The rise of the summer movie franchise
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Summer 2019 will see at least 14 Hollywood studio sequels hit U.S. cinemas — continuing a shift away from original films to follow-ups
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TOP 10 U.S. MOVIE BLOCKBUSTERS EVERY YEAR, FROM 1982-2018

Gross domestic opening weekend, with examples of highest earning sequels
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Original movie    
Sequel

As number of sequels grows, box office for original movies shrinks. Since 2010, 63% of opening weekend earnings have gone to sequels
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$1,000 million
800
600
1998: Lethal Weapon 4 $53.4m
400
1988: Crocodile Dundee II $52.8m
200
0
  1982 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04 06 08 10 12 14 16 18
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2008: The Dark Knight $188.0m

2018: Incredibles 2 $185.9m
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Notes: Movies released May-August each year. Figures adjusted for inflation

Remakes and direct-to-video/DVD/digital sequels not considered part of movie franchises
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Sources: New York Times, Box Office Mojo, IMDb Pictures: © respective studios
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