Which Movie Sequels Will Be Hits & Misses In 2024?
Hollywood has all but given up on originality and creativity as a quick glance over the upcoming movies releases shows that they've pretty much mailed it in.
Seriously, look at this list of movies that are supposed to be the box office's saving grace in 2024.
What are we doing here people?
It's quite the move considering that the sequel game has historically stunk. Seriously. When have you ever put on the follow-up film rather than the original? Hardly ever.
Only a handful of sequels actually hold up and the list is very thin:
Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back, Godfather 2, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Home Alone 2: Lost In New York, and Terminator 2.
Here's Gunz's definitive list on which of these 2024 dreamed-to-be-blockbuster-smashes are actually going to hit and which ones should never have been made.
Lady Gaga (center) will turn Joker 2 into a must-see sequel in 2024 via her role as Harley Quinn, OutKick's Mike Gunzelman predicts. Paramount / Columbia Pictures / Warner Bros.
JOKER 2: FOLIX A DEUX
When you mix a diehard Batman fanbase as well as public curiosity as to how director Todd Philips is going to come up with a story that can follow up the batshit crazy-genius of the original Joker, there's no doubt that Joker 2 will be a box office hit.
Will it actually be good though?
The introduction of 37-year-old Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn is an interesting choice. So far fans seem hyped on it.
Of course if somehow the Caped Crusader himself makes an appearance that would propel Joker 2 into MUST-see territory. Regardless, I have no doubt this will not only be a box office success - not ridiculously amazing numbers, but still decent.
However, all the pressure's on Philips to not screw it up. Come on, Todd!
GHOSTBUSTERS 4: FROZEN EMPIRE
It's a damn shame that the Ghostbusters franchise was nearly ruined when 2016's "Ghostbusters" came out and featured the all-female cast with a storyline that made absolutely zero sense. Still to this day, I have no idea why that movie was ever even conceived in the first place. The film was a disaster even when it's shown on cable television. These days I immediately scroll right on by.
I mean, hell, that disgrace of a movie nearly did irreparable harm to the entire brand until Ghostbusters: Afterlife came out in 2021.
If you haven't seen Afterlife you need to right now. It continues on from the ORIGINAL Ghostbusters 1 and Ghostbuster 2 storylines, with none of that 2016 crap. The concept actually works and it ties everything together in a perfect way that I have no doubt the return and continuation of the Afterlife cast (as well as ghosts like Slimer) will make Frozen Empire a success.
We're not talking groundbreaking box office sales though, but still good enough that everyone (including Ghostbusters fans) will be pleased.
DUNE 2
The only thing I know about Dune (originally released in 1984) is that it was a video game back in the day.
I have no idea what the concept is. Never the first film when it went to theaters. I haven't a damn clue about anything because frankly, the trailers were boring to me. But I do know people enjoyed the first one.
According to my research, I have been made aware that the first Dune movie ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, so I assume the majority of the people that made the original Dune a $400 million box office success will come back and see the second one.
DEADPOOL 3
Listen, it's the new year and I want to start off by being honest: I am so fricken over the Marvel Comic Universe and everything comic book related.
There are WAY too many of these films. The oversaturation has become ridiculous.
2019's Avengers: Endgame is still the second highest-grossing film of all time at $2.8 BILLION revenue.
Congratulations. That's awesome.
But that doesn't mean we need to be inundated constantly with film after film after film of the MCU as directors and writers make it up as they go simply to make a quick buck.
Case in point: this past November the franchise released The Marvels. It still hasn't recouped its $274 million budget. In fact, it's the lowest MCU-released movie EVER. Awesome.
Aquaman 2 is in theaters. Do you or anyone care? Yes, I understand that it's DC and not MCU but the overall point stands. Sstop already with these films.
My prediction: Deadpool 3 will be an opening weekend box office smash that will have legs to it no matter what simply because it's the only MCU film being released this year. (Disney saw the writing on the wall and actually postponed three other Marvel films to 2025)
Will fans enjoy the Deadpool 3 story? The hell if I know? But it'll still be a success simply by default because comic book nerds will have nothing else to obsess about.
