Going to the movies today feels like walking into a time machine. Beetlejuice is back on the big screen for the first time since 1986, the Xenomorph returned to terrorize a cast of new rising stars, audiences chased twisters for the first time since the ‘90s, ghosts were busted and the list goes on. 

That brings us to the concept of the legacy sequel, or legacyquel. This term was coined by film critic Matt Singer: it’s not a remake, a reboot or a sequel, but kind of a mix of all three. 

“It felt like this was a new kind of sequel, so I thought it deserved its own name. Looking at the movies, you had ‘Tron: Legacy’ with the word there in the title — and the idea of legacy was in pretty much all the films I was writing about,” Singer said. “And then you play with that and you suddenly see legacyquel staring at you. And once you realize that works, that’s got to be the name.”

In a “legacyquel,” a franchise comes back, but with a mix of characters old and new. These films are meant to draw in both new audiences and dedicated fans and pass on the mantle from familiar stars to a cast of younger actors for fans to be drawn to. It may sound like a strange movie trend, but you’ve probably seen one by now. Maybe it was the aptly titled “Tron: Legacy,” or the Star Wars sequels that went from foregrounding Han Solo and Princess Leia to setting up characters like Kylo Ren and Finn. Legacyquels attempt to bring in a new generation of audiences by launching a new generation of characters.

Movies used to be sold on the strength of an image or an idea. “Jaws” became one of the most successful movies ever made from the mere tension of a shark whose jaws were trained in the direction of a swimmer caught unawares. The legacyquel and the reign of intellectual property (IP) at the movies have helped studios do less work to sell audiences and get butts in seats.   

“Everybody wants their own cinematic universe. I mean, Marvel created an extraordinary thing, even though it's been sort of (a) little up and down over the past couple of years,” said Dodge College of Film and Media Arts associate professor Russell Schwartz. “The idea that people want familiarity… using identifiable people, places (and) things to give an audience a sense that what they're going to get is what they want.”

Certain movies have soared because of this approach. “Top Gun: Maverick” is Paramount’s most successful film of all time. “Creed” yielded a whole trilogy with more to come. Crucially, Singer also points out that there have been duds in recent years. The Jurassic World and Indiana Jones franchises both failed to make their new characters stick with audiences. 

“For a while, they seemed to be getting bigger and bigger… But in the last couple years, there have also been some notably unsuccessful ones…,” Singer said. “So it may be that the trend is starting to come to an end.” 

Even when the Jurassic franchise brought back the lead trio of its original film, “Jurassic World Dominion” was outgrossed by previous installments by hundreds of millions of dollars.

“It’ll only take one or two more to lose nine figures, and Hollywood will rethink their potential,” said Dodge College associate professor Travis Knox.

Even then, despite the financial disappointment of that Jurassic film, the “Rebirth” of the Jurassic World series (the last installment of which only came out two short years ago) is already in the works and ready for release next summer. Another element of this legacyquel discussion is that even when these franchises and their attempts at cultural relevance don’t hit as expected, there are just new attempts to draw audiences back in, whether it be bringing in another fan favorite or introducing a new villain.

Dodge College lecturer Kia Afra notes the role producers play in re-circulating these major franchises and attempting to maintain their cultural significance with new entries. 

“And you look at who's involved in some of these franchises… it's pretty much the last call for the producers who own the rights (and) the actors who are involved, right? And in some cases, the producers didn't even make it. Think of Don Simpson and ‘Beverly Hills Cop’ and ‘Top Gun,’ right?” Afra said. “He brought those franchises back, but (in) a lot of cases, the people involved in them are at the end of their careers. And so it has to be now or never.”

Singer did bemoan the lack of original ideas in the blockbuster realm in this day and age.

“In terms of spectacles, you don’t see too many ‘original’ blockbusters these days. Everything is a sequel or a remake or based on a toy or a comic book,” Singer said. “While there were plenty of sequels and remakes 25 years ago, they do seem to have become even more of the singular focus of the big Hollywood studio’s energies.”

A downside of the regression of mainstream blockbusters is the crowding out of smaller and original movies sans IP at the theater.

“It’s a shame that there exist almost no wide-release, wholly original films anymore. But I assure you, if people saw them in the theater, we wouldn’t be having this discussion,” Knox said.

Singer points out, however, that between the offerings in the theater, but more crucially, at home, audiences have a wealth of entertainment to choose from.

“On the other hand, more movies come out every single week than ever before; in theaters, on streaming. There is no lack of original stories on screen. They might not get the attention, and they might get crowded out of the bigger movie theaters, but they absolutely exist, and in as large or larger numbers than ever before,” Singer said. 

A couple of bombs withstanding, the legacyquel trend is showing no signs of slowing down. 

Director Ridley Scott is taking audiences back to ancient Rome next month with “Gladiator II,” a prime legacyquel bolstered by prominent newer stars like Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal. The film is also a direct sequel to the original from over 20 years ago. Next summer, audiences can expect “Karate Kid: Legends,” which will team a young aspiring martial artist with Ralph Macchio, the original Karate Kid, and Jackie Chan, the Mr. Miyagi stand-in and dutiful coach in the remake that followed that film decades later.

So, for now, it looks like the future of movies lies in the past.

“Hollywood is cyclical. Something feels novel, it becomes a hit, everyone copies it, audiences tire of that thing and it’s on to the next novel thing that can be run into the ground. But at a certain point, all these movies with older stars passing the torch to younger actors probably do start to feel a little old themselves,” Singer said. “But in another 10-20 years, who knows? Maybe there will be a Star Wars legacyquel where older Oscar Isaac gets to tell a new generation of Rebel pilots about the Resistance.”