It has been easy to notice over the past decade how movie studios have come to appreciate the concept of sequels or movie franchises better. They are willing to pump in more money on the sequels and look to broaden the geographies in hope of bigger returns. As long as they manage to make a convincing movie, they do not get disappointed. If you look up the top grossing movies for the period 2005 - 2012, only Avatar released in 2009 stands out as the non-franchise movie that was the biggest grosser of the year; else it is all about continuing from where you left of.
This faith in movie sequels / prequels / franchises seems to have exploded in 2013. I have counted at least 18 movies that would fall in this category... yep, 18! And I might in fact have missed a few here and there. Last year too might have boasted of a big number, but not so many prominent movies that are part of franchises releasing in the same year. These are the ones I could locate for 2013... in no particular order.
A Good Day to Die Hard; G.I. Joe: Retaliation; Iron Man 3; Star Trek Into Darkness; Fast & Furious 6; Man of Steel; Monsters University; Kick-Ass 2; Despicable Me 2; The Wolverine; 300: Rise of an Empire; Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters; Sin City: A Dame to Kill For; Thor: The Dark World; Before Midnight; The Hangover 3; Riddick; The Hunger Games: Catching Fire; The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
Phew... that's a long list! Franchises do have their charm, of course. And revisiting some good ones, is something I look forward to. But the directors carry with them the burden of not screwing it up. Of giving it a new feel without losing out on the nostalgia of the old. Tough ask, but which has been perfected quite masterfully lately. So get ready for a heavy dose of franchises this year. And most of them would be more enjoyable if you have a fair knowledge of the previous movies that followed. So get watching or reading.. whatever you have to do, to stay up to date!
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