Top 20 Movie Sequels That Were Made Way Too Late

Top 20 Sequels That Were Made Way Too Late

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Sequels That Were Made Way Too Late.

For this list, we’ll be looking at movie sequels that came out years after their immediate predecessors, much to their detriment. We’ll be ranking our entries based on how badly the gap in time hurt the respective films, whether the story was negatively affected, or audience interest had dried up. And we won’t be excluding other kinds of follow-ups like prequels, so long as the films are in direct relation.


What sequel do you think missed its window of opportunity? Let us know in the comments!

#20: “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” (2014)

The first “Sin City” was quite the success for co-director and comics creator Frank Miller back in 2005, roughly quadrupling its budget with a $160 million gross. Though there were many other “yarns” to adapt for possible sequels, Miller opted to apply the film’s visual style to two other projects, “300” and “The Spirit,” both of which were released in subsequent years. It wasn’t until 2014 that we saw Miller adapt his second yarn in the series “A Dame to Kill For,” and the results were far less encouraging. Grossing just $39 million off a $65 million budget, the film was a complete bomb, proving the audience simply wasn’t there anymore. And for good reason, as the storylines and restructured cast were far less memorable.

#19: “The X-Files: I Want to Believe” (2008)

Technically, this second “X-Files” movie came to theaters six years after Mulder and Scully’s last appearance, when the series wrapped for the first time in 2002. Even so, six years is a long time for even stalwart fans to move on to other mystery television like “Lost.” Of course, a second film was planned to follow up the conclusion of the series, but multiple delays led to it being released in the summer of 2008, which was already historically crowded. It grossed roughly a third of what the first film made in 1998, proving that they merely wanted to believe the audience would still be there. Fortunately it wasn’t the last we’d see of Mulder and Scully, as the series returned briefly in 2016.

#18: “Caddyshack II” (1988)

8 Years

Oof, where to even start with this one? As the late, great Harold Ramis reflected, he didn’t even want to write a sequel, but was pressured into doing so by Warner Bros. and the first film’s ostensible lead, Rodney Dangerfield. Ironically, Dangerfield was first to back out, prompting Ramis to do the same with only a single draft written. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the studio from using that script to fart out “Caddyshack II” in 1988. Now with Chevy Chase as the only returning star, audiences could smell a dud, as the film bombed, and was torn apart by critics for good measure. Simply put, it had a rough go at replicating the comedic tempo of the first, proving that you can’t force fine art.

#17: “The Odd Couple II” (1998)

We love to recognize a notable anniversary as much as the next person, but sometimes it can be used as an excuse to go forward with a bad idea. Such was the case with “The Odd Couple II,” which came out a whopping thirty years after the classic original. Sure, Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau had recently had success with the “Grumpy Old Men” movies, but that did not continue here. Making a paltry $18 million in 1998, the film was hardly the critical success the original was, either. Quite plainly, the brand of comedy wasn’t as side-splitting as it was in 1968, and an already ten-year-old Neil Simon script didn’t help matters. Perhaps odd couples work better as a concept than a franchise.

#16: “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles” (2001)

The first “Crocodile Dundee” was one of the biggest comedy hits of the 1980s, and the second did fairly well too, in terms of dollars and cents. However, the extremely poor reception to the latter made sure that the titular Aussie took off all of the ‘90s from cineplexes. Then at the turn of the millennium, Paul Hogan returned the character to American soil, but this time to the west coast by way of Los Angeles. Apparently distance does not make the heart grow fonder, as the apparent, easygoing nature of the series had all but evaporated in the years. It just makes us wish even more that the Australia tourism ad starring Danny McBride and Chris Hemsworth was a real movie.

#15: “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” (2016)

When asked about a sequel to her magnum opus in 2009, Nia Vardalos commented that she was considering taking the characters to their Greek homeland. We don’t know if that would have made it worthwhile, but it certainly would have been better than what we got. For what it’s worth, 2002’s “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” remains a seminal romantic comedy of the 21st century, but the sequel leaves a lot to be desired. That is, of course, if what you desire is fresh and original comedy, which it lacks. Despite the gap in time allowing Toula and Ian to have a daughter of their own, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” does little to find any themes not already explored.

