Throughout film history, moviegoers have been faced with quite a few sequels that prove to be way different than their predecessors.
Naturally, this makes it hard to compare the first films to their sequels, but it also allows for those sequels to be viewed in a completely new light—almost as if they’re completely original, standalone films instead of sequels.
When a movie performs well at the box office (or earns a big enough following in the home release market), the next step is usually to get to work on a sequel.