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Edwin Davies: This reminds me of what happens when a band puts out a debut album that people really love, that tries something different and gets a big response, then puts out a second album where they do the same thing and everyone loses interest. The key to the success of the first Kick-Ass, a film which I really didn't like because I can't stand Mark Millar, was that it had a transgressive quality to it; it pushed buttons and made audiences uncomfortable, and it set out its stall as a response to the wave of superhero films that we're still being carried along by.

It was a neat trick, but it's one that loses all of its potency if you try to repeat it without significantly raising the stakes. Based on the ads, it was hard to see just what made this one so different from the first one, and when the largely negative reviews came out it probably cemented the idea that it wasn't worth bothering with if you had seen the original. It might also be the case that people have become so saturated by comic book movies that they don't feel like it's worth spending money to watch people make fun of them.

Kim Hollis: I have seen a lot of people echoing Edwin's sentiments about Mark Millar, and although I don't think that factors in for a lot of the movie-going public, I do think it's a problem when you're talking about the prime demographic for Kick Ass 2. This is not a movie that appeals to people outside the comic book world, so if it wasn't holding onto audience from the first film, it was naturally going to see some attrition. It is absolutely correct that a large number of people were put off by the hyper violence of Kick Ass, and Jim Carrey wasn't an appealing enough casting stunt to regain their interest.

David Mumpower: I am in that small minority that thought Kick-Ass 2 claimed better advertising than the original. The key is exactly what Max mentioned above. I was not disgusted by the idea of a teen girl being a functional assassin in the same manner that the 13-year-old version of the same character horrified me. In a way, Mark Millar is the most successful troll in the comic book/movie industry. His works are imbued with the sort of directed loathing toward humanity that is ordinarily reserved for people preparing to take firearms up clock towers. To his credit, he has redirected that hatred in a (relatively) constructive manner, instead writing about acts of extreme violence against people who have in no way wronged him. That's undeniably healthier than the approach used at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. His writing isn't for me...or anyone who doesn't despise their fellow man, but his niche audience is a passionate one. I believe that what was lost in translation with Kick-Ass 2 is that the fence sitters who were willing to give the original movie a chance settled upon the philosophy of "fool me once..." for the sequel. Even so, we are universal in our acknowledgement that Kick Ass 2 is an acceptable result given its frugal budget that potentially extends the life of the franchise. Three years from now, Hit Girl Goes to College could even be a concept that works.

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