Pacific Rim: Uprising is proof that sequels are running amok

How many people were really yearning for a followup to the middling original?

Sequels are as sought-after in Hollywood as ever, but what happens when there aren't enough hit movies to go around?

Studios have reached further and further back, making it clear that just about any cult classic or blockbuster is now game for a follow-up. But even then, the well can start looking dry, especially when costly follow-ups like Blade Runner 2049 turn out to be no more popular in 2017 than the original was in 1982 (beloved, but not by a superhero-sized audience). Boundless appetite for movies about Batman and Iron Man doesn't help the majority of studios who do not have the rights to make movies about Batman or Iron Man.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Jesse Hassenger

Jesse Hassenger's film and culture criticism has appeared in The Onion's A.V. Club, Brooklyn Magazine, and Men's Journal online, among others. He lives in Brooklyn, where he also writes fiction, edits textbooks, and helps run SportsAlcohol.com, a pop culture blog and podcast.