Nollywood might have a severe case of sequel fever

Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood, may have what I like to call ‘sequel fever’. Creating sequels for hit movies can be good but when does it get too much? Where exactly do we draw the line? 

This line should have been drawn, laminated and emboldened a long time ago. At this point, the cows have been milked enough and now, it’s time to let go. The trend of creating sequels with watered down stories, then inculcating many A-list acts in it, is very much unappreciated. 

The popular saying “if it is not broken, don’t fix it,” comes to mind. It is understandable that a movie is a great watch and the audience loved it the minute it hit the cinemas. However, if you cannot create something better than the first movie, leave it be.

Has Nollywood run out of stories?

A good example of movies that should have been left just as they were is ‘The Wedding party‘. The movie proved to be a well deserving box office hit. It grossed over 400 million naira to become the highest grossing Nollywood movie. Then it’s sequel came, after so much anticipation. And it was all fans could do not to ask for refunds at the cinema.

Another example is Toyin Abraham‘s ‘Alakada‘. Now, it is impossible to keep count of how many sequels have been produced since the movie’s debut in 2013. The original movie was a delight to watch. It left fans laughing incessantly at the antics of the movie’s main character. The second was also a good watch. But by the third, most fans had lost the love they had for the movie. With each sequel deteriorating from the last, it is impossible not to question why there were made in the first place. 

In mentioning movies that should never have had the sequels they had, we must talk about 2017 romantic comedy, ‘Hire a man‘. It’s 2019 sequel ‘Hire a woman‘ failed to do justice to the rather interesting 2017 chick flick. 

The good may exist afterall

However, it is not all bad. Some sequels have gone on to be even far better than their predecessors. A good example is 2019 movie,  “Merry men 2: another mission”, sequel to the 2018 movie “Merry Men: the real Yoruba demons”. We cannot also overlook 2020 movie “Quam’s money”, sequel to 2018 movie “New money”. These movies had better plot, directing and overall video quality.

Nollywood movie,  “Fifty” was also adapted into a series and it did quite well. This leaves us with the question of whether we will prefer to have been left with Kemi Adetiba’s ‘King of boys‘ or if it’s serial adaptation “King of Boys: The return,” will be such a delight that it would have been a disservice for fans to not get it. 

Nollywood actress, Toyin Abraham, will also be dishing fans yet another sequel this year with “The ghost and the tout 2.” Whether this sequel will be better than its original, which was released in 2018, remains to be seen.