A lot of stories fly across this site over the course of a year. In 2007 alone, we reported 3,086 movie news items. I’m not even going to attempt to think about how many of those are mine. A lot of them. I probably should spend more time with my wife . Whoops.
So we do an absolutely disgusting amount of reporting here on Cinema Blend, but what always interests me at this time of year is figuring out which of those 3,000 or so stories interested you, our readers, most. Well here’s the answer: Sequels. You’re all interested in sequels. As much as everyone seems to complain about Hollywood’s unending stream of unoriginal sequels, there’s a reason they’re doing it. That reason is you. It’s all anyone cares about. Almost all of our most read stories of the year concern the next installment, or potential next installment of some already existing superhero, pirate, or vampire fighting franchise. So don’t bother complaining the next time you see another 2, 3, or 4 on a marquee. You’re getting what you want.
Here’s our breakdown of the top ten most read news stories of 2007 on Cinema Blend:
1. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 Details
Back in June, a friend of the site sent us some details on what the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie might be about, should they ever get around to making it. You, the internet, went, and continue to go nuts about this whole pirates thing and the possibility of another sub par sequel. To be honest, I don’t get it. None of the movies have been very good, everyone seems to agree they haven’t been very good, but even though they don’t like it people can’t seem to stop obsessing over Captain Jack, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swallow. It’s the most read news story on the entire site, and the comments section attached to it is still abuzz with Pirates fans drooling over the possibility of another seafaring sequel.
2. Transformers 2 Is Coming Soon
Back in late June we were all still geeking out over GIANT FREAKIN ROBOTS, and just how cool Michael Bay’s Transformers movie was. After raking in ridiculous box office numbers, Paramount announced that they’d greenlit a sequel. With Hollywood’s various upcoming and ongoing strikes in the way, we now know it may take awhile to get a second movie done, but back then it seemed like more Optimus Prime might be just around the corner.
3. Spider-Man 4 Villain Revealed
It was March when we had the dubious honor of kicking off the first round of Spider-Man 4 plot speculation. The third movie hadn’t already hit theaters and disappointed everyone, but we had a line on who they might be considering to face off against Spidey in the next movie, should they every get around to making one. Nine months later and we still don’t know if Spider-Man 4 will ever happen, and if it does who will be involved in making it, but that doesn’t mean you’re all not still excited about seeing it. Come on Tobey, get back in the suit!
4. Fast and Furious 4: Greenlit
Sometimes I’m too clever for my own good. Back in April, in reporting on the announcement that a Fast and the Furious 4 has been greenlit, I slyly compared the movie to Star Trek 4, by speculating that it would involve time travel and the transportation of humpbacked whales. FF fans, who have probably never even seen a Star Trek movie, didn’t get it and erroneously assumed I was serious. The result is one of the most simultaneously hilarious and depressing comments sections found on anything we’ve written this year. It also makes this story the fourth most read item in 2007.
5. Forrest Gump Gets A Sequel
Nearly thirteen years after the fact, we found out that Paramount might be planning a sequel to Forrest Gump. The movie, to be based on the sequel book written by Winston Groom may end up being adapted for the screen. Everyone, rather wisely, rushed to comments section on our story to remind Paramount that this is almost certainly a pretty awful idea. Run Tom Hanks, run the hell away from this one.
6. Underworld 3 Without Beckinsale
People seem to really care about this Underworld franchise. Whether it’s good or not, the sequel made $62 million when it was released in January of this year, and in May when we reported that Kate Beckinsale wouldn’t be involved in a second follow up fans went absolutely nuts… in a bad way. Nobody was happy about them doing it without her, since her hotness is really the only reason to watch Underworld movies in the first place. It’s certainly not the plot.
7. Sicko Spurs Audiences Into Action
In the number seven spot is the first story on this list to have nothing to do with a sequel. It’s my report of an impromptu political rally which broke out in the lobby of a theater after a weekend screening of Sicko. The story was later stolen by Michael Moore and reprinted in its entirety on his website without my permission and without a linkback to this site, which kind of put a damper on the whole thing. And of course, all the anger and outrage the movie stirred up has, predictably turned into smoke as people realize they’re powerless and that knowing that your government sucks and being able to do something about it are two entirely different things. It sure would have been nice though if Sicko had managed to get people to take to the streets. Instead, we should probably all just move to Canada. Toronto or bust.
8. Has Morgan Spurlock Found Osama Bin Laden?
It was only a few weeks ago that we heard rumors that Morgan Spurlock’s next movie might include an actual interview with the world’s most wanted man, Osama Bin Laden. We still don’t know if it’s true, and probably won’t until the movie debuts at Sundance in two weeks, but that was enough to make the internet go absolutely crazy. Personally, I think if he did find him, then he found out that he’s dead. An interview seems unlikely.
These Serenity fans are certainly a hardy bunch. They keep clicking on anything with their favorite movie’s title in it, even though it probably won’t do any good. A second Serenity movie will almost certainly never happen, or if it does it’ll end up direct to DVD, but we did our part to keep hope alive in October when we reported on some sequel rumors being circulated by Serenity star Alan Tudyk.
10. Cloverfield Trailer Online
By now we’ve all figured out that this mysterious Cloverfield movie isn’t all that mysterious and that there’s probably no way it’ll deliver on all the giant monster stomps city fantasies people attach to it. But back in April no one knew what the heck the movie was even called, let alone what it was, and when the film’s first trailer popped up online readers clicked in to see it. Ten minutes later it was knocked off the internet, as Hollywood lawyers blanketed the web with a series of vicious cease and desist orders, but that didn’t stop people from trying to see it.
For all of Cinema Blend's Best of 2007 coverage click here!
