This Penny Arcade comic answers "Why?" when dealing with media pretty conclusively:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/view.php...00-10-23&res=l

Besides, Hollywood wouldn't be Hollywood if they could leave a perfectly fine thing alone. That would just be wrong. Anything with a budget bigger than about 20 million $ is destined to have a sequel at one point, for no particular reason.

Gatac

Ah, but Batman Begins will contain people that can actually act, a department lacking good representation in Spiderman 2 (which, granted, was better than I expected given the first one and the "actors") . The buzz is that they've finally gotten Batman right this time around -- and with Michael Caine as Alfred, how can it possibly go wrong? Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Gary Oldman... need I go on? The teaser trailer is already available and it looks sweet.

Because Hollywood, as a collective consciousness, has the IQ of a kumquat. If Movie X makes a few billion, then X 2 will make even more. (No, not X2. X2 is a standard that a lot of sequels would do well to be coming within reaching distance of.) Original ideas are sadly few and far between. Sequels are only justifiable when a sequel makes sense -- in the case of adapted books (see: the Bourne movies, Lord of the Rings, and the upcoming Narnia movies), or when the plot obviously demands a follow up. Matrix? Not one of those. Ditto for Shrek, but I'm willing to let that one slide in light of nearly hyperventilating while watching it.

Actually, I think that's not quite right. I think the movie industry even knows that. I think it's more of if movie X makes a few billion, then X 2 will make half that, and since half that is still above the breakeven point, they go ahead. Of course, if movie X 3 will bring in another quarter of movie X's money, then they'll just sign the producers up for the two followups right away and then the producers will have Jean die with an obvious foreshadowing of... oh right, you said not X2.

Of late, Hollywood has also had its collective underwear in a bunch over the triplet terrors of piracy, inflating budgets, and big-budget flops.

A proven success, like Shrek, has "Cash Cow" painted on its side in big neon letters.

If it worked once, it'll work again. And again. And again. Long past the point of farce.

It's a perfect scheme. Perfect, damn you!

Another illustrative PA cartoon.

Revenge of the Sith? I was hoping that star wars would just go away...

Now, let's say that you have 70's show/book/real life event/anything Y. Y made a great deal of money/media coverage, so the movie producers believe that it will earn them a great deal of money. Movie X is created. Now X in itself was complete, no need - or opportunity - for a sequal. Knowing that X2 will bring in at least half the money of X they come up with some crazy plot.

ie.
Actor from the first: I have a secret
Actress from the first: Yes?
Actor: I love you.
Actress: You already told me that.
Actor: I'm also dying.
Actress: NOOO!
Actor: and am on a secret mission for the CIA.
Actress: We're Canadian...
Actor: I know.

X2 is created, now known as Z. Z makes 75% of the money that X made. A plan for X3 is hatched. Also an X and Z game, a series of X books, and a whole big advertising deal with McDonalds result. Now X3, now known as A MUST be made, as no money can be lost. With the already completed movie Y, not much is left for A. The result?

X is great, Z is okay, A is arguably better but in the end is nothing but an attempt to grab money.




FFXI is down right now, I'm a little bored.

Oh, yeah, what I meant was that the sequel will make more money for the studio, not necessarily more money than the original movies. (Though Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Shrek and Spiderman don't follow that pattern.) And come to think of it, X2 is a perfect example of a movie that just begs a sequel. Too bad we may not get Bryan Singer back... though having him helm Superman V: The Unhappening may be a consolation if he can do for that franchise what he did for X-Men.

...What scares me is that I first heard the title from RealLifeComics.
That being said, I think it's okay.

I need a new LotR box trilogy (books). Mine is, believe it or not, like 40 years old and falling apart.

I am very optimistic about Batman Begins - every looks really very promising so far. Not like the recent puke fests of Batman 3 and 4 - the cast looks solid as does the writing.

It's not the sequils that bother me so much as the recent spawning of vs. movies - Freddy vs. Jason, Alien vs. Predator, and the thankfully cancelled Batman vs. Superman. They're not ever trying with these movies, cause the know they'll make money on their own with out such trivialities such are "character development" or "plot."

I've seen Alien vs. Predator and ehm, character development? Plot? What are these things? She did make some friends though. :wink:

A v. P wasn't good? I'll just go see Spiderman 2 then.

...Yes, I haven't yet. It bugs me how everyone's saying how great it is and I haven't gotten to see it yet.
And Harry Potter made sense to have sequels. They seem to be getting better as they go along. 1 was okay, 2 was good, 3 rocked, so I'm optimistic about 4.


BTW, since all anime are destined for a movie apparently...(That stupid Yu-Gi-oh, Pokemon, Cardcaptors, Digimon) ...I'm just waiting for a Mega Man: NT Warrior movie to start going to theatres again. Or InuYasha. Whichever is first.

Alien vs Predator was good, it just didn't have much plot or character development when you think about it. Well, it does have a little plot...

Has no-one else noticed how much the original Star Wars trilogy is like Flash Gordon? Also, did you know that Lucas originally wanted to do flash gordon but the italian guy who did the crap camp-fest version made in 1980 had already got the rights......can anyone TRULY tell the personalities of Ming the Merciless and Palpatine apart? Find out in the next exciting post of the Five Minute Voyage Forums to the Galaxy! :P

Whoops...forgot to mention my name. Oh, and this. Starring Colin "Zeke" Hayman as the book, Derek Dean as Arthur Dent, Kira as Trillian, Nic Correli as Ford Prefect, the Ventilation system, and the Vogon computer, PHJ as Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz and IJD GAF only happened to be Hig Hergenflast. (NB - these are assigned arbitrarily - dont kill me!)

Kill you? No, I'll just read you some of my poetry. :P

Oh NOOOOOO!!!!! Is there any tea on this spaceship?

Tea? Pffft. There's a Starbucks concession in the mess hall though.

As the book?

Have you ever heard the original radio series?

The book is the starring role.

Too shocked to notice the multiple exclamation points even, eh, Zeke? ;)

Hey, I love the book. :wink: