If you’re the type of moviegoer who greets the annual wave of sequels with groans and eyerolls, USA Today has some good news for you: In 2008, you can expect to see far fewer of them at a theater near you.
According to USA Today‘s report, only 16 sequels are on the ’08 docket, a steep drop from 25, which has been the average since 2003. As the article notes:
Five of the six biggest movies of last year were sequels, helping propel 2007 to about $9.6 billion at the box office, a record — though attendance remained flat from last year, according to Media By Numbers.
Not that Hollywood has lost its love for series and spinoffs. This year still has plenty of high-profile franchise wannabes and sequels, from Jan. 25’s Rambo to May 2’s Iron Man to May 22’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Hollywood hasn’t lost its love for big-budget blockbusters, either; Warner Bros.’ Jeff Goldstein is quoted as saying “You have to give people things that home theater systems can’t give audiences,” and to that end, the studios have lined up all manner of gimmickry intended to put butts in those cushy theater seats. Read on:
About 80% of the nation’s theaters have gone to stadium seating. U2 has a 3-D movie due Jan. 25, and next year’s Final Destination 4 hopes to make you think the blood really is oozing on the screen. Hollywood is hoping James Cameron‘s computer-generated epic Avatar gets older moviegoers back into the seats.
Finally, one last bit of news comes from Harvey Weinstein, who claims his studio will be cutting back on “overly violent movies,” saying “people want movies that aren’t just reflections of our times.”
Fewer sequels? Less blood? What’s going on around here? What’s your take, RT faithful?
Source: USA Today
