Boxoffice - July 2019

SOCIAL MEDIA
BY ALEX EDGHILL
A BAD CASE OF SEQUEL-ITIS
SUMMER 2019 IS A SEEMINGLY
TROUBLED SEASON FOR SEQUELS
With 2019 lagging behind last year in terms of box office earnings,
many have singled out the recent string of underperforming sequels
as the main culprit of the deficit. Why are so many of these once
glitzy and glamorous sequels underwhelming at the box office?
>> As is usually the case with the box office,
memories are short and the huge recent successes
of Avengers: Endgame and John Wick: Chapter 3
– Parabellum must have already faded out of pundits’
minds as the industry is swept up in negative
headlines. One disappointing weekend is a miss,
two becomes a trend, and by the third—the sky
is falling!
Let’s start with the positive. Lionsgate’s John
Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum opened in mid-May
to rave reviews (currently at 89% fresh on Rotten
Tomatoes) and a stellar franchise-best $56.8
million weekend bow, nearly doubling its predecessor’s
debut. What is perhaps most impressive
about the series is that it is barely five years old.
The first film’s entire gross actually grossed less
than Parabellum’s opening week. What sets this
title apart from the early summer’s streak of disappointing
titles? With its positive reviews and the
social media buzz they engendered across the three
major platforms we cover (Facebook, Instagram,
Twitter), the film easily led all comparable titles.
If no one is clamoring for your film online, it’s
simply not going to do well—something especially
true for sequels. Sequels are highly visible to their
core demographics and, at least theoretically, are
supposed to have higher awareness to generate a
greater box office return. In this regard, Parabellum
was a cut above the rest.
Other results weren’t as favorable, starting with
Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which opened to
$47 million, almost half of what its predecessor
made back in 2014. Critics were not helpful in
this regard as its 40 percent fresh rating on Rotten
Tomatoes was a far cry from the 75 percent the last
one received. Though it did have some bright spots
on Instagram, its overall buzz levels were lacking,
and it failed to generate enough interest from
casual fans.
Next up, the pioneering franchise of comic
book adaptations, Dark Phoenix, the closing
chapter in Fox’s X-Men series. Critics weren’t kind,
giving the title a 23 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes,
a low for the franchise. Looking at its social
media returns, it was clear it was going to have
trouble generating revenue after it struggled to
generate buzz ahead of release. The warning signs
started in earnest with its most recent predecessor,
X-Men: Apocalypse, which opened significantly below
X-Men: Days of Future Past ($65 million versus
$90 million). Dark Phoenix continued that trend.
The Secret Life of Pets 2 was a follow-up to one
of the most successful movies of 2016 but couldn’t
PERFORMANCE OF SEQUELS AT THE BOX OFFICE SINCE MAY
Movie Domestic Opening Int’l Opening Rotten Tomatoes %
Men in Black: International $30.0 $73.7 24%
Shaft $8.9 — 34%
The Secret Life of Pets 2 $46.7 $11.6 57%
Dark Phoenix $32.8 $103.7 23%
Godzilla: King of the Monsters $47.8 $130.0 40%
John Wick: Chapter 3–Parabellum $56.8 $36.5 89%
106 JULY 2019