MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > The Year of the Sequel?

The Year of the Sequel?


As of now, the top 12 grossing films of 2024 are all sequels, as are 17 of the top 20 films of the year. That has to be some sort of record, right?

Edit: Of the top 43 highest-grossing films of 2024 so far, 28 are sequels/reboots, and only 15 are original films. I have no problem with sequels or reboots, but that ratio is way off, in my opinion.

This begs the question: does the box office show that Hollywood is relying too much on sequels and reboots, or that audiences prefer them?

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Its pretty crazy. I wonder if one year during phase 2 or 3 of marvel had this many sequels. Not just marvel movies, but during that time.

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It's almost as if the movies that get financed and marketed are based on established properties.

Be right back; I'm gonna look into this...

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They sure are now. It didn't used to be that way. I'd argue it was better before. I love going to the movies. I go to the movies all the time. I just counted-- I've seen 110 movies in a theater this year so far, and I have already purchased tickets to 2 more this month. I'll probably see a few more than that. Of those 110, only 22 were new movies. It used to be at least half of what I saw was new, but now most new films are sequels, remakes, and reboots that I have no interest in seeing. Maybe it's just me? Do you prefer seeing Such and Such part 4 or This Old Thing the Reboot?

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Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz and The Ten Commandments were based on previously written material, and The Thin Man entertained multiple sequels. These have been part and parcel of movies since their gestation as an art form. You can also look to popular literature as self-cannibalizing, such as multiple written versions of Beauty and the Beast, etc.

Good for you for getting out to the theater, though. What were the 22 movies that you managed to see? How many were bombastic mass-marketed wide releases, and how many were titles that you sought out off the beaten path? I would be very curious to see that breakdown.

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I don't equate a film based on a book, or a play, with a sequel or a reboot. Films have drawn from literature since the nascent days of the industry. Nor do I eschew all sequels and series. My main point is that in an era already heavily laden with sequels and reboots, theaters in 2024 have been especially filled with them.

I'd break down the new films I saw this year into 3 broad categories

Less publicized/popular movies I sought out

American Fiction
Late Night with the Devil
Lousy Carter
Kim’s Video
Immaculate
Am I Racist?
Getting It Back: The Story of Cymande
Abigail
Megalopolis

Heavily promoted films that interested me

Argylle
Civil War
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
Deadpool & Wolverine
Madame Web

Movies my kids wanted to see

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Rocket Club: Across the Cosmos
Migration
Inside Out 2
Harold and the Purple Crayon
Transformers One

And in my kids' defense, they also went with me to a silent Rin Tin Tin film, and the older, 8-year-old, came with me to see the silent Nosferatu, Bride of Frankenstein, North By Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much (I caught both versions in a theater this year, he saw the remake with me), Moonrise Kingdom, and a bunch of other not-kiddie films.

I could make a 4th list of films I wanted to see in a theater but they were pulled too quickly for me to be able to do so, which is another pet peeve of mine. Films used to linger longer on the big screen. Now they play for a week or two, and they're gone before I have a chance to see them.

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The most astounding part about this sectioned list - besides the movies noted from the previous year - is that I Saw the TV Glow and The Wild Robot didn't make it onto any of those lists.

Tell me your thoughts about Megalopolis and why it is one of the best films of 2024.

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I should add the upcoming Nosferatu remake to the list, as I already have a ticket to go see it on Christmas night.

I Saw the TV Glow looked interesting, but at the same time it looked like it wasn't going to be very good. Was it worth seeing? The Wild Robot would have been a good one to take the boys to see, but for whatever reason we didn't go. I've got tickets to take them to see Home Alone later this month, sandwiched in between solo trips to see the 1974 Black Christmas and The Thin Man.

I genuinely enjoyed Megalopolis, and found it to be a staggering spectacle of a film. It captures the zeitgeist of the modern day better than any other recent film, and though it falls apart a bit at the end, it's ambitiousness allows it to become something special. My favorite era of film is the 1930s, and elements of Megalopolis (and not just the fabulous art deco) harken back to that era, especially some of the dialogue. In parts it is hilarious, in others strange, but never too strange. Surprisingly, Shia LaBeouf, an actor I've never enjoyed watching, steals the show at times. You knew it was dead on arrival simply because audiences don't appreciate that sort of film, but I'm glad Coppola took it upon himself to make it happen. It remains to be seen if it will slowly become a cult classic, or fade into obscurity, but I'll certainly watch it again at some future time.

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Let me add-- I Saw the TV Glow is something I'd have seen had it stuck around longer. Anora is a recent example of that, where a film I'd have eventually gotten around to seeing in previous years was gone too quickly in 2024 for me to catch it. Saturday Night is another such film. There were many, many films this year that caught my attention, but that I simply wasn't able to get out to see in time.

Partly that's on me, as I tend to prioritize seeing old films that are playing for one night, in one theater, and buy those tickets well in advance, and then try to fit in new releases whenever I have free time to get out to the movies.

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Hollywood has no new ideas. There is new talent with original scripts and the studios are ignoring them and just milking these tired old stories dry.

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I have seen that comment a million times
think of something original ! stop milking these tired old comments dry.

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You obviously like superhero movies and the same ones over and over. I don't.

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You take that back!
I'm all for a bit of banter , a bit of free for all back 'n forth.
But to suggest I like superhero movies is just a step to far! several steps!
Why cant you just tone it down and call my momma a whore or something instead :)

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It's getting to the point where someone is going to ask what your favourite movie is, and when you tell them, they're going to ask which version.

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Often they're unaware that there was a previous version!

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they all stank

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Did they though?

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One of them was glorious and way better than the first.

Hint: 😁2

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name one you liked

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I watched only 7 films that were sequels or reboots of some sort of existing properties. 3 were really good, 1 was pretty good, 3 weren't very good.

The Fall Guy - Loved It
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga - Loved It
Deadpool & Wolverine - Loved It

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Liked it

Inside Out 2 - Didn't Like It
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire - Didn't Like It
Transformers One - Didn't Like It

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" the top 12 grossing films of 2024 are all sequels"

where the list you looked at?
I shudder to think how many are capeshit

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https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/2024/?ref_=bo_yl_table_1

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Hey theres a lot of sequels but surprisingly little superhero shit. Things are on the up!

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I'm not too sure about that-- of those 12, the only one that seems to have been any good was the one superhero film, Deadpool & Wolverine.

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Yeah they find the profit and run with it.

It's sad and I don't like it either but it is a business with billions to make. So I get it.

I just rewatch old movies that were interesting and support new ones that are good.

Though I did enjoy top gun 2. :)

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