PopBase: Sequels to Look Forward to in 2024: Entertainment's Recent Trend

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For the past few years, sequels, prequels, remakes, and reboots have been a major topic and genre in Hollywood. We have seen many successful ones that spawn movies with spinoffs or different adaptations. We have also seen these types of movies not be so successful. Movie installments can be dated back to 1915 but they were popularized after the success of The Godfather Part II. Released in 1974, the movie won Best Picture at the 47^th Academy Awards. This genre of film became even more popular in 1980 after the smash hit The Empire Strikes Back from Star Wars fame.

Many film collections have been released since and in 2024 the genre may be bigger than ever. Movies like Dune: Part Two, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, Kung Fu Panda 4, and Inside Out 2 have dominated the box office. Dune: Part Two has been the highest-grossing film of the year (as of June 19^th) as it surpassed $712 million. Inside Out 2 is also critically acclaimed and is the second-highest opening for an animated film ever. Currently, seven out of the ten highest grossing films of the year are sequels. Although there have been so many of these movies already, many more are to come. Below are seven of the most anticipated movie installments coming up this year.

1. A Quiet Place: Day One – Releasing June 27^th

A Quiet Place: Day One, which comes after two A Quiet Place films is an apocalyptic horror prequel based on a story by John Krasinski. The film, which is directed by Michael Sarnoski, stars Lupita Nyong'o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, and Djimon Hounsou.

The first film, which starred Krasinski and Emily Blunt, received lots of critical acclaim and grossed over $340 million. The film focused on a family who had to stay as quiet as possible after blind extraterrestrial creatures with a heightened sense of hearing plagued most of the population.

The movie also was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, an Academy Award, and Blunt won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. The film has a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the success of the franchise led to A Quiet Place Part III, which is scheduled to be released in 2025.

2. Despicable Me 4 - Releasing July 3^rd

Despicable Me 4 is an animated comedy film and the fourth main installment of the Despicable Me franchise. The movies all center around a secret agent and former supervillain Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), his adoptive daughters, and his minions (fictional yellow creatures).

The franchise started in 2010 and has since seen three sequels and two spin-off prequels. These films have made the franchise the highest-grossing animated film franchise. Among Carrell, the cast also features voices from Kristen Wiig, Joey King, Miranda Cosgrove, Stephen Colbert, Sofía Vergara, Will Ferrell, and many others. The film will come to theaters over the Fourth of July weekend. This five-day opening could lead to the film grossing over $100 million in five days alone.

3. Deadpool & Wolverine – Releasing July 26^th

Deadpool & Wolverine is a superhero film produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. This film follows Deadpool one and two and is the 34th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

This film, which was directed by Shawn Levy, stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. In the film, we see the duo go on a mission set to change the MCU. It’s been reported that the film may debut with over $100 million. This won’t be entirely surprising as the first two Deadpool films, released in 2016 and 2018, were financially and critically successful.

4. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – Releasing September 6^th

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an upcoming fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara, all of whom are reprising their roles from the 1988 film. It also stars new cast members Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, and Willem Dafoe.

The original film revolved around a couple that passes away and become ghosts. As ghosts they are not able to leave their house and they scare the new owners away. In this sequel, thirty-six years later, the Deetz family returns to Winter River after someone in the family passes. The original film was an absolute success and it grossed $74.7 million dollars. The success also led to the film receiving an Academy Award for Best Makeup.

5. Joker: Folie à Deux – Releasing October 4^th

Joker: Folie à Deux is an upcoming sequel to the 2019 smash hit Joker. The film, which is a musical starring Joaquin Phoenix, will also star Lady Gaga as the new Harley Quinn, love interest to the Joker. Other cast members include Zazie Beetz, reprising her role, Brendan Gleeson, and Catherine Keener. The film is produced by Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios. In the film, we see the Joker, also known as Arthur Fleck, get incarcerated. While at the Arkham State Hospital he meets Harleen Quinzel (Harley Quinn), and their love story begins.

This sequel came as a surprise to some as The Joker was intended to be a standalone film. This changed after the 2019 film earned a whopping $1.079 billion. This made the film the first R-rated film to reach that mark, the sixth highest-grossing film of 2019, and a multi-award winning movie.

6. Smile 2 – Releasing on October 18^th

Smile 2 is an upcoming supernatural horror film directed by Parker Finn. This film comes after Smile (2022) and the cast includes the returning Kyle Gallner among new characters portrayed by Naomi Scott, Lukas Gage, and Rosemarie DeWitt.

The 2022 film, which was based on Finn's short film Laura Hasn't Slept (2020), had plot lines left unresolved leaving the possibility for a sequel open. The film followed a therapist who witnesses a disturbing event, this leads her to believe she may be experiencing something supernatural. The film was perceived well with a 79% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed over $217 million.

7. Venom: The Last Dance – Releasing October 25^th

Venom: The Last Dance is an upcoming American superhero film and a sequel to Venom (2018) and Venom: Let There Be Carnage (2021). The film which is the fifth in Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) stars Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock and Venom. The film also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, and Stephen Graham.

In the first film we get introduced to Brock, a struggling journalist, and an alien symbiote which has taken host in the body of Brock. In Venom: The Last Dance, we see Brock and Venom be on the run from both their worlds. Despite some negative feedback, Venom (2018) earned over $856 million and the second film over $506 million

Based on this list, it is easy to see film installments usually perform well. After all, many audiences love to grow with their favorite characters. Sequels that happen many years after the original also provide nostalgic feelings for many. Although, some sequels may lack planning or originality, these types of movies are still usually financially successful and less risky.