Monday, Jul. 21, 2003

What, No Dumb And Dumberest?

By Desa Philadelphia

This summer of the sequels may wind up being the summer of the end of the sequels. Box-office results for many of the retreads have been disappointing. Terminator 3, for example, raked in $44 million on the July 4 weekend. Not bad, but only $12 million more than Terminator 2 did way back in 1991 despite a much wider release (and much higher costs). The opening-weekend box office for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle fell $2 million short of the original's. Studios had been looking forward to pulling in more bucks from these seemingly indestructible series, and may now have to give up on some of those plans. Here's a look at some future sequels we may never see. --By Desa Philadelphia

Charlie's Angels 3: Low Throttle

SEQUEL LIKELY? No.

WHY Too many big stars for a fading franchise--though a studio rep insists, "It's performing extraordinarily well overseas"

Terminator 4: The Machines Get Bored

SEQUEL LIKELY? Yes.

WHY T4 is already in development. Only thing that can stop it: Arnie gets stuck in the California Governor's mansion

2 Fast 4 Comfort

SEQUEL LIKELY? Yes.

WHY Even without Diesel, No. 2's opening revved past the first's. It will endure "as long as young people like cars," says a box-office guru

Legally Blonde 3: Red, White & Bland

SEQUEL LIKELY? No.

WHY Reese Witherspoon's star is brighter than Elle Woods' pink suit. She'll look back on these films as her pre-Oscar juvenilia