Top 10 Most Disappointing Sequels of All Time

Say what you will, but “Folie à Deux” is a bold sequel. Unfortunately, “bold” doesn’t always mean “good,” and it most certainly doesn’t mean “successful.” Going in, you would’ve thought this movie was too big to fail. The original “Joker” earned gold at the Oscars and the box-office, and adding Lady Gaga as a version of Harley Quinn was a stroke of casting genius. But, somehow, the same creative team turned in a misguided musical that disavows the very fanbase the original built. No one was left happy. Not critics, not audiences, and definitely not distributor Warner Bros., who were forced to weather a catastrophic end to what was once one of their most promising properties.

Le Chiffre and Dominic Greene have nothing on James Bond’s greatest enemy of all - production problems. The franchise had just seemed like it was back on track, too. “Casino Royale” bet it all on Daniel Craig with dazzling results, so a sequel should’ve been easy money. But, then, came the 2007 writer’s strike. Up against a stringent studio deadline, “Quantum of Solace” began filming without a finished script, and boy can you tell. Tall, dark and handsome became muddled, overlong, and forgettable. A committed cast saves “Quantum of Solace” from being a complete dud, but you can find a better Bond fix most anywhere else.

Exactly twenty years after their last attack on Earth, aliens returned for another round of sci-fi carnage in 2016. Sadly, audiences didn’t follow. To start, Will Smith’s absence leaves a gaping, Steven Hiller-sized hole in the film, and nothing Liam Hemsworth does can fill it. So, like any blockbuster, “Independence Day” instead stuffed its runtime with a whole lot of CGI explosions. But, while the new-age special effects are a marvel to behold, they simply can’t overcome “Resurgence’s” thin story and thinner characters. After two whole decades waiting for a proper continuation, it’s safe to say fans expected a bit more than this.

2016’s “Wonder Woman” is often regarded as one of, if not the only bright spot in Warner Bros. haphazard DC extended universe. If you’re wondering why its sequel isn’t a part of the list, that’s because it falls into the familiar trap of assuming bigger is better. There’s more characters and more plot, but not enough time for any of it to connect like it did the first time around. Rather, the film comes off as rushed, unpolished, and at worst, just plain boring. No matter how awesome Diana looks in that golden armor, 1984 was not a year of her life worth visiting.

If you think good sequels are hard to come by, good trilogies are even harder. And, despite Francis Ford Coppola’s best efforts, “The Godfather Part III” doesn’t buck that trend. The story suffers from a major sense of “been-there, done-that,” and the casting of Coppola’s own daughter, Sofia, didn’t help matters, either. But, that’s not to say “The Godfather Part III” is unwatchable by any means. While far from perfect, the film still has seven Oscar nominations to its name. In a way, that just speaks to how incredible the franchise’s foundation is. When your baseline is that good, a step down is still solid entertainment.

After learning that “The Last Crusade” wasn’t so final, after all, fans around the world gathered to see Indy back on the horse for another big-screen adventure. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite worth the wait. “Crystal Skull” wisely leans on Harrison Ford’s magnetic work in the role, but since most of his screentime is shared with his newly-introduced son, Mutt, even that gets old, fast. It feels like the studio wanted to shoehorn in as many spinoff possibilities as they could. And yet, the only takeaway here is that fridges can somehow withstand nuclear explosions. “Crystal Skull” is good for a few action scenes, but otherwise, Indiana’s original adventures still reign supreme.

How does a franchise go from record-breaking grosses to the laughing stock of its fandom? Well, just watch “The Rise of Skywalker.” Most of its issues can be summed up by one, egregious line in the film: “Somehow, Palpataine returned.” The hand-waved resurrection of one of “Star Wars” most legendary villains - who already had a legendary death, too - soured even the most diehard of fans. And don’t even get us started on Rey’s surprise lineage. Add that to all the dropped storylines and unsatisfying reveals, and fans were left with the distinct impression that this trilogy was made up as it went along.

Within twenty minutes, this three-quel doesn’t just jettison its own story, it actively tarnishes the two films that came before it. While Ripley was undoubtedly the star of “Aliens,” that movie doesn’t work without Newt and Hicks. But, did “Alien 3” care? Nope. Newt and Hicks die offscreen in the film’s opening act, and the franchise’s heart goes with them. By prioritizing more Xenomorph scares above consistent characters or story integrity, “Alien 3” lost the special touch that makes the original films classics to this day. Yes, we all love Ripley, but this movie forgot that a captain is nothing without her crew.

On paper, seeing Jim Carrey don the green face paint again doesn’t sound like a bad idea. But, that’s not what happened - at all. Jim Carrey didn’t return, which makes you wonder; who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to make a sequel to “The Mask,” without the actor who originally wore it? Jim Carrey’s eclectic performance practically defined the slapstick humor in the first one, so doing any kind of follow-up without his involvement just feels wrong. Especially considering poor Jamie Kennedy was brought in to exclusively do bad impressions and questionable dance moves. “The Mask” deserved much, much better.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“The Matrix Revolutions” (2003)
Three Movies In, Neo’s Slo-Mo Moves Had Some Really Diminishing Returns


“Hannibal” (2001)
Following Up “Silence of the Lambs,” We Expected Better


“Dumb and Dumber To” (2014)
Fart Jokes & Bad Puns Aren’t as Funny the Second Time Around


“Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021)
Lebron James Doesn’t Add to “Space Jam”’s Legacy, He Kills It

In 1994, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves teamed up to save a passenger bus rigged to blow if it fell below fifty miles per hour. It was tense, propulsive, and made a killing at the box office. So, in order to replicate those thrills, “Speed 2” switched venues to… a cruise ship? Yeah, even though it’s literally in the name, this maligned follow-up somehow took all the “speed” out of “Speed.” As unimaginative as its title, “Speed 2” is a boring retread that tries and epically fails to capture the electric thrill of the original. “Disappointing” is too light a word for it. “Embarrassing” is much more accurate.


What’s the worst sequel you’ve ever seen in a theater? Let us know about your buyer’s remorse in the comments below!