JUST DON'T CALL THEM 'SEQUELS' HOLLYWOOD HAS ROSTER OF 'CONTINUATIONS' IN STORE.Byline: Greg Hernandez Staff Writer Sequel seems to have become a dirty word in Hollywood. At this week's ShoWest convention in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. , Sony Pictures Entertainment pulled out all the stops in showing an audience of theater owners an action scene from its upcoming ``Spider-Man 2.'' The studio even flew out stars Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst Kirsten[1] Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982) is an American actress, known for her roles in (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Bring It On for the occasion. But amid all the hype, no one seemed to be using the now-dreaded ``s'' word even as the studio announced that it would be making ``Spider-Man 3'' for release in May 2007. ``This is not a sequel,'' Sony Chairman Amy Pascal Amy Pascal (born 1958) is Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. (SPE) and Chairman of SPE's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group. She oversees all development, production and marketing activities at Columbia Pictures. said shortly after the presentation. ``It's a continuation and it is a richer, deeper film. We all knew we'd have another story to tell about Peter Parker Peter Parker may refer to:
The ``Lord of the Rings'' trilogy A company founded in 1979 by Gene Amdahl to commercialize wafer scale integration and build supercomputers. It raised a quarter of a billion dollars, the largest startup funding in history, but could not create its 2.5" superchip. and the first two chapters of the ``Harry Potter'' series have not been associated with the word sequel either and have not even had a number in their titles. ``The term sequel, that's a dirty word,'' said Brandon Gray of Boxofficemojo.com. ``But the fundamentals behind the concept of sequels is certainly still thriving. They are just calling it something different just to distance themselves from what seems to be a downward trend for sequels.'' The reason for the shift in semantics semantics [Gr.,=significant] in general, the study of the relationship between words and meanings. The empirical study of word meanings and sentence meanings in existing languages is a branch of linguistics; the abstract study of meaning in relation to language or to such words as ``franchise'' and ``continuation'' is simple: Last year, the studios released a record 22 sequels. They received a mixed response ranging from blockbuster ticket sales (``X2: X-Man United) to franchise-killers (``Lara Croft CROFT, obsolete. A little close adjoining to a dwelling-house, and enclosed for pasture or arable, or any particular use. Jacob's Law Dict. Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life'' and ``Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle''). On a larger scale, ``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. And others including ``Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde,'' ``American Wedding'' and ``2 Fast 2 Furious'' failed to match the successes of their predecessors. ``When you have too many sequels, the word itself starts to get a backlash,'' said box office expert Gitesh Pandya, editor of BoxOfficeGuru.com. ``Right now, it does have a bit of a negative connotation con·no·ta·tion n. 1. The act or process of connoting. 2. a. An idea or meaning suggested by or associated with a word or thing: among moviegoers, maybe even more so in the last two years because so many sequels have been coming out.'' On Friday, Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . released ``Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,'' a sequel to the original 2002 hit film, and is hoping to buck the sequel backlash. ``Something like 'Scooby Doo' did over $150 million domestically; based on that, Warners wants to make a franchise out of these with not only a second film but more,'' Pandya said. But the sequel business has proven to be a risky proposition. Last weekend, MGM's ``Cody Banks 2: Destination London'' opened to 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- numbers and has earned just $18.6 million to date. It will fall far short of the $47.2 million earned by the original ``Cody Banks'' film. Much more is expected of ``Spider-Man 2,'' ``Shrek 2,'' and ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' which are likely to end up being three of 2004's biggest box office successes. After the ShoWest preview of ``Spider-Man 2'' Wednesday, Connor Tigger, branch manager of the Rogers Cinema multiplex See multiplexing. in Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin Rapids, city (1990 pop. 18,245), seat of Wood co., central Wis., on the Wisconsin River; inc. 1869. Paper, heating equipment, plastics, chemicals, paint, and iron and steel are produced. , Wis., said he was relieved to see that it appears to be a winner. ``There is such a built-in audience from the first one and the audience is ready for this like they were ready for ``The Lord of the Rings II and III,'' he said. ``And unlike the second and third 'Matrix' movies, this one is going to blow people out of the water. It's a continuation of the first one but with more of everything.'' While sequels once had the stigma of being watered-down rip-offs of an original hit, the form took on new steam following the late-1990s successes of the sequels ``Austin Powers in 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.'' ``Then all these sequels like 'The Mummy Returns' did extremely well, but last year the roof kind of caved in a little bit,'' said box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co. ``When there is an abundance of something, it loses its allure. Sequels seem to be almost a dime a dozen and would seem to have less value.'' ``More of them fail than succeed,'' Dergarabedian added. ``But the ones that succeed are some of the biggest blockbusters in Hollywood history.'' Greg Hernandez, (818) 713-3758 greg.hernandez(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 3 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Exhibitors at the ShoWest convention were treated to a glimpse of ``Spider-Man 2,'' coming out this summer. Columbia Pictures (2 -- 3 -- color) ``Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,'' above, is a surefire box office winner this summer, but don't call it a sequel. On Friday, Warner Bros. released ``Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,'' left, a sequel to the original 2002 hit film that it hopes will buck the sequel backlash. Warner Bros. |
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