Sequels that catapulted original?
08-04-20, 05:27 PM
#51
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
That's hard to tell, since United Artists kept re-releasing the trilogy either by pairing the first two as a double bill or putting all three of them together and sometimes adding HANG 'EM HIGH. I saw THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY first, in 1969 on a double bill with HANG 'EM HIGH, and then saw the first two, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, as a double bill a few months later in 1970 and eventually all four films as a quadruple feature the following year. Certainly, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY got greater critical attention when it was released because of its epic length and much bigger budget and the addition of Eli Wallach to the cast, while the first two were reviled by critics in the U.S. or simply dismissed when they first got released in the U.S. But audiences loved the films.
08-04-20, 06:05 PM
#54
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Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
yeah, but the 1st is still widely seen as the stepchild, well maybe 2, but while sequels have gotten exponentially bigger and better, I still think the first is viewed as flop (though not financially) and not well liked. I liked it, but certainly many didn’t take to De Palma’s take.
08-04-20, 06:16 PM
#55
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
Well shit, it's a good thing there's no such thing as opinions.
https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung...of-the-trilogy
https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung...of-the-trilogy
08-05-20, 06:29 AM
#56
DVD Talk Hall of Fame
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
That's hard to tell, since United Artists kept re-releasing the trilogy either by pairing the first two as a double bill or putting all three of them together and sometimes adding HANG 'EM HIGH. I saw THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY first, in 1969 on a double bill with HANG 'EM HIGH, and then saw the first two, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, as a double bill a few months later in 1970 and eventually all four films as a quadruple feature the following year. Certainly, THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY got greater critical attention when it was released because of its epic length and much bigger budget and the addition of Eli Wallach to the cast, while the first two were reviled by critics in the U.S. or simply dismissed when they first got released in the U.S. But audiences loved the films.
08-05-20, 03:41 PM
#58
DVD Talk Special Edition
08-05-20, 04:32 PM
#59
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
Well shit, it's a good thing there's no such thing as opinions.
https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung...of-the-trilogy
https://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung...of-the-trilogy
Either that or you did not read the OP's first post.
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John Pannozzi (08-10-20)
08-06-20, 02:25 AM
#60
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
I'm going to catapulted this post. 
Had Logan as my choice.
Had Logan as my choice.
Last edited by JoeySeven; 08-06-20 at 11:16 PM.
08-06-20, 11:39 AM
#63
DVD Talk Legend
08-06-20, 11:52 AM
#64
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
08-06-20, 11:53 AM
#65
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
08-06-20, 01:24 PM
#66
DVD Talk Hero
08-06-20, 03:44 PM
#67
DVD Talk Special Edition
08-06-20, 06:41 PM
#68
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
Or they do not know the meaning of catapulted
I totally did not take the time to read the OP whole first post.
But the The Road Warrior is a good example.
Last edited by JoeySeven; 08-06-20 at 11:18 PM.
08-07-20, 01:14 PM
#69
DVD Talk Special Edition
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
Austin Power 2? The original was a modest hit but the second was a tent-pole summer release that really solidified this franchise and the character.
The Color of Money? The Hustler was released in a completely different era but this one made a lot of money and earned Paul Newman the Best Actor Oscar.
The Color of Money? The Hustler was released in a completely different era but this one made a lot of money and earned Paul Newman the Best Actor Oscar.
08-07-20, 03:29 PM
#70
Administrator
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
Austin Power 2? The original was a modest hit but the second was a tent-pole summer release that really solidified this franchise and the character.
The Color of Money? The Hustler was released in a completely different era but this one made a lot of money and earned Paul Newman the Best Actor Oscar.
The Color of Money? The Hustler was released in a completely different era but this one made a lot of money and earned Paul Newman the Best Actor Oscar.
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Jay G. (08-08-20)
08-08-20, 06:40 PM
#72
DVD Talk Godfather
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
From an article I just googled:
What it also tapped into was the fact that whilst it wasn’t a huge cinema success, the original Austin Powers movie had become a far more sizeable hit on home video. In fact, it was said to have been the video performance that ultimately convinced New Line to go for the sequel.
In the US, the VHS release unusually came with extras at the end too, in the form of deleted scenes. Word of mouth began to spread. Furthermore, at the point in 1998 when the sequel was being proposed, it helped enormously that comedies were gold at the box office. There’s Something About Mary had cleaned up, and The Wedding Singer had been a surprise success, both in 1998. Crucially too, comedies were much cheaper to make than big action blockbusters. Greenlight the right one, and you’ve got not just a hit, but a profitable one
In the US, the VHS release unusually came with extras at the end too, in the form of deleted scenes. Word of mouth began to spread. Furthermore, at the point in 1998 when the sequel was being proposed, it helped enormously that comedies were gold at the box office. There’s Something About Mary had cleaned up, and The Wedding Singer had been a surprise success, both in 1998. Crucially too, comedies were much cheaper to make than big action blockbusters. Greenlight the right one, and you’ve got not just a hit, but a profitable one
Last edited by Michael Corvin; 08-08-20 at 06:47 PM.
08-08-20, 09:22 PM
#73
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
I saw the original Austin Powers in a mostly empty theater, and I recall that the film started out obscure, but became more and more popular once the home video release. It was a word-of-mouth success, what we would call "viral" today. I recall a car commercial ad where the family made a "drive-in theater" experience in their driveway projecting a movie on the garage door... and it was Austin Powers.
The movie was so big, that I recall the teaser for the sequel getting a lot of laughs and applause in the theaters, and not just for the Star Wars fakeout.
The movie was so big, that I recall the teaser for the sequel getting a lot of laughs and applause in the theaters, and not just for the Star Wars fakeout.
08-08-20, 09:53 PM
#75
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Sequels that catapulted original?
On a personal front, because I don't know how widespread this is, but Army of Darkness brought Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 to my attention. I'm not a big horror fan, and back then I watched nearly zero horror, so Army of Darkness's mix of comedy and time traveling adventure appealed to me more. I didn't even know it was a sequel at first. When I learned of the other films, I worked my way backwards through the franchise. Despite being a box office disappointment, I do think the wider release and heavier promotion of Army of Darkness by Universal likely brought more attention to that franchise than the cult status the first two films had up to that point.
I feel like A Shot in the Dark catapulted over The Pink Panther to solidify that film series in people's minds. The franchise may be called "The Pink Panther, and "Pink Panther" is used in most of the titles, but A Shot in the Dark set the template for the series. Without that film, the first film would be forgotten as a middling comedy with a standout performance from Peter Sellers buried in it.
Somewhat on point for this thread, but the movie Oldboy became an international hit and catapulted Sympathy for Mr Vengance to greater visibility, although the "Vengence Trilogy" is only thematically linked instead of connected via plot in any way.
Supercop was a bigger film in the US than either of the previous 2 Police Story films, although that may have just been due to timing, since Jackie Chan had his first big US hit with Rumble in the Bronx, which prompted WB to release the older Supercop as his next film. Likewise, Drunken Master 2 was a bigger international hit than the first film, to the extent that 2 is just called "The Legend of Drunken Master" in the US.
Desperado catapulted the career of Robert Rodriguez and the El Mariachi series. Before that movie, El Mariachi was a small indie known more for the low cost it was made for than having actually been seen.
I feel like A Shot in the Dark catapulted over The Pink Panther to solidify that film series in people's minds. The franchise may be called "The Pink Panther, and "Pink Panther" is used in most of the titles, but A Shot in the Dark set the template for the series. Without that film, the first film would be forgotten as a middling comedy with a standout performance from Peter Sellers buried in it.
Somewhat on point for this thread, but the movie Oldboy became an international hit and catapulted Sympathy for Mr Vengance to greater visibility, although the "Vengence Trilogy" is only thematically linked instead of connected via plot in any way.
Supercop was a bigger film in the US than either of the previous 2 Police Story films, although that may have just been due to timing, since Jackie Chan had his first big US hit with Rumble in the Bronx, which prompted WB to release the older Supercop as his next film. Likewise, Drunken Master 2 was a bigger international hit than the first film, to the extent that 2 is just called "The Legend of Drunken Master" in the US.
Desperado catapulted the career of Robert Rodriguez and the El Mariachi series. Before that movie, El Mariachi was a small indie known more for the low cost it was made for than having actually been seen.
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IBJoel (08-09-20)