Top 10 WORST Comedy Sequels

The original “Teen Wolf” is a classic, but “Teen Wolf Too?” People consider it a classic pile of… you know. Anyway, in this sequel, they replaced Michael J. Fox with Jason Bateman, which is a pretty good pick if we’re being honest: Bateman’s funny and a solid actor, but despite his charm, he couldn’t save this movie. Playing Fox character’s cousin, Bateman’s college scholarship depends on his success in a big boxing match, so it’s a good thing he has that Teen Wolf gene! Yes, that’s the plot they chose, and audiences did not respond: “Teen Wolf Too” holds a 7% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

After the first “Kindergarten Cop” pulled $202 million at the box office in 1990, a sequel made total sense. What didn’t make sense, however, was making that sequel 26 years later. Somehow, we think the franchise’s buzz and humor may’ve been lost since then. Following a similar plot to the first film, the sequel features a law enforcement officer, played by Dolph Lundgren and not Schwarzenegger this time, who – duh – goes undercover as a Kindergarten teacher. In the new age of intelligent, evolved comedies, the “big-man juggling little kids” shtick just did not land with crowds.

“Hot Tub Time Machine 1” had a pretty outrageous plot, but its strong cast and clever humor ensured quality and made it a cult classic. However, its follow-up didn’t exactly garner the same praise. While John Cusack’s departure wasn’t the end of the world – especially considering the comedy chops of his replacement, Adam Scott – the cast wasn’t given enough to work with. In this one, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, and Rob Corddry travel to the future and clown around again, but that wasn’t enough for audiences: “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” only grossed around $13 million, failing to recoup its budget.

Speaking of cult classics, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson set a new standard for quotable hilarity in 2001’s “Zoolander,” so a sequel was long overdue – but, wow, were people upset when the final product came out. Part of the problem was the hype, because if this were a normal comedy bomb, nobody would be too upset, but this is a “Zoolander” movie! The first was so great that fans found this sequel and its utter failure offensive. The film was criticized for relying too heavily on celebrity cameos rather than a strong script with quality jokes. Oh well, we’ll always have “Zoolander 1.”

Rob Schneider is… a carrot! Okay, maybe not, but he was a gigolo in these two films, and that’s almost equally outrageous. Now the first “Deuce Bigalow” film was fairly popular; sure it didn’t get great reviews, but it did gross over $90 million, and that ain’t bad. What is bad, at least according to both critics and fans this time, is the sequel. The European setting and murder mystery plot weren’t well received, and while the movie didn’t totally bomb, it didn’t live up to the standard set by the first. More importantly, fans didn’t enjoy its lack of humor, and when you’re a cult film, you gotta please the fans.

This list keeps reminding us of great movies, then brings us back to earth with the bad sequels. Like others on this list, the first “Blues Brothers” film is a certified classic. John Belushi, Dan Akyroyd, Carrie Fisher, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, John Candy, James Brown… incredible! Sadly, the tragic loss of John Belushi in the 18-years between the first and second films meant the original blues brothers couldn’t reunite, and the film suffered for it. John Goodman is a great actor, but he’s just not Belushi. Fans didn’t flock, and the second mission from god – winning the battle of the bands – didn’t inspire.

Alright, before you YouTube commenters start in on us, we know that our criteria said a big part of the consideration process depends on the first film, and we also know the first “Grown Ups” is despised by many and was critically panned. We know all this, BUT it also owned the box office. Earning $271 million means that more than a few people enjoyed it. Still, we’re not giving the second film a box office pass. With 7% on Rotten Tomatoes and an even lazier script than the first, fans felt Sandler and pals just found an excuse to get together and make a few dollars, but they seemed to forget the laughs.

This one falls into a similar category as the previous entry: 2009’s first installment was kind of enjoyed by fans and earned a strong showing at the box office, but wow did fans and critics not receive the sequel well. Why? Well it probably had something to do with the same old fat-shaming jokes and the “falling off the Segway” humor. Even the New York Post – a tabloid newspaper – gave the film 1 out of 4 stars. Coming as a surprise to no one, “Paul Blart 2” earned more than a few Razzie nominations.

Based on this and a lot of the entries on this list, a sequel suffers when it loses a star from the first installment. That rule can be multiplied for “Caddyshack II,” as not only did it lose one star from the first, it lost everyone all but Chevy Chase. No Rodney Dangerfield, no Ted Knight, no Michael O’Keefe, no Bill Murray; the film failed to bring back all of those stars. Sadly, it also failed to bring in fans or impress critics. It only earned $11.8 million, and holds a 4% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable, or in this case, dishonorable, mentions.
- “Big Momma’s House 2” (2006)
- “Are We Done Yet?” (2007)
- “Daddy Day Camp” (2007)

This one also falls victim to the pitfalls we’ve seen consistently on this list: it lost a star, it features a lazy plot, it performed poorly at the box office… And to be honest, poor Jamie Kennedy was in for a rough ride trying to replace Jim Carrey; it was unfair to expect him to live up to that level of physical comedy talent. Still, the film really needed a star to carry it, because the writing did not. Fans and critics lamented “Son of the Mask” for failing to deliver well-crafted jokes or scenes, instead relying on over-the-top special effects. Missing every mark, it’s a fitting film to top this list.