The rise of SERIOUSLY delayed sequels

2022-09-30

The rise of the VERY long-awaited sequels! As Hocus Pocus 2 premieres 30 years after the original, how studios are waiting DECADES in the hope of luring ‘nostalgic’ adults and their families to boost ticket sales

Hocus Pocus 2 will be released later this week, 20 years after original movie
Top Gun: Maverick is 2022’s highest-grossing movie, 36 years after Top Gun
They join rising trend of sequels being released decades after original material

Hocus Pocus 2 is finally released today, almost 30 years after the original film premiered.

The Disney title, which is released in cinemas in the US and UK from Friday, sees original cast members Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy all reprise their original roles.

It is an almost staggering amount of time between the film and its sequel. Anyone who saw the original Hocus Pocus in theatres as a child will now be in their 30s or 40s, maybe with children of their own.

It is the latest in a slew of long-delayed sequels that have hit our screens in recent months – with even more slated.

Kathy Najimy, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker turned out eye-catching looks in New York on Tuesday

Tom Cruise smashed the box-office with Top Gun: Maverick, making it the highest grossing movie of 2022 so far, 36 years after the first movie came out.

Avatar, which was released in 2009, will receive its long-awaited sequel in December.

‘The trend for delayed movie sequels looks like its not going away,’ pop culture expert Nick Ede told FEMAIL.

‘Films like Hocus Pocus 2 and Coming to America 2 are playing on two things: They know that the movies have an original fanbase of people who have now got children of their own age when they saw the original.

‘It’s a clever double whammy of creating a bigger audience knowing that adults will feel nostalgia and include their children in their fandom.

‘Some may say Hollywood is having to go “back to the future” to mine old movies to create new content – but what they are doing is a clever way of storytelling that engages huge audiences and of course makes a lot of money in the process.’

However, the expert added that there was a risk that audiences would grow fatigued of more sequels, and that a badly done sequel could tarnish the legacy of its original.

‘I think the downside is that there may be a fatigue for a sequel and it looks like the studios are being lazy,’ he said. ‘Also the other thing is the damage a below par sequel can have on the star power of the original.

‘There are many instances like when Star Wars had its first reboot and failed miserably and in turn damaged the original films reputations.’

And he added that some movies just won’t work for a sequel.

He added: ‘I think that with films like The Wizard Of Oz now getting a reboot we need to be careful not to ruin the classics and studios need to be reminded that fresh new films are also what inspires a new generation of moviegoers.’

Here FEMAIL takes a look at the sequels that were years – sometimes decades – in the making…

HOCUS POCUS: 1993

HOCUS POCUS 2: 2022

Hocus Pocus, starring Sarah-Jessica, Bette Midler and Kathy Najmy has become an inescapable Halloween staple since its 1993 release

Film fans were treated to a magical dose of nostalgia when Disney released the much anticipated sequel to Hocus Pocus, soberly titled Hocus Pocus 2

Hocus Pocus has become an inescapable Halloween staple since its 1993 release.

Whether it was Bette Midler’s rendition of I Put a Spell on You or Sarah-Jessica batting her eyelashes, the original movie left fans wanting more of the magical story.

Yet, it took 29 years for a sequel to be announced, with the movie finally being released this week.

The movie, which will be released on Disney+ on September 30, will bring the Sanderson’s sisters back.

Speaking of the movie at the Met Gala, Sarah-Jessica Parker hinted the ingredients who made the success of the original movie would be back, as she said: ‘And they still enjoy a musical number.’

Bette Midler said she was very excited about a Hocus Pocus sequel in 2021 during an interview with Good Morning America.

She said: ‘They sent the script and we’re really excited about it – we’re up for it.’

The original movie followed the spell-binding trio as they chased after teenagers on the night of Halloween.

It has been reported the sequel will follow two girls who try to foil the witches’ plans for revenge.

TOP GUN: 1986

TOP GUN: MAVERICK: 2022

The original Top Gun movie was released 36 years ago in 1986. At the time, Cruise was a budding actor with a bright career ahead of him, and just 23-years-old

Top Gun: Maverick broke all records when it was released in late May, becoming the highest grossing movie of the year so far and the first movie of the year to gross $1billion

The original Top Gun movie was released 36 years ago in 1986. At the time, Cruise was a budding actor with a bright career ahead of him, and just 23-years-old.

