I’ll agree that there are more sequels now because studios are even more adverse to new ideas than before, but let’s not pretend shit like the slasher franchises of the 80s aren’t examples of needless sequels becoming the trend. Studios have been on the search for money since Hollywood became a cultural force. Hell, look up some of the beach party franchises of the 60s, do you think any of those sequels were necessary?
Not like today, by a long shot.
I’d say today’s trend began in the 90’s and has exploded since.
Edit: Some sources
The proportion of top-grossing films that are sequels roughly doubled in the 2000s / 2010s compared with the 1990s
Sequels and Remakes in Hollywood, 1991 to 2010
I’ll agree that there are more sequels now because studios are even more adverse to new ideas than before, but let’s not pretend shit like the slasher franchises of the 80s aren’t examples of needless sequels becoming the trend. Studios have been on the search for money since Hollywood became a cultural force. Hell, look up some of the beach party franchises of the 60s, do you think any of those sequels were necessary?
And yet, the numbers still show rhere are far more today.
The movies you bring up were the few sequel-based things out there, and were the exception.
So what if they were the exception? That shit has been going on since at least the 1960.
There are a total of 25 James Bonds, there was basically a new one every year in 1960.