In 2025, the entertainment world is set to be flooded with sequels and franchise continuations. From “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” to the long-awaited “Stranger Things” season 5, there’s no shortage of familiar faces. Only, with the plethora of sequels on the horizon, it begs the question: do we really need all these continuations, and will they live up to the originals?
“I am most excited about The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3,” senior Jenna Kim said. “It’s coming out in summer and it’s like the perfect summer show to binge.”
Season three of the popular “The Summer I Turned Pretty” is set to release on July 16, 2025. Fans like Kim and other viewers are still excited, suggesting that this continuation feels necessary, unlike some sequels that may seem redundant.
“I am very excited to watch The Summer I Turned Pretty, Season 3, this summer because I have read all of the books, and the previous season, two summers ago, left off on such a cliffhanger,” senior Sophie Conen said.
Conen, too, is excited for the new season and believes that sequels are sometimes essential because there’s more to the plot that can’t be fully explored in just one or two seasons. Freshman Avery Morrison shares similar thoughts about “Squid Game” season 3, premiering June 27, emphasizing that the series needs another season to continue building on its storyline.
“Squid Game had been previously left on a cliffhanger, and I’m excited to find out what will happen next,” Morrison said. “Squid Game [season 3], Wicked 2, and Ginny and Georgia [season 3] will thrive because they are all cliffhangers that people are waiting on.”
On the other hand, while some shows and films truly need sequels to wrap up the story, others continue solely in an effort to prolong the success of the original.
“I think a lot of these shows have gone on for too long, and they don’t all need sequels. If ideas do so well, directors assume that continuing them will provide more and more success for the franchise, which is normally wrong,” Morrison said. “They will stop eventually because the important characters end up leaving the show. The main seasons are iconic, but the longer it goes on the less watched it is and the worse the storyline gets.”
Senior Ariana Naqvi explains that it’s often easier for creators to rely on the success of an existing hit than to take a risk on an entirely new film or series. She points to “Grey’s Anatomy” as an example, which has recently been renewed for its 22nd season.
“I think producers and directors continue franchises rather than coming up with new content because the originals are successful and they want to profit off of it as long as possible,” Naqvi said. “I think long franchises like Grey’s Anatomy will eventually end, and the longer they go on the less successful I think they are. I watched Greys but eventually gave up as the main characters left and the story line was so far off from the original plot.”
Many creators take this approach, which is why stand-alone films or series have become less common, and sequels often get a bad reputation.
“I haven’t seen many because the great stand-alone films that receive lots of public love end up being forced into unwanted sequels,” Morrison said. “[Which is why] sequels are known to usually be worse than the original.”
Though sequels are often unnecessary, it can still be enjoyable for fans to see what happens to their favorite characters. Kim explains that, while she prefers great stand-alone movies, it’s sometimes fun to revisit familiar stories.
“I would rather have more original movies [like] Parasite [which] was the last great modern stand-alone film I saw recently,” Kim said. “[However], it really depends on the movie. There are some sequels I like better than the original like The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift.”
Overall, sequels may not always match the quality of the originals, but they can still provide plenty of entertainment. Stay tuned for the list of movies and films coming out in 2025, listed below!
Emily in Paris season 5
Fear Street: Prom Queen
Freakier Friday
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2
Ginny and Georgia season 3
Happy Gilmore 2
I Know What You Did Last Summer 4
Jurassic World: Rebirth
Love Island: Beyond the Villa
M3GAN 2
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
Now You See Me 3
Ready or Not 2
Stranger Things season 5
Squid Game season 3
The Bad Guys 2
The Black Phone 2
The Conjuring: Last Rites
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3
Wednesday season 2
Wicked part 2
You season 5
Zootopia 2
