Few films have had a greater cultural impact than The Matrix franchise, which is one of the five most successful rated films. The Matrix’s role has extended beyond its cinematic roots. It was introduced to the world’s political and cultural discourse through the concept of “red pills” awakenings and continues to serve as an allegory for what to expect from the future virtual realities.
The Huge Influence Of Matrix Made It Tricky To Write Resurrections
Ask a film buff what they think about the Matrix films. They will tell you, albeit aloofly, that they like only the first film and not the sequels. The numbers do not support these claims. The Matrix Reloaded is the second film in this series and has grossed $741 million worldwide. Things quickly fell apart after that release with The Matrix Revolutions, the third film.
It grossed just slightly more than half the amount of the original sequel, at $427 million. In 2021, the trend continued with The Matrix Resurrections, which earned just $37 million in the US and $156 million globally. Hollywood has been known to try and squeeze every drop of ticket sales from a storyline that isn’t yet finished. The Matrix was a case in point.
The public’s reaction to the original film’s innovative plot and “bullet-time” special effects was so overwhelming that Warner Bros. Pictures decided to confirm two sequels within months of its 1999 release. Science fiction is particularly attractive. Star Wars Ep. is the most successful live-action sequel, and it has been in the top 10 most successful. At $2 billion, VII: The Force Awakens is the leader. A sequel almost always is possible if a science-fiction film succeeds with moviegoers.
The Wachowski sisters, the studio, and Joel Silver, the lead producer of the original film, were all excited to launch the sequels. However, it turned out that the movie was never meant to go beyond the trilogy. When Silver was asked about the possibility of additional sequels after the 2003 release of revolutions, Silver replied that “that will never happen.” The studio actually released a teaser to The Animatrix before the release of Reloaded.
This animated series of short films were designed to give an overview of The Matrix universe and answer any questions that remain unanswered by the trilogy. The animated collection was made available on DVD in 2003. The An Unreal Engine5 Experience was released in 2003 to promote the Revivals sequel. Nearly twenty years later, Silver’s original promise has been fulfilled through the fourth film of the series. It largely repeats the events from the first Matrix.
Neo warns the AI system at the end of The Matrix by telling it that “Wherever we go from here is a decision I leave to you” Just before demonstrating a new trick, Neo flew across the dense virtual reality cityscape under his own power.
Because Reloaded featured true moments of cinematic greatness, many devoted Matrix fans made peace with the far less interesting Revolutions. However, the introduction of Resurrections many years later has portrayed the Matrix sequels as a cynical blunder, more concerned with profit than the legacy of the narrative.
The sequels’ business case has basically paid out. Still, the initial picture is largely responsible for the public’s continued interest. Unfortunately, the original’s vivid pulse appears to be dissolving into the background noise created by each subsequent sequel in the series.
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