Chick Sequel Update: MAMMA MIA!, SEX AND THE CITY

By Norm Schrager at November 6, 2008 | 10:28 pm | Print

A sequel doesn’t look imminent for Mamma Mia!, one of the year’s monster women hits. Our Brit friends at Filmstalker report ABBA member / Mamma Mia! exec producer Benny Andersson as saying, “There is no talk of a sequel… ” although Universal would love it.

Of course they would. As we’ve reported before, Mamma Mia! is one of the most successful films in Universal’s history, and here’s the proof.

Mamma Mia!…
:: Has earned over $143 million in the US

:: Is still in theaters after 16 weeks of release — meaning it’s been on a big screen somewhere in America every day since July 18.

:: Is the highest-grossing British film ever in the U.K. ($129 million)

:: Has been released in 62 foreign regions (including the U.K.), grossing $415 million.

:: Is one of the Top 50 all-time worldwide box office successes… ever.

If you were at Universal, wouldn’t you want a sequel? Andersson said perhaps screenwriter Catherine Johnson would call if she had any ideas, but what the hell does that mean?

As for the continual big buzz surrounding the women (and men) of Sex and the City, it sounds like the sequel is a go. First, writer-director Michael Patrick King (below, with the cast) had mentioned how the story feels unfinished, and he hadn’t been shy about discussing future possibilities.

On a recent BBC television appearance, Kim Cattrall said cameras will roll on Part II next summer. Hey, I’m in. Aside from a stumbling intro, the film version of Sex and The City is definitely an above-average entry in the romantic comedy genre. And yes, I’m a straight guy. Remarkably straight. And with Cattrall’s character just turning 50 by the first film’s end, this could get interesting. Or menopausal. Or both.

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