# Why have movies gone away from numbered sequels? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [June 9, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267 "2023-06-09T23:02:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267/41 "2023-06-12T11:23:34Z")
> [@Danger\_Man](#): > > There is also a 4s before the 5. I don’t think they are counting the s-editions when numbering. Well, they counted the 3GS edition when they named the iPhone 4 because that was the 4th generation iPhone. Granted, that’s pretty much the last time the number and generation matched up (and first time, too, considering the 3 in 3G and 3GS stood for the 3G connectivity, not as a generational number). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267/42 "2023-06-12T11:44:59Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > Well, they counted the 3GS edition when they named the iPhone 4 because that was the 4th generation iPhone. Granted, that’s pretty much the last time the number and generation matched up (and first time, too, considering the 3 in 3G and 3GS stood for the 3G connectivity, not as a generational number). I just looked these up and was surprised to learn Apple still numbers their phones, with Iphone 14 being the latest. I’ve never owned and Iphone(my school gave me an Ipad Air once) and didn’t realize they were numbering still. My Samsung phone is, get this, Samsung Galaxy S52(?). I think. I have no idea what any of the numbering stuff is with my Samsung. S? 52? Huh? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267/43 "2023-06-12T18:26:10Z")
That sounds like another reason not to use numbers: so as not to confuse the audience should you decide to make the sequel a prequel or a reboot or an AU or whatever, ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267/44 "2023-06-12T19:29:44Z")
Or whatever this was: > **[The Lion King 1½](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King_1%C2%BD)** > > The Lion King 1½ is a 2004 American animated direct-to-video musical comedy film produced by the Australian branch of Disneytoon Studios and released direct to video on February 10, 2004. The third and final installment released in the original Lion King trilogy, it is based on The Lion King's Timon & Pumbaa and serves as an origin story for the meerkat/warthog duo Timon and Pumbaa while the film is also set within the events of The Lion King. A majority of the original voice cast from the first ... ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267/45 "2023-06-12T19:54:32Z")
That’s _The Lion King_’s version of _Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead_. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2023, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267/46 "2023-06-12T20:03:18Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > I think numbers work in the case of Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, as it kind of reflects Tony Starks particular cheesy personality style. Notice how every other Marvel franchise gets full non-numbered titles (Thor: Ragnarok, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Spider Man: No Way Home, etc). I think the whole reason behind Iron Man being numbers is that Iron Man 2 came out before the Avengers and when the movies were still fairly separate other than a few teases. Post-Avengers, everything is so interconnected that numbering them doesn’t make sense. Captain America might be the 3rd movie named “Captain America”, but it’s also the 5th movies featuring Captain America (among a number of other characters). ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2023, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267/47 "2023-06-13T03:30:11Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I will be stunned if FF16 is any good at all. I found 13 boring and 15…15 was astonishingly dull. And I was a big-time Final Fantasy fan. Personally, 15 is my second-favorite of the entire series, next to FFVI. _De gustibus non est disputandum._ On a related note to the topic, WWE stopped numbering Wrestlemania in official marketing after Wrestlemania 30, reportedly because Vince McMahon thought it made it sound “old”. Everyone still uses the numbers unofficially, though - this year’s event was Wrestlemania 39, and next year will be Wrestlemania 40, which they _are_ referring to by number, partly because of the “XL” Roman numbering and partly because Vince doesn’t run the company any more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-have-movies-gone-away-from-numbered-sequels/985267.md?page=2)