For a long ol' time now, sequels have been Hollywood's bread and butter. Relentlessly pushing out follow-ups to other, financially successful pictures is what drives La La Land's engine. The results, of course, are almost always mixed: sequels emerge in the good, bad and very, very ugly varieties (emphasis on that last one), as audience hopes are dashed and destroyed on a frequent basis, leaving us feeling like fools for ever believing in them. That won't stop movie-goers from getting excited about the slew of sequels set for release in 2016, however. And with such a huge and potentially awesome catalogue of cinematic follow-ups set for release across the span of the year, how could they not? What follows are all those sequels that'll have everyone talking as the year plays out, most of which - as is almost always the case - are likely doomed to disappoint the world at large, whilst a sacred few are bound to go down as some of the best and most memorable films in their collective franchises. Can you feel the fear and trepidation in the air? Here, then, are the 20 most anticipated sequels of 2016, ranked in order of just how much of a fever pitch has built up surrounding their future unveiling...
20. Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising
Release Date: May 20, 2016 Nobody asked for a sequel to the surprisingly enjoyable 2014 comic romp that was Neighbors, which saw Zac Efron as Seth Rogen's unlikely next-door nemesis. And yet there's no denying that this year's unexpected follow-up - Sorority Rising - looks promising. You know, to the extent that an unnecessary sequel can look promising. Starring Rogen and Efron, with Rose Byrne and Dave Franco also set to reprise their roles, Sorority Rising promises to be nothing else but a shameless rehash of the first movie, only this time enemies have to become friends in order to battle a new foe: that being Chloë Grace Moretz, who moves in next door and begins to wreak adolescent havoc. Sorority Rising certainly won't be big and it definitely won't be clever, but given the film's solid cast - which also includes Selena Gomez - there's a good chance that this could be worth the price of admission (and possibly as funny as the original movie).
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