#14: “Escape from L.A.” (1996)

If there’s anything Kurt Russell proved with “Escape from New York,” it’s that Snake Plissken is an action hero worthy of his own franchise. That said, the film wasn’t the kind of smash hit that would necessitate bigger-and-better sequels, so the next collaborations we got from Russell and director John Carpenter were more grounded features like “The Thing” and “Big Trouble in Little China.” Be it advancements in special effects or scheduling, the stars finally aligned for them to do “Escape from L.A.” in 1996 with a reported budget of $50 million. The gambit did not pay off, the film making half that, and suffering negative comparisons to the first, effectively killing the prospect of a third film altogether.

#13: “Blues Brothers 2000” (1998)

While critical reviews were mixed on this one, fans of the original film largely view it as straight sacrilege. Sure, the first was deserving of a sequel, but the tragic death of John Belushi probably should have put the kibosh on that. It would seem, however, that the urge to start up the Bluesmobile again became too strong before long, as “Blues Brothers 2000” came out in 1998, ironically enough. No offense whatsoever to John Goodman, but getting anyone else but Belushi to boogie alongside Dan Aykroyd was a fool’s errand. It turns out many people felt the same, as the movie only grossed roughly $14 million when all was said and done.

#12: “Easy Rider: The Ride Back” (2012)

We’re willing to bet very few of you even knew this existed. Indeed, with an extremely limited release that peaked with Bike Fest Tampa - no offense to that event - “Easy Rider: The Ride Back” hardly made a dent in the legacy of the 1969 film. Though legal rights were obtained to use the title and archival footage, it comes across more as fan-fiction than anything else, especially considering zero members of the original production returned… even if they did find a Peter Fonda look-alike to play his character’s brother. Still, the biggest strike against this movie has to be it learning the wrong lessons from the first, completely ditching the countercultural themes in favor of motorcycle porn. Lots and lots of motorcycle porn.

#11: “Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights” (2004)

“Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights” is a prime example of a potentially interesting film broken down to make a quick buck... except it didn’t even do that. Originally conceived to integrate the Cuban Revolution into its star-crossed love story, the political backdrop was largely pushed aside to accommodate the dancing angle, and draw associations to a far superior film. Barely even managing to recoup its production budget, “Havana Nights” fortunately proved even the most gullible of audiences wouldn’t fall for a bait and switch of this magnitude. Look, we loved Patrick Swayze cameos wherever we could get them, but even his presence couldn’t justify a cynical marketing ploy.

#10: “Super Troopers 2” (2018)

The first “Super Troopers” turned out to be a downright cult classic, delivering some truly memorable shenanigans even if its larger story wasn’t up to snuff. There’s a danger, however, with developing a comedy sequel over the span of several years, as senses of humor and the genre as a whole are always changing. That was the impediment the Broken Lizard troupe encountered in making “Super Troopers 2,” as they weren’t able to secure financing until launching an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign in 2015. The film was finally released in 2018, and though it was made strictly for the fans, the antics of the Vermont Highway Patrol simply aren’t as endearing meow-adays.

#9: “The Two Jakes” (1990)

No, this isn’t a sequel to a movie called “The One Jake.” As a matter of fact, it’s actually the sequel to the seminal neo-noir film “Chinatown.” Jack Nicholson’s Jake Gittes character is definitely worthy of solving multiple big-screen mysteries, but the unending series of production troubles this movie had is likely an indication that it never should have been made. Of course, there’s the obvious hindrance in disgraced “Chinatown” director Roman Polanski having to flee the United States to avoid criminal charges, but the real kicker came in 1985 when original filming was suspended due to production disputes. Eventually Jack Nicholson stepped in to direct himself four years later, but by that point no one cared, the film earning only two-fifths of the budget.

#8: “Psycho II” (1983)

The first “Psycho” was a massive success when it debuted in 1960, so much so that it’s credited as being a watershed moment for the horror genre. However, it wasn’t the last, as John Carpenter’s “Halloween” popularized the slasher craze in 1978. Of course, it would have ripple effects, which included Universal bringing back Norman Bates to his eponymous motel. A counter to original novelist Robert Bloch’s highly satirical “Psycho II,” the unrelated film of the same name couldn’t quite adapt Bates into a 1980s aesthetic. Though by no means a failure, the fact that it barely outgrossed the original despite twenty-plus years of inflation speaks volumes to the prospect of a fruitful franchise. The ending to “Psycho” was already perfect; why add on?

#7: “The Rage: Carrie 2” (1999)

Kinda hard to make a sequel to a movie called “Carrie” when your title character is six feet under by the end of it. Allegedly, anyway. Still, that didn’t stop someone from randomly digging deep into the Stephen King well to make a quick buck. Except, they didn’t, as “The Rage: Carrie 2” only made $17.8 million against a $21 million budget. I mean, with a title like that, how can you blame audiences from staying away? As bad as it was, it somehow managed to get Amy Irving to reprise her role as Sue Snell, making it an official sequel. Still, we can’t help but feel it lies in the remake camp, as it replicates plot threads to banal effect.