The high flying action movie catapulted him to the height of fame and was a box office success, grossing $357 million.

36 years on, Top Gun: Maverick broke all records when it was released in late May, becoming the highest grossing movie of the year so far and the first film of the year to gross $1billion.

Cruise was actually the reason it took so long to make a Top Gun sequel, as he opposed the idea for decades.

After being courted several times over the years, he was eventually persuaded by Joseph Kosinski in 2017 and got Paramount on board.

Konsinski reportedly won Cruise over by promising the movie wouldn’t be called ‘Top Gun 2’ and that it would have a ‘character-driven’ story.

‘I basically had 30 minutes to pitch this film, which I didn’t realize when we were flying over. But when I got there, I found that Tom really didn’t want to make another Top Gun,’ the director told Polygon in May.

He also added he told Cruise: ‘We aren’t going to call it Top Gun 2, we’re going to call it Top Gun: Maverick.’

‘It’s a character-driven story, a drama with this giant action film around it. And that to me was what a movie is,’ he added.

Cruise, who produced and acted in the 2022 sequel, admitted ahead of the release that it had been a ‘daunting task.’

‘Fans all over the world – more than any other film for decades have been saying please do another one, and I was like – I don’t know how to do that,’ he said in an interview with Sky before the movie was released.

‘And I would go home and think about how to approach it, so to hear about how audiences feel about it I’m telling you I just feel, I’m so excited for them, I’m so happy about it, I’m relieved for them you know.’

AVATAR: 2009

AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER: 2022

Avatar broke several records when it was released in 2009. The movie was one of the first to utilise 3D in movie theatres, and to this day, it is still the highest grossing movie of all time worldwide, having earned $2.84 billion since its release

The new movie will find Sully and his family on Pandora ten years on from where he left there at the end of the original Avatar movie

Avatar broke several records when it was released in 2009.

The movie was one of the first to utilise 3D in movie theatres, and to this day, it is still the highest grossing movie of all time worldwide, having earned $2.84 billion since its release.

The 2009 sci-fi movie introduced audience to a new universe as Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) was sent on a mission to moon Pandora where he immersed himself in the culture of the ‘Na’vi,’ blue aliens living in harmony with nature.

The idea of a sequel to Avatar was floated around for years, but the project took more than a decade to come to friction, with Avatar: The Way of Water is due to be released in September.

The new movie will find Sully and his family on Pandora ten years on from where he left there at the end of the original Avatar movie.

Director James Cameron was talking about the movie’s sequel as soon as in 2011, discussing how he wanted to film it at a higher frame rate.

In 2016, he hinted he was still working on the project as he waved the possibility of filming it in a non-glasses form of 3D.

The director’s attention to detail, and his determination to outdo his own work have been cited as reasons why the sequel took so long to make.

However, it should take less time for Avatar 3 to hit the screen, as the third act of the Avatar saga was reportedly shot back-to-back with the second installment.

SCREAM: 1996

SCREAM: 2022

The first Scream movie shocked audiences in 1996 with its new genre of horror gore, spawning three more movies, with Scream 4 being released in 2011

In this sequel, which was released on January 22 this year, Neve Campbell returned as Sidney Prescott, the heroine of the first two scream movies

The first Scream movie shocked audiences in 1996 with its new genre of horror gore, spawning three more movies, with Scream 4 being released in 2011.

Because the fourth film performed worse than expected at the box-office, director Wes Craven hesitated about following it up with another sequel.

At the time, he was working with the production company owned by the convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein, then a well-known movie tycoon.

Craven died in 2015, and with him did the hope of another Scream movie being made.

After allegations of sexual assaults led to the closure of the Weinstein Company in 2017, the rights to Scream were sold to Spyglass Media Group two years later, and rumours of a sequel were reignited.

Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the duo also known as Radio Silence, were tasked to direct it.

In the movie, which was released on January 22 this year, Neve Campbell returned as Sidney Prescott, the heroine of the first two scream movies.

Courtney Cox and David Arquette also both reprised their roles as Gale Weathers and Dewey Riley.

Speaking to Yahoo! at the time of the movie’s release, Campbell admitted she had doubts about appearing in the 2022 sequel.

‘I was just feeling hesitant about making this movie without Wes Craven,’ she said.