KUNG FU-PANDA 4
I didn't even know there was a sequel to the original Kung Fu Panda. And I sure as hell didn't know there was ever a third one.
But Jack Black rules and the Kung Fu Panda brand is well-established enough that whatever the hell the plot of this one is will do well.
GLADIATOR 2
The first Gladiator ruled and anybody who thinks otherwise is an idiot.
But (SPOILER ALERT) Russell Crowe, who played war hero-turned-slave-turned-savior of the Roman Empire, ends up dying in the end.
The franchise should have ended there, no need to ruin the Gladiator film legacy.
But, alas, we now have the young nephew from the original movie: Lucius or something, all grown up after being saved by Crowe.
The thing is, nobody cares.
We already know how this one's going to end because we've seen it a thousand times before in other movies. Lucius will have all the odds against him, but suddenly get the support of the people where he overcomes all odds and succeeds in the end just when it seemed it wasn't even possible.
Yawn.
Aint nobody going to be like "Let's watch Gladiator 2" in a few years when "Gladiator" was superb on its own.
If there truly was supposed to be a Gladiator 2, it wouldn't have taken TWENTY FOUR YEARS to be released, right?
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3
Absolutely not. GTFO with this.
The first one was weird. The CGI made things awkward as hell. The sequel stunk. And the third one will be a waste of time.
This is going nowhere unless they somehow reboot Sega Genesis consoles. (That's actually not a bad idea.)
BEETLEJUICE 2
I was too young to really understand the first Beetlejuice.
And you can be sure as hell guaranteed that other Millennials and especially Gen Z not only have zero idea about Beetlejuice but more importantly, don't give a single damn about it whatsoever.
I feel like this is a movie nobody was asking for. Sure, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return in it (Alec Baldwin does not... he's got other things to worry about these days) but honestly who has been demanding a Beetlejuice sequel?
Did you even know there was a sequel coming out?
No, you didn't. And that my friends is why this movie is going to be a failure.
BAD BOYS 4
I love the Bad Boys films.
Or, I did until the third one came out.
The first one is badass. The second one was actually a pretty solid sequel, but the third one just felt like they were playing us and taking our money.
But a fourth one? Well, that's just a bad bet.
It may do well in its opening week simply because it's an action film and the Bad Boy movie history, but there is no way anyone is on the edge of their seat wondering what the conclusion of FOUR MOVIES featuring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence is going to be.
They were funny when the first Bad Boys movie dropped all the way back in 1995.
Now? It's just weak.
The only action movie franchise that can pull off this many movies is Fast and Furious.
MEAN GIRLS 2
I am a fan of the original Mean Girls.
Probably because I was forced to when I was growing up because my sister and her friends would play it nonstop. Then when I started dating, my girlfriends would watch it and reference it. And now the film has become a go-to in pop culture relevance.
Anyone on social media knows the memes:
"On Wednesdays we wear pink..."
"On October 3rd he asked me what day it was... It was October 3rd."
But as with all movie franchises that decide to stretch things out rather than just let them be, this is why we can't have nice things.
Mean Girls 2 is not going to be a good film. It's not going to live up to the first one. How can it? All the vodka cranberry and Truly Hard Seltzer-drinking people in the world couldn't make this film a success.
OH... BY THE WAY... ONCE AGAIN...
Did you know the movie comes out literally next week on January 12th?
Exactly. This is going to be a box office mess.
AS FOR THE REST...
Venom 3, Paddington 3, Inside Out 2, Mad Max 2 are being filed under 'Who Cares?'
None of those movies are going to be lifechanging or even generate enough buzz to have a significant impact at the box office or have any sort of relevancy come a year from now.
I'm still a proponent of getting the hell out of the house (something many of you should probably do as well!) and going to the movies.
The fact that many theaters now also serve beer as well? Let's go. But ya gotta give us a reason to want to choose to go to the mall and the theater... and unfortunately - sequels?
That aint it.
WHAT MOVIES ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR?
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