"Early Summer Movies Underperform At Box Office"

Gee, what a shocker–give an audience little more than an army of threequels, then wonder why they won’t bite at the processed cheese-like food. But it’s also a reminder of the trap that the movie industry is caught in, as pop culture continues to fracture. The sequels (particularly the sequels to pre-existing franchises, such as the movies based on comic books, old TV shows, and best selling novels such as the James Bond and Tom Clancy movies) are the most predictable vehicles at the box office, but you can only go to the well so many times before audiences tune out these days.

Of course, how slowly they tune out varies, and unfortunately, there are probably enough tickets sold–and enough DVDs will be sold–to know that in a couple of years, we’ll be looking at the summer of four-quils.