By Sajag Karki




Filmmakers are comfortable making sequels since such movies garner higher box office returns on an average and are less risky financially.


After Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3, the latest release in the sequel is “The Amazing Spider-Man”. This shows the craze and fan following of movie sequels among the audiences. They are not just one off movies but legends in terms of their respective successes. Filmmakers are comfortable making sequels since such movies garner higher box office returns on an average and are less risky financially.



The established characters have such charismatic effect that the fans anxiously anticipate the release of these sequels of their favorite movies. These movies are highly successful brands and a sequel is made only if its previous version, i.e. a prequel, is a box office hit to the point that the viewers expect more of it. Star Trek, Mission Impossible, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Men in Black and Iron Man are some examples of super successful sequels.


Harry Potter series is one such movie sequel that has done wonders among its fans with eight movies till date. It started from “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” released in 2001 till the latest version “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2” released in 2011. The series is based on Harry Potter novels authored by British novelist J K Rowling who went on to become the first and only billionaire author till date. Basically, its Unique Selling Proposition (a.k.a. Unique Selling Point, or USP) is the portrayal of the protagonists Harry, Ron and Hermione in a spectacular and magical fantasy world.


Those who haven’t followed the series right from the beginning may not be able to comprehend its latter editions. At the same time, those who have followed the novel must be eagerly waiting for the next release of the Harry Potter series. Another classic is the James Bond series - the most popular spy films of all time. It’s based on the fictional character of James Bond (Code “007”), initially based on novels by Ian Fleming. It has grossed US$ 5 billion till date, making it the second highest grossing film series of all time after Harry Potter.


The stylish and macho character of James Bond has been portrayed by various actors including Sean Connery in “Dr. No”, Pierce Brosnan in “Die Another Day” and Daniel Craig in “Casino Royale”. These actors have added more sophistication to the James Bond character with each edition. The specialty about James Bond movies is that the series has become a legend in spy movies. The suave Bond character using super high-tech spy devices, fast cars and romancing beautiful women with his smooth moves have been the USP of all James Bond movies.


While analyzing the marketability of the movie sequels, they can be categorized under brand extension which are new product offerings (sequels) launched to capitalize on their parent brands (the original movies). There are basically four factors that determine a movie sequel as a successful brand. They are a) popularity of the original movie, b) distribution, c) likability factor of the original movie and d) star continuity.


People usually want their favorite stars to be seen in all the movies of a series which is the point of parity for sequel movies. Hence, star power and the directors are vital for the success of such movie series’. Lastly, the old marketing saying “The Customer is King” applies here as well as it is up to the viewers to decide the fate of these movie sequels.








Karki is associated with JWT-Thompson Nepal Pvt Ltd. The article is based on research and author’s practical experience as a marketing and advertising professional. He can be reached at [email protected]