Movie Favorites to Have Their First Sequel In Way Too Long
Throughout film history, fans have eagerly awaited sequels to their favorite movies–only to be disappointed when those sequels finally hit the big screen. Most people will agree that “the sequel is never as good as the original”, but is that always the case?
Ever wonder why the sequels fall flat? One of the biggest problems is that the sequels are nearly always rushed. The same amount of planning that was put into the original film is rarely put into a sequel, and the plot suffers.
According to PureWow, there are a few exceptions to the rule. For example, some of the later Harry Potter films were far more exciting than the first one. Captain America: The Winter Soldier ramped up the action, plus we got to meet Bucky Barnes (which inarguably makes the story better).
Many Spider-Man fans will tell you that 2004’s Spider-Man 2 had a much more intriguing storyline and nail-biting drama than its predecessor. However, these stellar sequels are few and far between.
Recently, Hollywood has taken to reviving some oldies but goodies. The question is, did they wait too long? Some of the following sequels and remakes came out decades after the original films — in some cases the time gap worked, but some didn’t benefit from the big break…
‘Bad Boys For Life’ was an action-packed January smash
The third installment of the wildly popular action flick, Bad Boys, brought unprecedented crowds to theaters in January 2020. Mid-winter is historically the movie theaters’ slow season, with few big releases. It was interesting timing for a sequel to the first and second films in the series, the latter of which had come out a whopping 17 years earlier.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence teamed up again in Bad Boys For Life to bring action and laughs to the screen. In the film, Lowrey and Barnett team up with an elite tactical squad to capture the family members of an imprisoned Mexican drug lord.
Bill and Ted took us on yet another fantastic adventure
In 2020, fans were thrilled to travel through time AGAIN with our favorite dudes, Bill and Ted. The best buds embarked on another adventure, this time to save mankind. Life as we know it was in peril, and it was up to Bill and Ted to compose a new song to save us all. This time, they had some help from their daughters, who were basically just as cool as their dads.
Bill and Ted Face the Music was released at a tricky time, with many theaters still shuttered because of the pandemic. So it would be unfair to compare its box office numbers with the original film. Many fans watched it from the comfort of their own homes via numerous video-on-demand services. The sequel seemed to please the masses, and it earned an 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes — that’s 1% higher than Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.
‘Blade Runner 2049’ flopped in theaters, but did well on DVD
In 1982, Blade Runner amassed a cult following and became an iconic sci-fi film. It wasn’t a huge success in theaters, the dystopian film was later acclaimed and appreciated for many reasons. Ridley Scott’s incredible influences and Harrison Ford’s phenomenal performance are just two reasons why people now love the film.
Blade Runner 2049 also experienced a dismal theatrical release, according to Indie Wire, but things seemed to turn around when it hit the shelves in stores. DVD sales were high–it seems that audiences just preferred to watch this one at home. Ryan Reynolds is the lead this time around, working as a blade runner in the Los Angeles Police Department. He teams up with Harrison Ford after discovering an earth-shattering secret that could alter society.
‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ wasn’t a sequel or a reboot
The latest installment of Mad Max–which was originally released in 1979–wasn’t technically a sequel or a remake of the original. The film’s leading man, Tom Hardy, called it “a relaunch and revisit to the same world,” according to OverMental. Another dystopian film, Mad Max: Fury Road follows the main character as he becomes a part of a rebel group fleeing the capitol city that’s ruled by a tyrant.
Although Mad Max prefers to spend his life alone, he soon becomes an important part of the group and willingly fights for their cause. The film was the highest-grossing of the four Mad Max movies, and it currently has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Tron: Legacy’ took a new generation to The Grid
If you watch the original Tron today, it looks incredibly dated. In 1982, they just couldn’t create the digital effects needed to bring the stunning digital world of Tron to life. The story, however, is phenomenal. Jeff Bridges stars as a computer engineer whose boss is stealing his ideas. He attempts to hack into the system to take control of his own work, but inadvertently ends up a part of that digital world.
In 2010, fans of the original film were excited to see how Disney would update the landscape of The Grid. Tron: Legacy also brought in a whole new generation of sci-fi fans. The visual effects were dazzling, and the film was a box office success, grossing $400 million worldwide, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Fans were welcomed back to the Overlook in 2019
The Shining was released in 1980 and was, undoubtedly, one of Stanley Kubrick’s best films. The film was loosely based on the novel by Stephen King, and it followed the caretaker of a hotel during his descent into madness as he and his family are snowed in for the winter. Stephen King was a huge critic of the film, as he and Kubric had very different artistic visions.
In 2019, Doctor Sleep, King’s sequel to The Shining, came to the big screen. This time, the film mainly followed King’s source material, although it had to deviate toward the end in order to line up with the first film. The finale of the film took audiences back to the infamous Overlook Hotel, where a now-adult Danny battles a cult leader who feeds on children’s “shine.”
The sequel flopped in theaters. According to Business Insider, there were two possible reasons for the sequel’s poor performance. First, the younger generations of movie-goers just aren’t huge fans of the original film, so it didn’t create the draw needed to pull in big crowds. Second, the timing of the release might have worked against it. The film was released after the Halloween season, which was a costly mistake.
Michael Myers came back… AGAIN….
The Halloween franchise is no stranger to sequels. There are currently 11 Halloween films out there, and another on the way this fall. You would think fans are getting tired of the seemingly immortal Michael Myers. The guy has been blown up, shot numerous times, hit by cars, hanged, stabbed, and electrocuted. Somehow, he keeps coming back for more.
In 2018, the franchise brought another sequel to the big screen, simply titled Halloween. This one took place 40 years after the original, with Laurie Strode teaming up with her daughter and granddaughter to face her psychotic, serial-killer brother one more time. The film drew huge crowds to theaters, as people are now hooked on seeing how Myers will actually meet his final demise…
The Looney Tunes are back with ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’
In 1996, Warner Bros. teamed up with Michael Jordan and Bill Murray and released a film that combined live-action and animation. Space Jam was a hit with families, bringing the nostalgia of the Looney Tunes gang into a modern setting. A sequel to the quirky film was recently released–Space Jam: A New Legacy replaced Michael Jordan with LeBron James and gave the Looney Tunes a facelift.
They embark on a new adventure in a digital basketball game, complete with an AI villain played by Don Cheadle. The film is currently doing well in the box office, and audiences seem to enjoy it. Critics from Time aren’t loving it, but that’s why they’re critics!
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