Futureworld

Two years after the violent breakdown at Westworld, Delos reopens a rebuilt, expanded attraction and invites two journalists, Chuck Browning and Tracy Ballard, to review the park. On the way Browning meets a dying man who hints that the troubles aren't over and that corporate assurances may hide darker problems. As the pair tour high-tech environments and interact with android performers, small inconsistencies and strange behaviors make the visit feel increasingly risky. The reporters try to tell what is staged and what is real while company spokespeople steer public relations. The reopening is promoted as much safer after big upgrades, rather than on shocking reveals or surprises.

Released in 1976 and directed by Richard T. Heffron, Futureworld was written by George Schenck and Mayo Simon as the official sequel to Westworld. The cast includes Peter Fonda, Blythe Danner, Arthur Hill and Yul Brynner returning as the Gunslinger.

It didn't capture the cultural lightning of the original and earned only modest box office returns, failing to become a major hit at the time. The sequel's commercial performance was seen as underwhelming, which limited its impact on mainstream audiences.

Futureworld kept the Westworld concept in the public conversation and reinforced the image of the relentless android gunslinger through Yul Brynner's return. While it didn't spawn a large franchise on its own, its ideas about corporate-run entertainment and synthetic identities remained touchpoints for genre fans and later creators and writers.

Critical response was mixed, reflected in a middling Vote Average around 5.9/10 from viewers. Reviewers often praised the performances and production design but criticized the plot's lack of scope compared with its predecessor. The film raises questions about corporate secrecy, simulated humans, and the ethics of entertainment technology, and morality.