Hollywood Studios Avoid 'Sequel' and 'Reboot' Labels as Audience Fatigue Grows
By
Rebecca Rubin
Summary
The article explores how Hollywood studios are increasingly avoiding terms like "sequel," "reboot," "remake," and "prequel" in marketing campaigns due to audience fatigue and negative connotations. Marketing executives are rebranding follow-up films with euphemisms such as "companion piece," "next chapter," or "legacy sequel" to make them more appealing. The piece uses Sony's marketing of 'The Social Reckoning' as a "companion piece" to 'The Social Network' as a key example, and discusses how the entertainment industry's reliance on recycled intellectual property has led to creative language gymnastics to sell familiar concepts as fresh.
Source
VarietyHollywood Studios Avoid 'Sequel' and 'Reboot' Labels as Audience Fatigue Growsvariety.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledAs audiences grow wary of Hollywood's tendency to revisit and recycle, words like 'sequel' and 'reboot' have become taboo.
It's no secret that the entertainment industry relies on remakes, spinoffs and prequels to survive.
Sony is marketing 'The Social Reckoning' not as a sequel to 'The Social Network' but as a 'companion piece.'
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