‘I mean, he was the master of these movies. He’s responsible for this incredible franchise and for why they are as good as they are,’ she added.

‘I think they really wanted to honor Wes’s legacy in the right way. So it felt worth it,’ she added.

COMING TO AMERICA: 1988

COMING 2 AMERICA: 2021

Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America became an instant cult classic when it was released in 1988

It took 33 years for the story to be revisited, and the sequel, Coming 2 America, was released on Amazon Prime in 2021

Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America became an instant cult classic when it was released in 1988.

The comedy followed Akeem Joffer, the crown prince of the fictional African nation of Zamunda as he travelled to the US in hopes of finding a suitable wife.

While a pilot for a follow-up series was in the works in 1989, it was never picked up.

It took 33 years for the story to be revisited, and the sequel, Coming 2 America, was released on Amazon Prime in 2021.

It saw Murphy return as Akeem as he is looking for his long-lost son in New York City.

But speaking to the New York Times in February last year, Murphy admitted that him and Arsenio Hall never thought of filming a sequel to the original movie.

‘The way the story ended was kind of like, “And they lived happily ever after.” Then all this time passed and the movie became this cult thing,’ he said.

The actor revealed that Ryan Coogler, who directed Black Panther floated the idea of a sequel to him in 2015, with Michael B Jordan playing Akeem’s son. However, the idea didn’t come together.

This kickstarted the idea in Murphy’s head, and he eventually motivated Hall to reprise his role.

‘I text him sometimes when I do my coffee run in the morning, and he says, What are you doing? I think you should read this script now. And I read half of it sitting in his yard. It was so exciting and so good,’ the actor said.

THE MATRIX: 1999

THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS: 2021

The Matrix was an instant hit when it was released in 19991

But its 2021 sequel Matrix Resurrections was panned by critics in spite of being a box office success

The Matrix kicked off the new millennium with mesmerising martial fights, mind-blowing CGI and leather galore.

The futuristic sci-fi movie sealed Keanu Reeves’s status as a bankable movie star, and became an instant cult movie and made nearly $30million at the box office during its opening weekend.

It spawned two sequels, Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions, which were both released back-to-back in 2003.

Directed by The Wachowskis, the third installment of the gripping saga tied the story arch of Neo, the Chosen One who brings down the machines and the Matrix, however, the open ending left fans guessing as to whether the hero could return.

And this left space for the directors to revive the franchise, 18 years after the last movie came out.

It was announced back in 2019 that Lana Wachowskis would be writing and directing a fourth movie, entitled Matrix: Revolutions, and the trailer was released two years later in August 2021.

It was reported that Reeves was enthralled by the idea of returning to the franchise and said: ‘That would be a gift. I wouldn’t say no to that,’ when asked if he would return to the Matrix.

Sadly, while Matrix Resurrections performed well at the box office, grossing £156.6 million in earnings, it was panned by critics, with the Guardian saying it was ‘drained of life by the Hollywood machine’.

JURASSIC PARK: 1993

JURASSIC WORLD: 2015

The first ever Jurassic Park movie made its roaring debut in 1993 (pictured)

The 2015 movie introduced new characters, played by Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard as they faced off with dinosaurs in the new attraction park, which was built on the original Jurassic Park site of the original trilogy

The first ever Jurassic Park movie made its roaring debut in 1993.

Steven Spielberg brought dinosaurs to life in the sci-fi trilogy, with Jurassic Park III being released in 2001.

It took 14 years for the next Jurassic Park movie to be released, with a new name and a new look: Jurassic World.

Initially, Universal had planned to make another Jurassic Park movie in 2004, to be released the next year, however, it was delayed after the script had to be revised several times.

Colin Trevorrow was eventually put on the project in 2013, and developed the idea of a functional Jurassic attraction park with scriptwriter Derek Connolly.

It only took four months to shoot the film, from April to August 2014, and the movie was released the next year.

Speaking to the New York Times in 2014, Trevorrow addressed the pressure of making a successful sequel to the original Jurassic Park movies.

‘It’s not a secret: The earlier movies had diminishing returns for the audience,” he said.

‘If we were going to make another one of these dinosaur movies, it had to be something that could rebuild our love for the franchise,’ he said.

The director need not worry: Jurassic World grossed $1.6 billion in revenue and spawned two sequels, the latest, Jurassic World: Dominion having been released earlier this month.

Source: Read Full Article