For better or for worse, 2016 has been the season of sequels. We have had hits, such as “Finding Dory” and “Captain America: Civil War”, but we have also had some big misses, such as “Independence Day: Resurgence” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” Ever wondered which sequel ideas should make it to the big screen? Here is a handy quiz to see if a sequel deserves to be made. Add up all the points at the end to compare against the other good, and bad, sequels made in 2016.

Question 1: How well received was the original?

1: No one liked it. No one saw it. No one cared about it. We’re honestly desperate at this point.

3: You know, it wasn’t necessarily a smash hit, but we made some good money off of it, and people seemed to enjoy it.

5: It was a smash hit. People came out of the woodwork to see our film and it was a cultural phenomenon.

Question 2: Was your first movie a long time ago, very recent or somewhere in between?

1: It was five or six years ago. Long enough where people have forgotten about it, but not long enough for it to attain classic status and reach nostalgia.

3: It was either three years ago, or seven to 10 years ago. People still remember fondly, while they don’t drool over it, and it was long enough ago where we can pertain to nostalgia but it’s not a classic.

5: It came out within the last two years, or over 10 years ago. The audience still remembers us, or we were long enough ago where our first film was a modern classic and people are clamoring for more.

Question 3: Is there still more story to tell? Was there a cliffhanger? Does it make narrative sense to revisit this tale?

1: Eh, not really. We’re stretching it here.

3: You know, there’s an opportunity to revisit these characters and we think people want to see more. It isn’t necessarily obvious that there should be a sequel, but we think it can work and that there’s some logic to it.

5: Absolutely. People are clamoring to see more of our story. Our characters are dynamic and people are chomping at the bit to see what they’ve been up to. We might have even had a cliffhanger last movie.

Question 4: Are people still talking about our first movie? Is it relevant? Is there a dedicated fanbase?

1: I’m sure they exist…right?

3: Our movie has its fans. It’s not on any best-of lists or anything, but people loved it when it came out.

5: People LOVED our first movie, and it is quoted and discussed every single day.

How to score:

4-9: I know you think people want this movie, but THEY DON’T. Don’t do it. It’s a waste of money, and you’re just being unoriginal. Try some new ideas.

10-14: You know what, it might just work. It might not be a smash hit, but there’s definitely potential and you should give it a shot. However, don’t be shocked if it’s not the success you had hoped for. People will probably go see it if it comes out, but if it doesn’t, no one will be upset.

15-16: Definitely make this sequel. It might not reinvent the wheel, but there’s an audience for it. Will it smash the record books and be a smash hit like the first one? Probably not, but there’s an audience who is interested and it’ll be in your best interest to give them what they want.

17-20: MAKE THIS SEQUEL RIGHT NOW. The people are clamoring for it. The characters are great, people loved the prior installments, it’s recent or it’s a classic. Just go for it. You can thank me later.

Ranking 2016 sequels released so far from high to low:

Captain America: Civil War: 5+5+5+5=20

Finding Dory: 5+5+3+5=18

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice: 3+3+5+5=16

Independence Day: Resurgence: 5+5+3+3=16

Allegiant (of the Divergent series): 3+5+3+3=14

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: 5+5+1+3=14

Zoolander 2: 3+5+1+5=14

Barbershop: The Next Cut: 3+3+3+3=12

Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising: 3+3+3+3=12

X-Men: Apocalypse: 3+3+3+3=12

The Conjuring 2: 3+3+3+3=12

The Purge: Election Year: 3+3+3+3=12

Kung Fu Panda 3: 3+3+1+3=11

Ride Along 2: 3+3+1+3=11

10 Cloverfield Lane: 3+1+3+3=10

Now You See Me 2: 3+3+1+3=10

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows: 3+5+1+1=10

God’s Not Dead 2: 3+3+1+1=8

Alice Through the Looking Glass: 3+1+1+3=8

London Has Fallen: 1+3+1+1=6

The Huntsman: Winter’s War: 1+3+1+1=6

Oh yeah, one more thing:

This quiz simply shows if you should make a sequel or not. That’s just the first step — the most important piece of the puzzle is quality. No matter how worthy of a film a sequel is, if the movie you release is terrible, it will not do well. Zoolander 2 is tied for fifth place on this list, yet the movie was poorly made, and no one saw it. On the flip side, a movie like 10 Cloverfield Lane is something no one was asking for, yet because it was well done and interesting, it was a success. So even if a movie makes a perfect 20 on this quiz, it can still flop, and flop hard, because if something is bad, people will know.

Erik Benjamin is a television radio, and film major. If you want to talk movies he can be reached at ebenjami@syr.edu.

Published on July 18, 2016 at 10:54 am