Baffling sequels

Sat thru Blart 2 last week (family movie night -- kid's choice). Awful beyond words. Never saw the original. But movies like that make money. Both Blarts made more than 100M in the theatres on 30M budgets.

 

The Whole Ten Yards -- a sequel to a mediocre movie with an expensive cast and modest box office success.

 

They are making a new Ghosbusters with a female cast to reboot the series. Ghostbusters was one of those fun movies that is very quotable, great to watch on cable and things that kids and adults can enjoy.
Ghostbusters 2 was one of these movies you get at Walmart for $5 that is packaged with Scrooged and Garfield 2. There is a reason why a third movie wasn't made while Harold Ramis was alive. Why, why did some studio think this was going to be a good idea?

Hey, we haven't had Melissa McCarthy in something since last Thursday, we need her in another movie! Let's get her, some SNL rejects alumni and reboot Ghostbusters! It will be great, we can slime Melissa McCarthy, she can make some wise cracks and we'll make millions! What can possibly go wrong?

 

I enjoyed "The Whole Nine Yards," and will check it out if it shows up on basic cable, but I agree that we weren't exactly begging for a sequel.

 

The children who loved the original are now in their 30s and 40s with children of their own, and they will bring their children to see the new one in droves.
As they did with Transformers and GI Joe.
That new Ghostbusters movie will be huge.

 

Yeah, it's going to be next year's Jurassic World, but damn, I don't see how it won't blow goats.
The nostalgia draw will be huge and Melissa McCarthy makes money (I personally think she's over rated), but I'm not holding my breath that it's going to be good.

 

Troll 2.

 

It's been said that studio execs all know that they're eventually going to be sacked. The trick is stay in the job long enough so they're able to set themselves somewhere nice afterwards, maybe get their own production company.

Thus, the goal is to keep making the safe choices, ones that look good on paper and/or worked in the past. Ghostbusters made a ton of money. Melissa McCarthy has made a ton of money. So, voila. A new Ghostbusters flick with Melissa McCarthy.

 

In that case ... Ghostbuster Vegas Vacation!
Bill Murray and Chevy Chase could have a slapfight.

 

It's currently playing here.

 

I understand the safe play for studio execs. Makes perfect sense.
And I really think that the new Ghostbuster will be 1. terrible and B. wildly successful.

The thing I find to understand though is the blockbuster approach in general because the budgets involved.
The new Ghostbusters has $150 million budget.
Nobody goes broke banking on the stupidity of the general audience, but that's a big investment.

 

Yeah, but if you're going to offer up ghosts in the era of Pixar and CGI, you're going to have to do something a whole order bigger than the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.