Not all sequels are bad, but the number of movies that fit those categories is starting to get out of control. The question is whether this is due to lack of creativity or about money.
The studio responsible for some of the most creative and original movies is Pixar, so the best way to see if there is a problem is to look at its upcoming films. The next three out of four movies for the studio are sequels: The Incredibles 2, Cars 3, and Toy Story 4. That doesn’t mean the films will be terrible, but these sequels, while wanted by fans, will not continue the studio’s tradition of creating new original worlds for audiences.
There are a lot of awful sequels and a great deal of them are pointless. A lot of film series hit this point if they go beyond a second movie. For example, Pitch Perfect did not need a sequel, yet they made one and are currently planning on making a third film. Considering that the rating dropped 14 percent from the original movie on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s almost guaranteed the third film will not be good.
There are times when adding films to a franchise can make the original films regain popularity. For example, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a good sequel, but like the prequels before it, the sequel was not needed because most people were content with the storyline the first three films finished. Of course, Disney, guilty of making almost three dozen direct to video sequels in the 1990s and early 2000s, bought the franchise, so it’s not hard to figure out why this latest sequel was made.
Studios most likely do this because they know the audience is invested in the characters from films, and they know people will pay to go see sequels that are not as good as the original due to this emotional investment.
Another reason for sequels is the ability to sell more merchandise related to the film and its sequel. This is most commonly seen in children’s movies because studios then have the ability to create toys that kids will want just because it relates back to the movies and its sequel. There are cases where films become mainstream enough for merchandise to be sold at places like Hot Topic. Star Wars items, meanwhile, are sold everywhere.
After taking all this into consideration, it can be seen that the problem is less about creativity and more about making money. Studios want to keep people entertained and into their brand, and the easiest way to accomplish this is through unneeded sequels. This will only stop when the public gets sick of sequels, and that will not happen anytime soon.