Sequel Success!

Who likes movies? Who looks forward to their sequels? It seems like there is no concrete formula for successful movie sequels. Take for example the sequels to Bring It On, Caddyshack, Grease and Dirty Dancing...all bombs. But then there are the sequels to The Bourne Identity, Austin Powers, Spiderman, and Rush Hour. Some might say it's simply due to the movie itself (script, actors, etc.); but I read an interesting article that claims there's more to it than that. According to research done by professors at the University of Weimar in Germany and Texas Christian University, "the top four factors turned out to be parent brand awareness (whether the public is aware of the parent movie), distribution intensity (the number of theater screens expected for opening weekend), parent brand image (if the first movie was widely considered good or not), and star continuity (whether the sequel has the same star as the first film)."

I think it's pretty interesting that 3 out of the 4 main factors deal directly with advertising and marketing of the film, not the content of the film itself.

With that being said, here are some of the most anticipated movie sequels that will be released during 2010!

Kung Fu Panda 2
Lethal Weapon 5
Big Momma’s House 3
Hairspray 2
300 2
Batman 3/Dark Knight 2
I Am Legend 2
Bourne 4