In the past decade, the American film industry has seen an increased number of sequels released each year. From a high of 24 sequels in 2003, to the 19 released last year, the dependence on established characters and franchises has remained a constant element of the film industry’s bottom line.
In 2011, however, the number of sequels scheduled for release has reached an all-time high. Including spin-offs and prequels, 27 new sequels are being produced this year, making up more than a fifth of the films coming out this year.
Mark Harris, a writer and film analyst, said that the high number of sequels can partly be attributed to the influence of marketers.
“One thing that I think most people don’t know,” Harris said, “is that it now costs, in many cases, more to market a movie than it does to make the movie. Because marketing is so expensive, marketers have a very important voice in what movies get made in the first place.”
The films that marketers tend to want are those that are going to connect to the largest amount of people and bring in the highest profits. As such, sequels of established hits are considered safer investments than original properties.
Shayne Pepper, a graduate teaching assistant in the film department, said that the development of a franchise is inherent to the current Hollywood business model.
“The profitability is the leading reason [for sequels] now,” Pepper said. “Even new films are built around the idea of taking an original idea and making it into a trilogy.”
The desire for new trilogies is not hard to identify, as trends in the filmmaking process show. Actors are often signed on for multiple films before the first in a proposed series is released, as was the case with 2006’s Superman Returns. The director and primary cast members were all set to reprise their roles until the decision to cancel further sequels was made.
The same process is evident in some of this year’s releases. Green Lantern has yet to premiere, but director Martin Campbell has already expressed interest in expanding the property into a trilogy.
Other films, such as Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger, aren’t sequels, but they are being used to set the stage for 2012’s The Avengers.
Beyond sequels and the desire for trilogies, 2011 features some franchises with even more entries. This year will see more fourth and fifth installments in established franchises than ever before, as well as two seventh films. And later this year, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will be released—the eighth film in its franchise.
Despite moviegoer complaints about their overabundance, sequels continue to be financially successful. In 2010, half of the top ten grossing movies were sequels, with Toy Story 3 taking the top spot.
Writer Jim Murdoch attributed this success of sequels to the curiosity of moviegoers.
”We can’t help ourselves,” Murdoch said. “There is so much scope for sequels and prequels because it doesn’t matter what we’re shown. We want more.”
Further, many more sequels have been well-received by critics in recent years. Films such as 2008’s The Dark Knight and last year’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 have received high praise and, in some cases, far surpassed previous entries in their series.
In the end, Hollywood’s case of sequelitis seems to show no signs of slowing. With more and more sequels being announced, the only question remaining is whether or not the number will increase even further in 2012.
