The movie industry is a difficult place. With so many sequels and so much competition, it’s often difficult to get a second film greenlit. Sometimes it’s easier to rely on fan pressures; often their tweets or their money can do the talking.
Unfortunately, some of these sequels flop and others turn out better than the originals. Here are 10 films that received or are going to receive sequels that have come about due to constant fan pressure, through word of mouth and financially.
PERCY JACKSON
The world-renowned book series based on the Percy Jackson series received its first film, but it got off to a rocky start. It didn’t exactly perform critically or commercially very well and a sequel was looking very unlikely for some time.
However, due to fan support, a second film was eventually made but it still failed to hit the box office with any force. The franchise was declared deceased but with Disney buying FOX, perhaps there is hope for this action franchise in the future.
SPIDER-MAN
This entry works on a number of levels. Over the years the web-head has had many different films, purely due to the popularity of the character. Recently the film based on the Spider-Verse was so well received by fans that it is getting a sequel.
Furthermore, due to the contract issues with Disney and Sony, it looked like there would be no more MCU Spider-Man sequels. Fan pressure increased and both sides went back to negotiate. The result is that now there’s at least one more movie in the works.
ALEX RIDER
The series of books based on the young spy Alex Rider is extremely well known in the UK and internationally. Despite this, the first film based on the character flopped so hard that there has never been a movie sequel.
However, that doesn’t mean the film isn’t receiving a sequel of sorts. The character of Alex Rider is returning to screens on TV with a minor reboot and taking on the plot of the second book. It’s therefore a soft reboot, made due to fan commitment to the series.
ANT-MAN
Both versions of Scott Lang’s Ant-Man have been well received but it’s one of the least performing franchises in the entire MCU. The second film didn’t do nearly as well as it should have done and it looked like the end of the road.
With no future for Ant-Man in sight, fans started petitioning to get a third movie made. The question was asked again and again until Marvel eventually caved and a third film has been put into production to the delight of Marvel moviegoers.
BLADE RUNNER
The franchise had almost been forgotten about by mainstream audiences, yet fans of the original held on to the hope that someday there would be a sequel in the works. They eventually got a project that was set in the far future, 2049.
However, the movie did not perform well commercially. While it is a stunning piece of film making and fans were chuffed with the result, it’s clear this was fan-driven as barely anyone turned out to witness the next chapter of this adventure.
THE MATRIX
The Keanu Reeves starring franchise got off to an amazing start, becoming a cult classic pretty quickly. Its sequels were largely driven by fan support, especially the third one, but the franchise came back with diminishing returns in many ways.
The fans have never remained silent though and had been pushing for a sequel for so long. When it was finally announced that Reeves would be returning to the role of his lifetime, it appears that those who love the franchise breathed a sigh of relief.
THE INCREDIBLES
PIXAR’s famous superhero family wasn’t exactly unknown to the world. However, Brad Bird, creatively speaking, didn’t have anything else to do with the franchise. It, therefore, sat dormant for a really long time.
It was one of his most asked about movies though. After a while, it became apparent that a second film had to be made because the fans just couldn’t wait any longer. Many thought the sequel was even better than the first and of course, there’s already a clamouring for a third installment.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
The first and second films were so successful that it made sense to make a third. This isn’t therefore about an actual sequel being made but how it was going to be made. Fans wanted James Gunn to finish off his trilogy.
However, some controversies lead to his departure from the project and uncertainty around its future. Eventually Disney once again had to give in and rehired James Gunn so he could produce the sequel that everyone wanted.
ANCHORMAN
The comedy franchise has one of the best sequels in the whole genre but it took a while to get there. While the first one was certainly a hit, there didn’t seem much of an appetite in Hollywood to produce another film in the world of anchormen.
But over the years the gifs, memes and even other material such as books, showed that there was a real market for a sequel to be made. Will Ferrell and the rest of the team therefore produced a film very much worthy of Ron Burgundy himself.
A QUIET PLACE
The horror franchise took a lot of people by surprise. It was tense, gripping and used a number of concepts not often seen. With a compelling cast and great directing, a sequel was all the more likely. However, fan support definitely helped.
People saw this again and again and the word of mouth helped the box office massively. It’s difficult to ignore so many voices that are asking for the same thing, ironic since the film is all about being as silent as possible to avoid certain doom. The sequel is set to hit cinemas in the near future.
