2004: SUMMER OF THE HIT SEQUELS.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer Going into the summer 2004 movie season, ``sequel'' had become a dirty word. But the weekend's success of ``The Bourne Bourne, town (1990 pop. 16,064), Barnstable co., SE Mass., crossed by Cape Cod Canal; settled 1627, inc. 1884. Bourne Bridge (1935), across the canal, made the town an entry point to Cape Cod and a resort and commercial center. Supremacy'' is the latest in a series of blockbusters since mid-May that are helping to restore the reputation of the sequel, badly damaged last summer when studios glutted glut v. glut·ted, glut·ting, gluts v.tr. 1. To fill beyond capacity, especially with food; satiate. 2. To flood (a market) with an excess of goods so that supply exceeds demand. multiplexes with too many mediocre me·di·o·cre adj. Moderate to inferior in quality; ordinary. See Synonyms at average. [French médiocre, from Latin mediocris : medius, middle; see medhyo- ones. ``Bourne'' earned a solid $52.5 million over the weekend, nearly doubling the opening numbers for 2002's ``The Bourne Identity.'' ``Bourne'' finished in first place, while three other sequel successes remained in the top 12: ``Spider-Man 2,'' ``Shrek 2'' and ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.'' ``I think these sequels are made right,'' said Nikki Rocco, president of domestic distribution for Universal Pictures, which released ``Bourne.'' ``As long as you deliver the goods Verb 1. deliver the goods - attain success or reach a desired goal; "The enterprise succeeded"; "We succeeded in getting tickets to the show"; "she struggled to overcome her handicap and won" bring home the bacon, succeed, win, come through , audiences are going to embrace it.'' Audiences have not only embraced these 2004 movies, but many critics have touted them as well. Last summer, critics panned such sequels as ``Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Full Throttle can refer to:
Meanwhile, ``The Matrix Reloaded'' earned big box office bucks ($281.4 million) but was so disliked by core fans of the first ``Matrix'' film that by the time the second sequel, ``The Matrix Revolutions,''came out in the fall, it earned just $139.2 million. ``There were over 20 sequels last year, and most of them did not work,'' said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. ``Audiences are not really prejudiced against sequels. They are prejudiced against bad movies.'' The late-1990s successes of the sequels ``Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged shag 1 n. 1. A tangle or mass, especially of rough matted hair. 2. a. A coarse long nap, as on a woolen cloth. b. Cloth having such a nap. 3. A rug with a thick rough pile. Me'' and ``Toy Story 2'' gave new life to a movie form that used to have the stigma stigma: see pistil. Stigma mark of Cain God’s mark on Cain, a sign of his shame for fratricide. [O. T.: Genesis 4:15] scarlet letter of being mere rip-offs of an original hit. After last summer, sequels were regaining some of that reputation. Enter ``Shrek 2,'' DreamWorks Pictures' much-loved animated movie, which has earned $429.4 million domestically to date. It is already the fifth-highest grossing movie of all time and is still in the top 10 after 10 weeks of release. On the heels of ``Shrek 2,'' Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . released the third film in the Harry Potter series, which got off to a strong start in June. The film has earned $241.8 million to date which, while less than the domestic grosses of the previous two Potter movies, is still a stellar performance. ``Spider-Man 2'' gave midsummer a major boost when it opened at the end of June with the highest six-day gross in history ($180.1 million). The sequel to 2002's ``Spider-Man'' finished last weekend in fourth place and after a month in theaters has earned $328.5 million with plenty of box office steam remaining. Even the art-house sequel ``Before Sunset'' has pulled in respectable numbers in limited release this summer. A sequel to 1995's ``Before Sunrise,'' the film is the first release by Warner Independent Pictures, the new art-house subsidiary of Warner Bros. Playing in 140 theaters, ``Sunset'' has grossed $2.5 million so far and will begin playing in 200 additional locations Friday. ``What a difference a year can make,'' Dergarabedian said. ``This may be one of the best years for sequels ever. It's about whether they are good movies. These sequels are good movies, and they deliver.'' Greg Hernandez, (818) 713-3758 greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): box Box: SEQUEL SENSATIONS SOURCE: Box Office Mojo Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic way. Brandon Gray started the site in August 1998 and claims to now receive over one million monthly visitors. |
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