Is 2011 the Year of the Sequel?

An all-time record number of sequels will be coming to a theater near you this year. The A.V. Club reported on the film phenomenon using figures that were compiled by Box Office Mojo.

Twenty-seven sequels, prequels or remakes will be released in 2011, toppling the record of sequels released in one year. In 2003 the record had been set with 24 sequels released. This year also brings us the highest-number of both fourth movies and fifth movies in a franchise to be released.

The A.V. Club points out that some of the movies, such as Puss in Boots and Winnie The Pooh, are not true sequels, but are actually a spin-off and a reboot and should not be counted as sequels. They added that a number of scheduled, but unconfirmed, sequels have remained uncounted so regardless there could be more than 30 sequels coming out this year.

As happy as we are to see some of our favorite characters returning to the silver screen, it would be nice to see a film this year that is not piggy-backing off of a previous one. However, with one-fifth of all movies falling into the prequel/sequel category, that does not seem likely.

Second films: Cars 2, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules, The Hangover Part II, Happy Feet 2, Hoodwinked Too! Hood Vs. Evil, Johnny English Reborn, Kung Fu Panda 2, Piranha 3DD, Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows.

Third films: Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, Madea’s Big Happy Family, Paranormal Activity 3, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.

Fourth films: Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Scream 4, Spy Kids 4: All The Time In The World, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn (Part One).

Fifth films: Fast Five, Final Destination 5, Puss In Boots, X-Men: First Class, Winnie The Pooh.

Seventh films: The Muppets and Rise Of The Apes.

Eighth film: Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part Two.

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