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The Lost Husband Is a Surprise Hit on Netflix — Does That Mean We're Getting a Sequel?

24/08/2020 - 01:05 AM

A few months ago, most of us had never heard of The Lost Husband [1], and now we're all wondering if there will be a sequel! It's all part of the romantic drama's unexpected arc [2] from tiny unknown title to surprise Summer favourite. The circumstances that made the movie a hit, though, might not work for lightning to strike twice.

The movie's success has been, in large part, due to the unique demands of the COVID-19 era, where audiences are looking for two specific things in particular: entertaiment they can watch at home, and entertainment that's perhaps a little more comforting than usual. The Lost Husband checks both those boxes. It was first released as a VOD title back in April, at the beginning of major shutdowns, then acquired by Netflix and started streaming there in August, giving it ideal timing to reach audiences at home. Plus, with its small-town, slightly weepy, cheesy romance [3], it's the kind of comfort-watch that many viewers have been seeking during stressful times.

Star Josh Duhamel [4], for one, agrees. "This is the perfect time for a movie like this [5] to come out because people are at home watching. You know? These are things that they may really want to dive into. People are sort of stuck at home right now, so they either need to read or watch something and they're trying to keep themselves occupied. I think any sort of entertainment is helpful," he told Entertainment Tonight.

So could there be a sequel, and, more importantly, would it have the same kind of success? Right now, the odds are pretty slim on both counts. The Lost Husband has two major things going against it getting a sequel: it's based on a standalone novel (The Lost Husband by Katherine Centre), and it's not a Netflix original — it's a licenced title that the service picked up the streaming rights to. Both things would make creating a sequel a little more complicated, and without the unique circumstances that made the original movie such a hit, it simply might not be worth the risk and the hassle.


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https://www.popsugar.co.uk/entertainment/lost-husband-will-there-be-sequel-47719964