In 2025, an estimated 50 movie sequels came out. According to “Fast Company”, much like 2024, 2025 is the “year of the sequel” as both years produced copious amounts of follow-up films. While there are many reasons big movies have so many sequels each year, there are three primary drivers. It’s an easy crash grab. There isn’t much to add to the story, and it includes returning characters we know and love. But it’s time to let some of these characters go.
Currently, a TV show or movie can never truly end. If a film is successful, there is a high probability that a sequel or spin-off movie will be made. There’s a looming issue towering over original films. It’s that they can’t hit it big, and if they do, it’s likely the company will milk it for the next couple of years.
A great example of this is “Stranger Things”. Originally, the series was supposed to be an anthology, meaning a different story would occur each season. However, due to the overwhelming popularity of the series, it has changed. Stranger Things will officially end in 2025, with the last episode coming on New Year’s Eve. Even though the show hasn’t concluded yet, they are already talking about an animated series set between seasons 2 and 3, with the additional spinoff of the popular character Nancy Wheeler.
Stranger Things is undoubtedly one of the most popular series of the 21st century, but it feels never-ending. Adding more and more plots and characters to the story just creates major plot holes and feels disconnected and disingenuous from what the original series was supposed to be.
“Toy Story” is also a super-popular movie series that is set to get a fifth sequel. The story keeps getting renewed and changed through each new installment because it makes Disney more money, and people love the characters and storyline, so they keep watching the latest movie. While it’s great that these franchises are capitalizing on a popular good, they also have to realize it’s okay for the story to end; having so many sequels is overwhelming.
Due to the current state of the film industry, the average consumer has accepted the mediocre sequel slop getting pumped out by Hollywood.
The issue isn’t sequels themselves; having a second part of some movies makes sense, especially if there was world-building that wasn’t done in the first movie. However, making so many sequels per year runs the risk of Hollywood even considering making original movies, as the death of the sequel doesn’t seem to be coming anytime soon. This causes a multitude of issues for small indie and original films, robbing them of the spotlight they truly deserve.
