“I don’t give a shit. After ‘White Chicks’ I gave up on reviewers. I was just like, whatever. Whatever you guys want to say. I look at ‘White Chicks’ and it gets one and a half stars and I’m looking at the audience and I’m hearing the thunderous laughter. I’m just going, you know what, you guys have got a thumb up your ass. You have a fist. It’s a fist up your arse and I’m not going to fight you on it. Just enjoy it and I’m not going to fight you on it. Their opinions are their opinions and I’m not mad at them. The only time they give great reviews is when you do a movie for them. Critics like, I guess, smarter comedy. Scatalogical comedy and weed jokes don’t work for them.”
A quote I thought worth sharing from Marlon Wayans, while promoting the first A Haunted House movie in Australia last year.
So if you’re one of those folks with “a thumb up your ass,” as he put it, the sequel to A Haunted House is probably not going to be for you.
But as we’ve highlighted several times in the past, there is often a disconnect between critics and audiences. And, further, critics, reviews, questions of what quality cinema is, etc, all pretty much are out the window, as long as you can find a paying audience for your film. Of course, that is assuming that making money is your primary motivation, and you don’t care about critical acclaim, industry recognition, awards, etc.
Although I’d argue with him about critics not liking what he calls “scatalogical comedy and weed jokes.”
Still, the fact that the first film made $40 million on a $2.5 million budget (not including P&A costs), certainly can’t be ignored, and is likely what inspired Open Road to announce a sequel to A Haunted House, which the company has set for release on March 28, 2014.
The sequel is directed by Mike Tiddes.
Joining Wayans in the film are Gabriel Iglesias, Jaime Pressly, and Ashley Rickards, as well as returning cast members Essence Atkins, Affion Crockett and Dave Sheridan.
What to expect from the sequel?
Crossing new lines and breaking old barriers, A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 is the sequel to the hilarious box-office hit starring Marlon Wayans as Malcolm who, after exorcising the demons of his ex, is starting fresh with his new girlfriend and her two children. After moving into their dream home, Malcolm is once again plagued by bizarre paranormal events. With spine-tingling tension and hilarious punch-lines A HAUNTED HOUSE 2 is inspired by the latest supernatural horror movie franchises and shows that this time… it’s not just the house that’s haunted!
Said Wayans: “We are putting together an incredible cast of comedy veterans and new faces that fit perfectly with the returning cast. It’s our goal to broaden and enhance the audience experience with even bigger comedy and fresh points of view. Can’t wait to get started!”
Open Road Films’ CEO Tom Ortenberg stated, “We are thrilled to be on board with IM Global again for U.S. Distribution of A HAUNTED HOUSE 2. Marlon Wayans and Rick Alvarez are a force of nature and we are excited to work with them on yet another one of their hilarious adventures.“
Expect a similar kind of R-rated brand of humor.
In the meantime, Open Road has released the sequel’s first poster, which resembles the first poster of the first film, and which is embedded below, followed by a teaser trailer:
