yahoo.com.
You can listen in on my secret ramblings at http://bigdpimpin.livejournal.com/.
Become our friend and learn about the new and exciting goings on of the Stumblebum gang at www.myspace.com/stumblebumstudios.