Just like in movies, not all sequels are winners
Jeff Linville, Staff writer -- Furniture Today, October 6, 2003
In trying times, many manufacturers are afraid to try something a little "out there." It's safer to reinvent a collection or build on a brand that is doing well.
That certainly will be evident at the October market, with a number of high-profile companies going back to the well.
Among the celebrity collections offering large introductions this month are Oscar de la Renta Home by Century, and two lines at Drexel Heritage — the Lillian August Grand Collection and At Home in Tuscany with Frances Mayes.
Other designers/celebrities have new collections in their lines — Harmony for Alexander Julian at Home by Universal, Turkey Hill for Martha Stewart Home by Bernhardt, and Marseille and Chartwell for Ralph Lauren by Henredon.
Other lines expanding this market include Nautica by Lexington, Yorkshire Market by Broyhill, and Beacon Hill, part of The Antiques Roadshow program by Pulaski.
There is much to commend the wisdom of this sequel approach. Past licensed expansions have been very successful. Lane hit a home run last market with its revamped Eddie Bauer line. Standard Furniture found such success with its licensed line that it changed its name to Kathy Ireland Home by Standard.
This flood of furniture sequels parallels a trend in the movie industry. Movie studios dubbed this the "summer of sequels," with second and third installments raking in millions of dollars.
According to studio press releases, by Sept. 21 "The Matrix Reloaded" had earned a whopping $281 million; "X-2: X-Men United" hit $215 million; "T-3: Rise of the Machines," $150 million; "Bad Boys II," $137 million; "Spy Kids 3D," $110 million; and "American Wedding," $104 million.
Remakes also fared well, with "Freaky Friday" earning $110 million and "The Italian Job" $103 million.
Wow, that's impressive. I might have to start recycling my columns.
Despite those successes, sequels aren't always surefire successes.
For every "X-Men" that outperforms the original, there's a "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" that falls short. "Terminator 3" was a big hit, but still made only about 70% of what the second did in 1991 (and think of the difference in ticket prices in the dozen years between the two).
"Legally Blonde" and "The Fast and the Furious" also had sequels that didn't live up to the hype, and only the megabomb "Gigli" saved "Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life" and "Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd" from fighting over which was the biggest flop.
Having a recognizable name doesn't mean much if the product doesn't win over the public. Didn't everybody want to see Ben Affleck and J. Lo in "Gigli"? Then they saw the movie. I liked some of the pieces in the Elvis Presley collection from Vaughan-Bassett and Bob Timberlake Lodge from Lexington, but the groups didn't take off. Go figure.
