By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
August 8, 1999
A good sequel is like money in the bank. But is it also an oxymoron?
Not necessarily, as proven by a couple of this summer’s biggest followups.
During its first three days of release, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” made $1 million more than the original “Powers” grossed during its entire theatrical run.
Yeah, baby!
With a $54.7 million opening, “The Spy Who Shagged Me” became the top-opening comedy, the top June opener and the No. 2 non-holiday weekend opener (behind a little film called “Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menance”). Not bad for a second installment, which traditionally isn’t expected to generate more revenue than the original.
The Mike Myers film is nearing the $200 million mark after just eight weeks in release.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the rule of thumb was that studios expected sequels to make 60 percent of what the original grossed, according to Stephen Galloway, executive editor of the Hollywood Reporter.
“There is a real split when it comes to sequels,” Galloway says. “When you have a successful film, you have a built-in audience. So the money people go in thinking, `Yes! Great!’ But the creative people tend to not want to do them – the exception being George Lucas, who claims to have had nine episodes of `Star Wars’ worked out when everyone thought the first one would be a flop.
“I think Steven Spielberg knew when he did `Jurassic Park’ that there would be a sequel, because he had to have known that this movie had money written all over it. Then there’s something like `Godzilla’ that everyone assumed would have a followup – until they saw the finished product.”
A sequel is predicated by the success of the original film. But while studio heads surely would love to have capitalized on the success of something like “E.T.,” Spielberg had no interest in making a part deux.
“For many years, people tried to get Spielberg to do another `E.T.’ ” says Erwin Stoff, executive producer of “The Spy Who Shagged Me.” “He just felt the story was finished, and I think more filmmakers need to be aware of when it’s time to stop. Now with something like `The Godfather,’ it was clear that the story hadn’t finished. So making `The Godfather, Part II’ made sense. And the second was every bit as good as the first.”
Even before Thomas Harris’ Hannibal hit bookstores in June, people were speculating whether there ever would be a sequel to “The Silence of the Lambs.” Sounds like a sure thing, right? Not necessarily, according to Hollywood Reporter’s Galloway.
“With more thoughtful dramas, the players generally don’t want to take the risk of tarnishing the memory of the first film,” Galloway says. “There’s no script, writer or director signed to this project. If I were Anthony Hopkins and knew that I had gotten the best review of my life for (`Silence of the Lambs’), I’d have to think, `Do I want to try it again?’ Why would he want to compare himself to himself?
“With the first film, people often go in with little expectations and come out enjoying it for whatever it was. With the second or third, they expect it to be as good or better – but that’s often not the case. `The Phantom Menace’ is living proof of the danger in that.”
These are harsh words for a film that has earned nearly $409 million since its release 11 weeks ago, and is the third-highest-grossing film of all time (behind “Titanic” and the original “Star Wars”). But still, the highly hyped film failed to live up to the expecations of many critics and even some fans.
The critics are split on the merits of the “Austin Powers” followup, which is laced with scatological humor. Fans, however, approved of the film’s plot and Mike Myers’ cheeky wit.
It isn’t the first sequel to fare better the original. For instance, all three of the “Lethal Weapon” followups fared better at the box office than the superior 1987 original.
But Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., a box-office tracking firm, says, “I don’t know of any sequel that made more in its first weekend than the original movie made in its entire (run). It wouldn’t surprise me at all if they went ahead and made a third `Austin Powers.’ There’s obviously a market for the movie and the character.”
Stoff, who also manages “Powers” himself (a.k.a. Myers) cautiously notes, “Sequels are incredibly tricky things. We’ve seen some work and some fail. We actually did our best not to refer to this movie as a sequel or put the numeral `II’ in the title anywhere. Sequels do tend to have a negative connotation. Many have been made that had no business being made. Look at the `Predator’ movies.”
Or any of the “Porky’s” flicks or, for that matter, “Speed 2: Cruise Control” – a followup that another of Stoff’s clients – Keanu Reeves – turned down.
“Everyone said at the time that he was crazy not to do it,” Stoff says. “But Keanu read the script and knew that it wasn’t going to be good. He also knew that a `Speed’ sequel was pointless because the story was over at the end of the first movie. There was no place for his character to go.”
Chemistry also is vital. Whether even Reeves’ presence could’ve made a hit out of “Speed 2” is doubtful. But Jason Patric couldn’t.
In another instance, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John were perfectly cast as the sassy high school teens in “Grease.” But both turned down roles in “Grease 2.” Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield lacked spark in the goofy sequel.
In the case of “The Phantom Menace,” the movie is bigger than any of its stars. The “Star Wars” franchise doesn’t need Harrison Ford to cover it – just plenty of action sequences, tons of special effects and a loyal following of fans.
But even when you have a critical and commercial hit such as “The Godfather,” it doesn’t guarantee that the sequels will do nearly as well. Neither of the two followups grossed half as much as the original 1972 movie.
So what sequels can we look forward to seeing in the next few years?
It’s likely that there will be a followup to “The Mummy,” which has made $152 million. And the makers of “The Matrix” – which has raked in $168 million – reportedly will work on the second and third sequels of the film simultaneously – and, in an unusual marketing move, plan on releasing both films within months of each other.
Oh, and then there’s always that behemoth: “Star Wars: Episode II.”