#6: “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” (2010)

On the surface, we can see what they were going for here; it just didn’t work. “Wall Street” was a pretty solid movie that featured an Academy Award-winning performance from Michael Douglas, so checking in on his corporate raider character Gordon Gekko around the turn of the 2008 economic crisis actually made sense story-wise. Considering the gap in time, it did about as well as it could have, but then there’s that $70 million price tag to consider. We understand that adding a Shia LaBeouf was intended to draw in the younger crowd, but come on, it’s a “Wall Street” movie. It wasn’t even either good or bad enough to spark discussion, just doomed to be forgotten by its own mediocrity.

#5: “Dumb and Dumber To” (2014)

Before you mention it, we know there was a prequel that came out in 2003, but seeing as it was made without the lead actors, we like to pretend it doesn’t exist like the rest of the world. Speaking of movies we like to pretend don’t exist, the direct sequel to 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber” is, well, dumb. Like, in a bad way. We understand the prospect of reuniting Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in their iconic roles was a juicy one, but couldn’t that have been done, well, like, in the ‘90s? Seeing the characters aged up so drastically makes for a rather jarring experience, and the throwaway joke they use to justify it doesn’t really work.

#4: “Zoolander 2” (2016)

Okay, last late comedy sequel, we swear. As opposed to the others, this one might have actually worked, what with Ben Stiller’s directing track record staying solid in the intervening years with 2008’s “Tropic Thunder,” and his continued rapport with co-star Owen Wilson. With the actors aging rather well, it could have recaptured the same spirit rather easily and given us the follow-up we so craved. What we got, however, is a painfully unfunny slapdash of ideas and a general stench of desperation. While the cult audience for the first film remains strong to this day, the jury came back quickly on this one, as audiences smelled a stinker a mile away. Simply put, “Zoolander 2” is plain out of fashion.

#3: “Tron: Legacy” (2010)

“Tron” is one of those concepts that ought to evolve with the advancements in special effects technology, but when you let nearly three decades go by, you probably won’t have the audience you need to support such a shift. While “Tron: Legacy” made a respectable $410 million worldwide, it didn’t get the numbers Disney needed to commit to the franchise long-term, especially since reactions were rather mixed. Sure, the effects were drastically improved over the original, but the catch came in the form of Jeff Bridges’s second character, Clu 2.0, who had to be de-aged to look like he did in the ‘80s. 2020 saw “Lion” director Garth Davis hired for a third film, but that might be another sequel made too late.

#2: “Independence Day: Resurgence” (2016)

When the star of your film turns down the sequel to make “Suicide Squad,” usually that’s a good indication to pull the plug. Not so according to Roland Emmerich and 20th Century Fox, who were determined to hit the twenty-year anniversary of “Independence Day” with “Resurgence.” Whereas the first film was fun popcorn entertainment, the second was a forced, lifeless slog that failed to make even half the money the first did, with about twice the budget. And it was originally envisioned as the first of a two-parter to be filmed back-to-back... when it actually turned out people didn’t even really want to see one. Should new overlords Disney ever pursue a third film, it might actually be too soon.

FAKEOUT #1: “Avatar 2” (2022)

It’s the sequel that keeps on not giving. After years of delays, it’s now scheduled to be released in December of 2022 now that filming is complete, but now we’re not even sure if there’ll be theaters to play it by then. Okay, okay, we’ll let it have its day in court, but if it’s anything less than the greatest movie of all time, we’ll be seeing it on the Top 30 of this list one day.

#1: “Basic Instinct 2” (2006)

Let’s just start by listing all the Razzie awards this movie “won” and get them out of the way: Worst Screenplay... Worst Prequel or Sequel... Worst Actress for Sharon Stone... and Worst Picture. That paint a pretty good picture for you? Look, we’ll grant you that the first “Basic Instinct” is quite enjoyable in a pulpy sort of way, but it is straddling the line with being pure schlock. “Basic Instinct 2” basically just took that fateful step over the line. Somehow managing to muster up a $70 million production budget, the “film” - if you can call it that - didn’t even make half of its money back. In all honesty, after 2004’s “

Catwoman,” we didn’t think Sharon Stone could sink any lower.