Sequels are the undeniable lifeblood that keeps the insatiable Hollywood machine chugging along, because without franchises and “IP,” studios would be left taking gambles on wholly original projects every single time. Oh, one can dream.
Why not give the audience more of what they’ve already enjoyed? It makes for a comparatively low-risk investment, and so it’s simply expected that just about any majorly successful original movie will end up with a sequel or two.
All the same, there are times that a sequel is announced to the mere puzzlement of just about everyone who hears about it. We’re talking about movies that were either commercial flops, released decades ago, or simply have no obvious path for a sequel to be made. And yet, Hollywood’s doing it anyway, with the following 10 sequels shockingly announced.
From belated, decades-too-late follow-ups to continuations of franchises that seem totally done, and everything else in between, these movies just didn’t seem part of the obvious plan.
It remains to be seen when the films actually get made and how they end up performing, but in most instances, it’s probably sensible to have a fair degree of skepticism about the end result. Better to be pleasantly surprised than bitterly disappointed, after all.
Let’s be real here, when was the last time you thought about Blue Streak?
The Martin Lawrence-starring buddy cop joint was a box office hit back in 1999, yet despite Sony’s attempts to get a sequel going shortly thereafter, it never materialised.That is, until now.
Back in October, more than 25 years after the original film was released, Sony announced that they were re-teaming with Lawrence on Blue Streak 2.
This was almost certainly motivated by the box office success of the last two Bad Boys films, which grossed over $800 million combined, suggesting there was still some big-screen life left in the genre yet. Even so, there’s not nearly the same nostalgia or reverence for Blue Streak as there was for Bad Boys, and the success of the third and fourth Bad Boys films can mostly be credited to the chemistry between Lawrence and Will Smith.
A Blue Streak sequel obviously won’t have that, and will audiences really be clamouring to potentially see Lawrence and original co-star Luke Wilson hanging out again, if Wilson is even invited back? The time for a Blue Streak sequel was 2001 or 2003 – not more than a quarter-century after it was hot box office property.