In just a few short days, we’ll be saying au revoir to 2015, and ringing in 2016, a year ripe with cinematic potential. This coming year will mark the first time that two iconicsuperheroeswill share the big screen (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), the start ofMarvel Phase Three(Captain America: Civil WarandDoctor Strange), and the end of a beloved superhero trilogy (X-Men: Apocalypse). Oh yeah, and anotherStar Warsmovie is coming out as well (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story). All of these aforementioned movies are either sequels or part of an established universe, and they all very well may be some of the biggest movies of the year. But there are also a slew of follow-ups that you may not be so familiar with.
It’s certainly no secret that sequels and big franchise movies have been dominating at thebox officelately. This year, seven of the top 10 movies are either sequels, or spinoffs of an existing universe (Jurassic World,Star Wars: The Force Awakens,Avengers: Age of Ultron,Furious 7,Minions,The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2andSpectre). Of the remaining three, one was a live action remake (Cinderella), another was an adaptation (The Martian) and the other was a wholly original movie (Inside Out).
In fact, if you look farther back, you’ll see that sequels have run rampant at the box office throughout the first 16 years of the 21st Century. From 2000 to 2015, the highest-grossing movie of each year belonged to a sequel in each year except five: 2014 (American Sniper), 2012 (Marvel’s The Avengers), 2009 (Avatar), 2002 (Spider-Man) and 2000 (Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas). Of course, three of those were adaptations, one brought together all of the characters from the highly-successfulMarvel Phase Oneand the the other was completely original. Are you seeing a trend developing here?
The plain and simple reason why there are so many sequels is because they make money. Every studio wants that franchise to latch onto for the long haul. Sometimes, the right sequel can turn a movie into a true franchise, but it’s certainly not a sure thing. For everyThe Godfather: Part II, the first sequel ever to winBest Pictureat theOscars, there’s aBatman & Robin, which brought the Dark Knight’s franchise to a screeching halt… before it was resurrected again less than a decade later. 2016 is chocked full of sequels, reboots and other movies set in massive cinematic universes, but we’re focusing our attention on 13 follow-ups that you may not be quite so familiar with… or that you have forgotten about entirely.
Some of these sequels have been in the works for years, while others are coming shortly after the original made some sort of mark at the box office. While these follow-ups may be off your proverbial cinematic radar now, some of these movies may end up being some of the biggest movies of the year, boasting A-list stars and directors alike. Of course, it’s also possible that these projects fade into oblivion shortly after their release, but we’ll have to wait and see if the moviegoing gods smile upon these sequels or not.
Before we begin, I’ll tell you up front not to expect big-ticket projects like the aforementionedCaptain America: Civil War,X-Men: ApocalypseandBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is essentially a super-sized sequel to 2013’sMan of Steel. You also won’t find follow-ups likeTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows,Now You See Me 2,Star Trek BeyondorIndependence Day: Resurgence, because they are huge, big-budget follow-ups, and because they all recently had trailers released. While some of the movies you’ll find below do have trailers already out there, they aren’t as highly-publicized as these aforementioned projects. So, with all of that in mind, take a look at our 13 under the radar sequels for 2016, presented in order of their theatrical release. Keep in mind, some of these release dates may changed at any point in time, so stay tuned.
111Ip Man 3- January 22
How can you go wrong withDonnie YenandMike Tysonin one movie? Answer: you can’t.Ip Man 3rounds out this critically-acclaimed trilogy, withDonnie Yenreprising his role as the title character from Ip Man andIp Man 2, a legendary martial artist who is perhaps best known as the teacher and mentor ofBruce Lee. This explosive third installment of the blockbuster martial arts series centers on Master Ip taking a stand against a band of brutal gangsters led by a crooked property developer (Mike Tyson), as they make a play to take over the city. Kwok-Kwan Chan also stars as a youngBruce Lee, but, initially, that wasn’t always the case. Director Wilson Yip, who directed the first two movies as well, had originally planned on using a CGI recreation ofBruce Lee, but the late martial arts star’s family filed a lawsuit against the production, to stop the use of his image through CGI. While we never got an official update on the lawsuit, Kwok-Kwan Chan was eventually cast asBruce Lee. If you’re a martial arts fan and still haven’t seen the first two movies, they’re both available for streaming on Netflix, so you can catch up with this action-packed saga before this sequel hits theaters next month. While the first two movies were never box office juggernauts, hopefullyIp Man 3can breathe new life into this franchise. We’ll find out for sure on January 22.
102Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny- February 26
This entry is unique because it’s the only sequel on our list that won’t only be debuting in theaters. The streaming service behemothNetflixannounced in September 2014 thatCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destinywould be its first original movie, although that didn’t quite happen. The sequel to the 2000 international blockbusterCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragonwas originally set for release this past August, but it was later pushed to July 14, 2025. The critically-acclaimedBeasts of No Nationbecame Netflix’s first original narrative movie back in October. After the release of the first trailer earlier this month, fans are still excited for this follow-up, which brings back the original movie’s star original starMichelle Yeoh, who reprises her role as Yu Shu Lien, alongsideDonnie Yen,Harry Shum Jr.,Jason Scott Lee, Roger Yuan, Eugenia Yuan and newcomer Natasha Liu Bordizzo. You won’t even have to leave your couch to watch this sequel!
93London Has Fallen- March 4
After defending the White House against an innovative terrorist attack, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) takes his unique skills overseas in the follow-up to 2013’sOlympus Has Fallen. This was another project that shifted from a fall 2015 release to the spring of 2016, but now it faces a slew of competition, including,Desierto,Me Before You,Whiskey Tango FoxtrotandZootopia.Gerard Butlerreturns as Mike Banning, alongsideAaron Eckhartas President Benjamin Asher,Morgan Freemanas Speaker Trumbull,Angela Bassettas Lynn Jacobs,Melissa Leoas Secretary of Defense Ruth McMillan andRadha Mitchellas Banning’s wife Leah. The story centers on Banning and the President travelling to England to attend the British Prime Minister’s funeral, when they soon learn that terrorists are planning to attack all of the world’s leaders at this event. While it certainly does face plenty of competition this coming spring,London Has Fallencould become an early hit at the box office.
84Rings- April 1
It’s no April Fool’s Day joke: Paramount’sThe Ringfranchise is coming back with a vengeance.Ringsis set 13 years after the events ofThe Ring, centering on Holt (Alex Roe), who suddenly becomes distant from his girlfriend (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz) after watching a mysterious video tape. The supporting cast includesJohnny Galecki,Aimee Teegarden, Laura Wiggins, Zach Roerig,Andrea Powell, Surely Alvelo and Dave Blamy. Shortly afterfilmingstarted, a rumor surfaced that the character Aidan Keller, played by David Dorfman inThe RingandThe Ring Two, will appear as an adult, but that report was never confirmed, and it isn’t known if David Dorfman is coming back to reprise his role. Production got under way in March, but we still haven’t seen a trailer forRingsyet. Paramount had initially slated this thriller for release in November, but it was pushed to April 1 back in October.
75Barbershop: The Next Cut- April 15
Barbershopwas a surprise hit for MGM back in 2002, taking in $75 million at thebox officefrom just a $12 million budget. The 2004 sequelBarbershop 2: Back In Businessdidn’t fare quite as well, taking in $65 million from a $30 million budget. The colorful characters at Calvin’s barbershop are back inBarbershop: The Next Cut, which shows how both the shop, and their Chicago neighborhood has changed. For instance, Calvin’s (Ice Cube) shop is now co-ed, with the ladies from theBeauty Shopnext door consolidating their business into one big shop. While all of your old favorites are back, the sequel also features a number of new cast members such asCommon,Nicki Minaj,Regina Halland Deon Cole coming into the mix.Malcolm D. Lee(The Best Man) directs this sequel, which also shows how the neighborhood has become a much more violent place, as Calvin tries to raise his teenage son the right way. With a talented influx of new cast members,Barbershop: The Next Cutcould be the franchise’s biggest hit yet.
66Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising- May 20
After taking on and defeating a raucous fraternity in the 2014 hit comedyNeighbors, Mac Radner (Seth Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Rose Byrne) take on a sorority in the summer sequelNeighbors 2: Sorority Rising. As far as plot details are concerned, that’s about all we know at this point, but there are a number of new cast members coming aboard for this sequel, such asChloe Moretzas the leader of the sorority that moves in next door to Mac and Kelly, withSelena Gomezplaying one of her sorority sisters. OtherNeighborsstars are also returning such asZac Efron,Dave Franco,Lisa KudrowandIke Barinholtz. Along with his starring and producing duties,Seth Rogenalso co-wrote the script alongside his writing partnerEvan Goldberg, directorNick Stollerand originalNeighborswriters Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O’Brien. The originalcomedy movietook in over $270 million worldwide from just an $18 million budget, but we’ll have to wait and see if the follow-up is an even bigger hit.
57The Purge 3- July 1
After the two low-budget hitsThe PurgeandThe Purge: Anarchyarrived in back-to-back years in 2013 and 2014, some thought Blumhouse may have anotherParanormal Activityfranchise on its hands, with a new movie coming out every year. Fans were forced to do without the annual Purge this year, but the franchise will return next summer withThe Purge 3. No plot details have been given quite yet, but there had been rumors that this movie would tell the story of the very first annual Purge, a 12-hour government-sanctioned period where all crime is legal, including murder.Frank Grillois returning as Sergeant fromThe Purge: Anarchy, along withEdwin Hodge, who was only known as The Stranger.The Purgeearned $89 million worldwide from a tiny $3 million production budget, whileThe Purge: Anarchymade $111.9 million worldwide from just a $9 million budget. It’s certainly possible thatThe Purge 3could continue this tradition of low-budget/high-profit hits, but we won’t know for sure until July.
48Untitled Matt Damon Bourne Sequel- July 29
Nine years afterJason Bournegot his memory back in 2007’sThe Bourne Ultimatum,Matt Damon’s beloved character is finally coming back to the big screen. Filming has been under way on this untitled sequel since September, but it isn’t known when production may wrap, or when we may get our first look at footage from this summer adventure. While no official story details have been revealed,Matt Damonhinted earlier this year that Jason Bourne finally has all of his memories back, but he still doesn’t know everything about his past.Julia Stilesreprises her role as Nicky, with new cast members includingAlicia Vikander,Tommy Lee Jones,Riz Ahmedand Neve Gachev. Back at the helm isPaul Greengrass, who directedThe Bourne SupremacyandThe Bourne Ultimatum.Matt Damonhad often said in the past that he won’t do a new Bourne movie without the director at the helm, but the fans' long wait for Jason Bourne’s return will finally be over this summer.
3[9] Mechanic: Resurrection - August 26
To be perfectly honest, I completely forgot that Summit Entertainment was making a sequel to the 2011 action-thrillerThe Mechanic. The original movie only made $29.1 million domestic and $62 million worldwide from a $40 million budget, numbers which don’t exactly warrant a follow-up, but this summer,Jason Statham’s Arthur Bishop will return once again inMechanic: Resurrection. The story centers on someone from Arthur’s past, who forces him back into the business. Bishop has to complete an impossible list of assassinations of the most dangerous men in the world. The supporting cast includesJessica Alba,Tommy Lee JonesandMichelle Yeoh, with acclaimed German directorDennis Gansel(The Wave) taking the helm for this action-packed follow-up. Summit had originally set a August 23, 2025 release date, but it was eventually pushed to August 26, so it’s possible that a late-summer release date could give this franchise a sizable box office boost.
210Jack Reacher: Never Go Back- October 21
Production is still under way onJack Reacher: Never Go Back, a follow-up to the hit 2012 adaptationJack Reacher.Tom Cruiseis back as the title character, who returns to the headquarters of his old unit, only to find out he’s now accused of a 16-year-old homicide. The sequel is based on theLee Childnovel of the same name, which is the 18th novel in his long-runningJack Reacherseries.Tom Cruisewill be joined by a new supporting cast that includesCobie Smulders, Danika Yarosh, Austin Hébert,Patrick Heusinger,Aldis HodgeandHolt McCallany. The sequel reunitesTom Cruiseand directorEdward Zwickfor the first time sinceThe Last Samurai. The originalJack Reacherpulled in just over $80 million domestically, but fared much better overseas, with a worldwide tally of $218.3 million from a $60 million budget. It isn’t known when filming will wrap on this sequel, so it may be quite some time before we see the first footage.
