Sequels & Reboots Still Driving Box Office

<div class="MsoNormal">I know what you’re thinking, movie sequels and reboots of the same old franchises are popping up everywhere.  However, it seems like the only ones to blame for the glut of same old same old at the cinema is the ones buying the tickets in the first place.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s hard to feel bad for Hollywood when the top five movies this year have grossed <a href="http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2013&p=.htm">around $1.5 billion domestically</a>, according to Box Office Mojo, but taking a closer look at those top five films and an interesting phenomenon occurs.  “Iron Man 3,” “Despicable Me 2,” “Man of Steel,” “Monsters University,” and “Fast & Furious 6” are all sequels (or at least based on enough material to be considered additional films in a franchise).<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">While enough general belly aching occurs when audiences see the 2’s and 3’s (let alone 6’s) pop up behind films, it is hard to blame movie makers for going after the low hanging fruit.  Not that individual films are doing that poorly.  That same chart puts “Oz: The Great and Powerful” at nearly $234 million dollars, but it had enough sentimental appeal from another film released decades earlier, but it also includes “Now You See Me” with a domestic gross at almost $115 million, not a bad number by any stretch of the imagination.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">“Now You See Me” had a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1670345/">budget of around $75 million</a>according to IMDB.com, and Tony Stark’s latest outing had a budget of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1300854/?ref_=sr_1">around $200 million</a>.  Would you rather put your  money in a place where it will earn $40 million or $207 million (not including international money)?  Easy answer huh?  Back the superhero in a metal suit every time.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">So while some viewers (myself included) might be wondering if Hollywood has anything new to say, movie goers themselves are to blame for the onslaught of sequels and the beating of dead horses, because in the end we are responsible for the box office grosses of these films, DVD sales, and whatever other merchandise we pick up.  <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal">The sequel fever doesn’t really get much better for the rest of the year because “Smurfs 2,” “Thor 2,” and “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” are all slated to release later this year, and it is hard to imagine that one or two of them will not make the top five grossers of the year.<o:p></o:p></div>

highest grossing summer movie sequel fever too many sequels Sequels & Reboots Still Driving Box Office

I know what you’re thinking, movie sequels and reboots of the same old franchises are popping up everywhere.  However, it seems like the only ones to blame for the glut of same old same old at the cinema is the ones buying the tickets in the first pl…

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