Sequel Scorecard: ‘Fast Five’ Leads 2011 Sequel Race So Far
Per Box Office Mojo:
In January, Box Office Mojo broke the news that 2011 was packing a record number of sequels, and, in the spirit of Hollywood, here’s a sequel to that sequel story. This is how the industry’s sequel strategy has fared so far:
On the one hand, three sequels comprise the Top Three of 2011 so far: The Hangover Part II, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Fast Five. Each one has grossed over $200 million and no other 2011 movie up until this point is poised to reach that level. On the other hand, 2011 is a down year overall, so these sequels haven’t resulted in a rising tide.
More telling, out of the ten sequels released so far this year, only one has excelled, relative to its predecessors. The rest will fall short to varying degrees, many suffering from classic cases of sequelitis.
This is a record year for sequels. How those movies do will impact how much money Hollywood studios use to fund more sequels and — because acquisition, development, production and marketing dollars are a zero-sum game — original stories. So it behooves screenwriters to pay attention to the performance of every sequel.
For the record, here is BOM’s list:
Sequel Scorecard (domestic):
Winners — Fast Five, The Hangover Part II
Losers: Scream 4, Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, Madea’s Big Happy Family, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda 2
In-Between: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, X-Men: First Class
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