Having been made in secrecy and announced less than two months before it was due to arrive in cinemas, 10 Cloverfield Lane has been shrouded in a cloak of secrecy.
The trailer features Mary Elizabeth Winstead in a bomb shelter, with an ominous John Goodman in tow, and it has most people questioning in how it's related to the found-footage monster-movie from 2008.
So is it even a sequel? Producer J.J. Abrams claims that it is set within the same universe, but just about everything else about it would indicate it was an entirely different beast.
And this isn't the first time that Hollywood has spun sequels out in completely new directions, to various levels of success.
THE BOURNE LEGACY
After a trilogy of Matt Damon's amnesiac spy traveled the world being chased by those who created him, he decided to bow out, but not wanting to give up a money-making machine, the producers stuck in Jeremy Renner as a new top-secret spy, this time with genetically altered DNA, who travels the world being chased by those who created him. The $276 million box office paled when compared to The Bourne Ultimatum's $443 million, and Damon will be back this summer for the not-exactly-creatively titled Jason Bourne.
HOME ALONE 3
Macauley Culkin's career came to a stuttering halt once he gave up this franchise, but his replacement (the never heard from again Alex D. Linz) was given a movie involving terrorists, cloaking devices, top secret missiles and computer chips. Home Alone's box office: $476 million. Home Alone 3's box office: $79 million. There were two more made-for-TV sequels, both of which were terrible. Expect a remake of the original to be announced any day now...
THIS IS 40
Knocked Up was grounded, relatable, $30 million budgeted comedy that resulted in $220 million at the box office, and it shot Seth Rogen into the stratosphere. For the sorta-sequel, it focused on the in-law's from that movie - Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann - dealing with their individual mid-life crises and a growing apathy for each other. Which doesn't really lend itself to huge amounts of LOLs. It was also, inexplicably, 135 minutes long. Total box office: $88 million. Thankfully, writer/director Judd Apatow bounced back with Trainwreck last year.
HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH
Michael Myers took a break from slashing teenagers for this movie, which completely ditched the character, and for some reason became focused on witches and the supernatural powers of a special mask that all the kids want for Halloween. In hindsight, the risk actually paid off, and the movie has become a stand-alone cult favourite for horror fans, but as part of the series, it's seen as something of a dud, and Michael Myers has been wheeled out for the next seven Halloween movies since.
THE FAST & THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT
Vin Diesel dropped out of 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Paul Walker dropped out for this second sequel, which left producers with a profitable product and a blank slate. So they sent it to Japan, introduced drift racing, and a whole new cast of characters. It resulted with the worst movie of the franchise, but director Justin Lin stayed on to reboot the series for entries four through six, and the series as a whole has become one of the biggest box office behemoths in modern cinema.
DIRTY DANCING 2: HAVANA NIGHTS
The fact that you probably didn't even know this movie existed, let alone that it was a sequel to one the 80's classic, should tell you everything you need to know. It arrived 17 years later, and claims to be a sequel, despite just being a Cuba-set remake with the names of the characters changed around. Swayze does rock up for a cameo, but it's not enough to warrant your time or attention.
CREED
Technically the seventh film in the Rocky series, but one that puts Rocky in the back seat, and places newcomer Adonis Creed, the son of Rocky's best mate Apollo. While none of the Rocky movies have ever actually flopped commercially (critically is a different kettle of fish), the new blood of Creed spurned on $173 million at the box office and even wound up with some Oscar nominations.
