This will prove to be an interesting year as several popular film sequels are scheduled for release in theaters. Kevin Hart and Ice Cube kicked off the New Year with their action comedy Ride Along 2, which debuted at #1 in the box office and reached $40 million in domestic sales on its opening weekend.
That’s just the beginning of a year filled with so many sequels and reboots it’s hard to name them all. Zoolander 2 starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson will be out in theaters this weekend. The original Zoolander was released in 2001, making it one of the longest running follow-ups in film history. There has been lot of speculation surrounding the decision to release Zoolander 2 after all this time. We’ve seen a similar attempt with the release of Dumb and Dumber To, however it failed to recreate the popularity of the original film (Dumb and Dumber) twenty years earlier.
Neighbors is another hit film starring Seth Rogen that will try its hand at creating successful sequel. The trailer for Neighbors 2 was recently released and is generating considerable buzz. Zac Efron will reprise his role with Selena Gomez and Chloe Grace Moretz joining the cast. The original Neighbors film has grossed over $150 million in domestic sales since its release, which answers the question why Universal would decide to make a sequel. Neighbors 2 opens in theaters on May 20th and should offer quite a few laughs.
Three more sequels are scheduled for release in June with two of them premiering on the same weekend. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the second attempt to reboot successful film franchise. The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot came out to mixed reviews, but still managed to find the momentum to green light a sequel. In addition, Now You See Me 2 and The Conjuring 2 are both opening in theaters on June 10th. Bad Santa 2 is scheduled for release in November and rumors are circulating about the possibility of seeing Top Gun 2 in the near future.
With all this information, it’s hard to deny the sudden demand for popular film sequels. There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight with Matt Damon returning to the Bourne Series and the Ghostbusters getting an all female lead cast. Unfortunately, not all of the sequels and reboots are going to have the same success as the originals. Ride Along 2 still fell short of its predecessor despite coming in at #1 in the box office. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how these films perform in theaters this year.
Leave a Comment