Matrix 2&3 vs. Back to the Future 2&3

Cafe Society
1

I’ve seen a few articles proclaiming that the decision to film both sequels to the Matrix for release in the same year has never been done before. While technically true, it reminds me of when Back to the Future filmed their second and third parts at the same time, and released them within six months of each other.

So, I got to wondering if we can make any assumptions about the success or failure of Matrix Revolutions, based on how Back to the Future Part III did?

Both Matrix 2 and BTTF 2 ended in cliffhangers, and both left a sour taste in a lot of people’s mouths as they were left with a two-hour movie without an ending. Both had previews for Part III, though BTTF 2 was smart enough to at least put their teaser in immediately before the ending credits so people would know that part 3 was coming.

Both Matrix 2 and BTTF 2 did extremely well when first released. Both set up information to be paid off in part 3.

And yet, when BTTF 3 premiered 6 months later, it didn’t do all that well at the box office. Granted, it was released during the summer, unlike the forthcoming Matrix, but there seemed to be a feeling that it had been too soon since the second one. There even seemed to be a harder time getting publicity going for the third movie, since all the entertainment outlets felt they had already dealt with the BTTF sequel story six months previously.

Of course, there are some differences. For one thing, back in 1990, the second movie hadn’t come out on VHS yet, when the third movie was released in theatres.

Anyway, I just wonder if Matrix Revolutions will end up suffering like BTTF 3 did by coming out too soon after part 2.

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Well there’s a difference with how it was pulled off. BTTF2, based on the teasing ending of the first movie, suggested that we’d get to see the future of the newly revitalized McFly family. Instead, they spent a few minutes in the future and the bulk of the movie dancing around the same sets and storyline as the first movie. It was well executed plot and a good movie, but in the end nothing really happened. The third movie was great, but from an audience perspective, it seemed completely disconnected. In the trailer, there was no clear connection to the McFly family and Hill Valley. Marty was still in the Enchantment Under The Sea era with no clear way out, so there was a chance the bulk of the movie would take place there.

Now, I love the BTTF movies; this is just my take on why the sequels may not have done as well as they could have.

Now, with Matrix Reloaded, the plot accomplished something. Perhaps it answered too much, since the cliffhanger seemed a bit forced, but there’s reason to believe the series still has some meat left to it.

The only problem now is the pacing. Knowing that Revolutions was pretty much done when we saw Reloaded, we can expect it to be a similarly structured movie. Which means if audiences avoid it, they will avoid it because they expect another boring first half.

So the difference is that Matrix gave us something new and different, whereas BTTF pretty much betrayed its expected premise by going back to the plot of the original. Whether that helps Matrix Revolutions is anyone’s guess.