Whether a sequel is loved or not totally varies from franchise to franchise. There are movies where the sequels are no match to the originals and thus do not get as much fame. On the other hand, there are also movies in which the sequel is more famous and appreciated than the original and the franchise is known more by the sequel than the original. Continuity and consistency in reference to the original movie plays a big part in the sequel’s success. Thus, if the emotional feelings are reciprocated in the sequel, then the audience would engage more with the movie and it will be more successful.

For every movie we love and every blockbuster we watch, we end up wanting more and more. There are many movies which have not only one but many sequels and these good movies build expectations for even better sequels. We expect the sequel to deliver content just the way the first movie did. Thus, when we start watching it, we already have very high expectations. But sometimes, these expectations are broken and even if the movie is very good it doesn’t live up to the mark of the original film. This totally depends upon the franchise and the movie.

There are many movies where the subsequent sequels have broken records of the original movie. Like the “Thor” franchise- the first movie received very much love and the second and the third movie, i.e., “Thor: Dark World” and “Thor: Ragnarok” were superhit blockbusters. But, the fourth movie “Thor: Love and Thunder” did not receive as much appreciation and love.

In the same way, the Batman movie “The Dark Knight” is a sequel but it gained more recognition and is considered the best Batman movie till now. But if we look at the Matrix franchise, the first movie got the most audience response and the sequels were also loved; but still did not live up to the mark of the original. Also, “Wonder Woman” was superhit and broke the records, but “Wonder Woman 1984”, its sequel, didn’t reach the expectations. The same is with “Jurassic Park”– the first movie set the standards so high that the sequels weren’t loved as much as the original.

There are many factors which contribute to determine whether a sequel will be liked or not. These factors are casting, direction and basic continuation of the story. If the cast or the crew is changed, then it may not be loved as much because people expect to see a continuation in the film. Most of the times, the audience is emotionally connected with the characters and don’t respond very well if the character arc is broken. Their nostalgic feelings about the original movie contribute to their response to the sequel.

Thus, the success of the sequel depends on how well the foundation story is continued and how new things are introduced while still keeping the originality alive.

Written by- Jayani Bhatt | Edited by- Apurv Nayak