Top 10 Amazing Movie Franchises That Slowly Died
#10: “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise (2003-)
Top 10 Best Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise Moments
Absolutely no one believed that a “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie would work. We mean, a movie based off an amusement park ride? Are you kidding us? However, “The Curse of the Black Pearl” was far better than it had any right to be, and it ended up grossing over $650 million worldwide. Disney knew they had a massive franchise on their hands and continued to pump out sequels - all to diminishing returns. While the movies performed well, they received increasingly negative reviews. “Dead Men Tell No Tales” was released in 2017, received negative reviews, and grossed $794 million - the second-lowest of the franchise. It’s clear that the “Pirates” franchise has peaked.
#9: “Friday the 13th” franchise (1980-)
Friday The 13th Vs Halloween
This franchise was like the “Saw” of the ‘80s - cheap to produce, with a huge return on investment. The original was a groundbreaking piece of work back in 1980, scoring a solid $60 million at the box office - about $180 million today. However, the series peaked with the first movie, as none of the succeeding entries were received particularly well. They also saw diminishing box office returns. “Part III” was the second-highest-grossing at just $36 million until “Freddy vs. Jason” in 2003, which scored a very solid $115 million. However, that was the final official entry in the series before hitting the reboot switch in 2009. Given that film’s reception, we think it’s safe to say the series is deader than Jason’s victims.
#8: “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” franchise (1990-)
Top 10 Things Only Adults Notice in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
The famed Turtles just haven’t been the same since 1993. The original did gangbusters, scoring a solid $202 million and becoming the highest-grossing indie film of the time. “The Secret of the Ooze” was decent, even though it was significantly more childish. But “III” was an abomination on all fronts, and its lackluster $54 million gross killed the franchise. A CGI entry was later released in 2007, although it failed to attract significant attention, grossing just $95 million. The series was rebooted in 2014, and while it grossed nearly $500 million, it was hated by both critics and long-time fans of the series. “Out of the Shadows” was a slight improvement, but it made half of what the 2014 reboot did, effectively killing the franchise.
#7: “Ice Age” franchise (2002-)
Top 10 Horror Movie Sequels That Saved The Franchise
The projection of “Ice Age” plays out very similarly to “Pirates of the Caribbean.” The first movie, released in 2002, was a surprise hit. It went over well with critics and scored a solid $383 million at the box office. And while later entries did very well at the box office (with “Dawn of the Dinosaurs” making $886 million), they received an increasingly negative reception from critics. “Collision Course” may have killed the franchise for good. It received the lowest Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and CinemaScore of the entire franchise, and it made just $408 million - barely above the original’s intake. And that’s not accounting for inflation. The series is seeing its own ice age, and it may never thaw.
#6: “Superman” franchise (1978-)
Top 10 Superman Movie Trivia
The 1978 original was a landmark release, preceding mainstream popularity of superhero films and revolutionizing the use of visual effects. It better have - the $55 million budget made it the most expensive movie ever made at the time. Luckily, it ended up grossing $300 million - nearly $1.2 billion today. The sequel was also surprisingly solid, despite an increased reliance on wacky comedy. And then the series got increasingly… dumber. “Superman III” and “Supergirl” were hot messes, and the less said about the abominable “The Quest for Peace” the better. It also made an appalling $36 million. They attempted to revive the long-dormant series in 2006, but even “Superman Returns” was met with a collective shoulder shrug. Enter Zack Snyder and the DCEU...
#5: “Resident Evil” franchise (2002-)
Underworld Vs Resident Evil! The Supernatural Showdown!
When “Resident Evil” first began, it was just a simple story about zombies and monsters. It then turned into some weird science fiction epic complete with clones, superpowers, and underwater facilities. It was bizarre stuff. The series was never a critical darling, but the first three movies were generally well-liked by casual fans and long-time game players. Unfortunately, things took a dour turn with “Afterlife,” and the series never recovered. It continued to perform well at the box office, with “The Final Chapter” being the highest-grossing entry of the series with $312 million. But in terms of critical adoration and casual enjoyability, the franchise fittingly ended with “Extinction.”
#4: “Scary Movie” franchise (2000-)
Top 10 Scary Movie Dolls
This series is a true roller coaster of quality. The first “Scary Movie” was a monumental success, grossing $278 million worldwide and launching an entire genre centered around spoofing popular movies. The second was a dud, earning horrible reviews and making less than half of the original domestically. Luckily, the third injected some life into the stagnant series, but it was all downhill from there. “4” was middling, and after a seven-year hiatus, the franchise returned with a fifth installment. It shouldn’t have. The movie was truly dreadful, scoring just 4% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossing $78 million - by far the lowest amount of the series. Its embarrassing failure signaled the end of “Scary Movie,” and the spoof genre seemingly died with it.
#3: “Shrek” franchise (2001-)
Top 10 Shrek Franchise Moments That Didn't Have to Go THAT Hard
It really is a shame to watch “Shrek” become so… corporate. The first was an ingenious film, hilariously sending up fairy tales and scoring the first-ever Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The second was a surprising success, the rare sequel that actually works. As far as most people are concerned, the “Shrek” series ended there. The franchise peaked with “2,” both in terms of critical reception and box office performance. It’s not that the later films were bad - they just paled in comparison, and the diminishing box office returns seemingly prove that the series ran out of gas. The franchise has also hosted spin-offs, TV specials, TV shows, and numerous short films, and it all feels a little exhausting and cash grab-y.
#2: “Die Hard” franchise (1988-)
Top 10 Movies that Bombed so Hard They Had to Cancel the Sequel
This series tragically became the thing it was trying to avoid. “Die Hard” owed its huge success to a more grounded approach and John McClane’s everyman persona - a vast difference from the extravagant action movies and stars of the ‘80s. You can’t really go wrong with any of the first three films. But things started to go downhill with “Live Free or Die Hard,” which both toned down the violence and swearing to secure a PG-13 rating and exaggerated the action to the point that John was taking down a fighter jet. It’s still a good action movie, though. The same can’t be said for “A Good Day to Die Hard,” which was so bad that it effectively killed the franchise. “Die Hard” died hard. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “Underworld” franchise (2003-) Even Kate Beckinsale Is Done with This Tired Series “Saw” franchise (2004-) At This Point, the Series Is Just as Torturous as Its Traps “Paranormal Activity” franchise (2007-) Just Send This Franchise to the Ghost Dimension Already “Cars” franchise (2006-) This Series Is a Rusted Heap & One of Pixar’s Worst Efforts “Transformers” franchise (2007-) How Can All That Spectacular Action Be So Boring?
#1: “Terminator” franchise (1984-)
Franchise Origins: Terminator
No matter what they try, they just can’t revive the magic of the first two “Terminator” films. They tried taking the series into the post-apocalyptic future with “Salvation.” That saw middling results. They tried softly rebooting the franchise by reintroducing Schwarzenegger and altering the timeline. And when that didn’t work, they just said “forget it,” disregarded everything post-1991, and made a direct sequel to “T2.” And wouldn’t you know it, that also didn’t work. Not only did it not work, it grossed a horrendous $261 million, forcing the studio to cancel all future plans for the series. No one cares anymore. After all this time, what ended up terminating the Terminator was just a horrible return on investment. You hate to see it.
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