Top 6 films this year were all sequels

[samurainoir]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The Hangover Part 2
Fast Five
Cars 2

Sequels Make Bank The Top Six Films Of The Summer Were All Follow-Ups Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movies and TV News and Rumors

[Adam West]

That really doesn't surprise me. I'm not even sure if there are any other movies coming out this year that I really want to see.

[MIB41]

This summer truly surprised me. With a few exceptions, I honestly thought most sequels would take the hardest hit in favor of new material. What I DID learn was the general public had little appetite for the comic book genre in concentrated bunches. I think maybe two of these films a year is all the community outside of comics circles care to see. These films need to be events. When you clump too many of them together, people get bored.

[Brazoo]

There's been lots of flops this year so far.

The bottom ten according to The Hollywood Reporter:

Cowboys & Aliens
Green Lantern
Priest
Larry Crowne
The Change-Up
Conan the Barbarian
Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer
Fright Night
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Summer Box Office: The 10 Biggest Flops of 2011 - The Hollywood Reporter


More box office flops:

Mars Needs Moms
Your Highness
Arthur
Prom
Sucker Punch
Hoodwinked Too!
The Beaver

Biggest box office flops of 2011 so far - Chicago Sun-Times


A lot of remakes and adaptations, but only one sequel. I think it's safe to assume that the first "Hoodwinked" being a hit was kind of a fluke of timing though - because I don't know anyone who liked the first one.

[Brazoo]

It's also interesting to note that Cars 2 is one of the least earning Pixar movies - just comparing reported budget and box office - but it made bucket loads in merch.

[samurainoir]

^^^
which is pretty much the explanation for the not-Cars-sequel, Planes.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I think that's why I get antsy when people complain about how blah and repetitive entertainment can be; part of it.... the part nobody talks about.... is the audience. You can make the bestest film ever, but it doesn't go anywhere if you don't find a receptive audience.... and it looks like the current crowd is kinda scared to take a chance on something new or different. Hence the endless remakes and sequels; even for stuff that didn't do so good the first time.

....and then you get stuck in a feedback loop: nobdy makes anything new 'cos nobody takes a chance to go see something new, so the odds of something new getting made drop.

Don C.

[tay666]

You can make the bestest film ever, but it doesn't go anywhere if you don't find a receptive audience....

Yeah.
Like Firefly.