The sequel paradox: research shows less innovation sells more tickets — but only at first

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- You may think that the goal of movie studios is to churn out as many sequels as quickly as possible, but there's so much more strategy that goes into sequel production than what meets the eye.

In the latest episode of The Aha! Moment presented by Binghamton University, Binghamton University School of Management Professor Subimal Chatterjee shares insights from his research, revealing the decisions that go into sequel production, from timing releases to determining how many changes to make from the original film.

The research Dr. Chatterjee spoke about centers around two studies of his — one published in the Journal of Marketing and another published in Journal of Business Research. His research explores the performance patterns of movie sequels, examining their commercial and critical success. 

His findings reveal several key points. For one, the timing of releases in a franchise aim to capitalize on popularity of the parent movie, while also minimizing the effect of boredom. Chatterjee states that successful sequels to a parent movie release as soon as possible after the initial movie's release to "strike while the iron is hot." This first sequel often times does not deviate too far from the original formula which made the original so popular.

However, Chatterjee finds, that once the third, fourth, and fifth movies come about, writers and directors tend to stray away from the formula of the original film. These sequels tend to play with different concepts to disrupt expectation from the audience and to combat audience boredom. While these sequels can outperform other new releases at the box office, their revenues do tend to fall off at a faster rate, he notes. Still, Chatterjee explains, having more sequels in a franchise does help each subsequent release, with multiple sequels serving as proof of quality, because studios would not keep making new iterations if audiences did not respond to them. 

His findings also reveal a surprising paradox in the film industry: while sequels can outperform their original films at the box office, they tend to receive poorer reviews from critics. This discovery sheds light on the complex relationship between commercial success and critical reception in Hollywood, and raises important questions about what drives audiences to theaters versus what earns critical acclaim.

You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on YouTube.

About Binghamton University

Binghamton University, State University of New York, is the #1 public university in New York and a top-100 institution nationally. Founded in 1946, Binghamton combines a liberal arts foundation with professional and graduate programs, offering more than 130 academic undergraduate majors, minors, certificates, concentrations, emphases, tracks and specializations, plus more than 90 master's, 40 doctoral and 50 graduate certificate programs. The University is home to nearly 18,000 students and more than 150,000 alumni worldwide. Binghamton's commitment to academic excellence, innovative research, and student success has earned it recognition as a Public Ivy and one of the best values in American higher education.