“Valentine’s Day” Gift–a Sequel Already?

Next week’s number one movie already spawns a sequel. 

It’s not even open yet, but the makers of “Valentine’s Day” feel pretty confident about its prospects. So confident, in fact, that Deadline says they’re already working on a sequel. No, not the logical choice, ”President’s Day,” but a turn back of the holiday calendar: “New Year’s Eve.”

Early reviews of “Valentine’s Day” say that the multistory, multistar movie is pretty awful, but it seems like a sure bet to make lots of money this weekend (gullible movie ticket buyers will think, “I get 600 movie stars for th eprice of one?! Give me one adult ticket and two jumbo popcorns, please!”). Even better, it didn’t cost much to make. Deadline says that most of the stars took a smaller than usual paycheck to match the small size and commitment they had to make. Plus it filmed in LA, so most of them barely had to leave their neighborhoods.

Katherine Fugate, writer of “Valentine’s Day,” has already turned in a draft of “New Year’s Eve.” The producers hope that they’ll be able to retain a few of the actors from “Valentine’s Day” to give the illusion of continuity. This shouldn’t be hard. It’s not like Ashton Kutcher is doing anything other than tweeting anyway.

I guess as long as they can crank out these movies for a low price and a high return, they will. I can’t wait to see “Flag Day.”