{"id":407085,"date":"2026-01-13T20:15:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/407085\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T20:15:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:15:09","slug":"the-sequel-paradox-research-shows-less-innovation-sells-more-tickets-but-only-at-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/407085\/","title":{"rendered":"The sequel paradox: Research shows less innovation sells more tickets \u2014 but only at first"},"content":{"rendered":"

You may think that the goal of movie studios is to churn out as many sequels as quickly as possible, but there\u2019s so much more strategy that goes into sequel production than what meets the eye.<\/p>\n

In the latest episode of The Aha! Moment presented by Binghamton University<\/a>, Subimal Chatterjee<\/a>, a SUNY distinguished teaching professor in the School of Management<\/a>, shared insights from his research, revealing the decisions that go into sequel production -\u2014 from timing releases to determining how many changes to make from the original film.<\/p>\n

The research Chatterjee spoke about centered around two of his studies \u2014 one published in the Journal of Marketing<\/a> and another published in Journal of Business Research<\/a>. His research delved into the performance patterns of movie sequels, examining how they fare both commercially and critically. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"Subimal<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tSubimal Chatterjee, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor at the School of Management, records a podcast at the Media and Public Relations Podcast Studio located in Lecture Hall, Monday, December 15, 2025. Image Credit: Binghamton University.<\/p>\n

\"Subimal<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tSubimal Chatterjee, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor at the School of Management, records a podcast at the Media and Public Relations Podcast Studio located in Lecture Hall, Monday, December 15, 2025. Image Credit: Binghamton University.<\/p>\n

\u00d7<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

His findings revealed several key points. For one, releases in a franchise are timed to capitalize on the popularity of the parent\/original movie, while also minimizing the effect of boredom. Chatterjee said that successful sequels to a parent movie often release as soon as possible after the initial movie\u2019s release to \u201cstrike while the iron is hot.\u201d This first sequel oftentimes does not deviate too far from the formula that made the original so popular.<\/p>\n

However, Chatterjee found 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 expectations and 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 noted. Still, Chatterjee explained, having more sequels in a franchise does help each subsequent release, with multiple sequels serving as proof of quality, as studios would not keep making new iterations if audiences did not respond to them. <\/p>\n

His findings also revealed 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.<\/p>\n

You can listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts<\/a>, Spotify<\/a>, or on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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