Top 20 Cash Grab Movies

There’s no spell in all of Hogwarts capable of hiding this money-grubbing scheme. When distributor Warner Bros. ran out of mainline “Harry Potter” books to adapt, they looked to “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” For context, this spinoff is not even a real story. It’s an in-universe textbook with about as many photos as words. Even worse, the film series was pitched as a five-part franchise. But, those hopes evaporated when the first “Fantastic Beasts” film became one of the lowest-grossing “Harry Potter” films to date. Each successive installment grossed less and less, until the entire series got quietly canceled altogether. Clearly, these wizards have lost their magic.

Back in 2016, films based on video games didn’t exactly have the greatest reputation. Things like “The Angry Birds Movie” are exactly why. Many felt that the near-storyless mobile game had no right filling up a 90 minute feature film, and sadly, nothing in the final product convinced them otherwise. The middling diversion felt like a cheap attempt to cash in on “Angry Birds” brand recognition, and nothing more. Not even the energetic voice cast could salvage a movie that was obviously made for dollar signs instead of genuine craft. In the end, this nose-diving feature only proved that “Angry Birds” should keep their hijinks to phone screens.

Ironically, the biggest sin here isn’t the namesake city; it’s that this movie exists at all. After the breakout success of the 2005 film, the franchise spent nearly a decade on ice, before reemerging with “A Dame to Kill For.” It was a critical and commercial dud, with even the most fervid fanboys calling it unnecessary. Then again, this is far from the first time Frank Miller material has struggled making the leap to the big screen. A similar fate befell “The Spirit,” a movie so enraptured with its comic strip origins, it forgot how to be an entertaining film. Next time, they should just leave Miller’s work alone.

It’s not every day you see a cult-favorite turn into a lame franchise in the span of a single film. “When Harry Met Lloyd” is just that bad. This prequel tried to buy into the goodwill of the original without anything that made it work in the first place. Both in front of or behind the camera. “Dumb and Dumberer” has new writers, a new director, and most egregiously of all, new actors playing Harry and Lloyd. While the fresh cast tries their best, audiences agreed that there’s no point in “Dumb and Dumber” without Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Unfortunately, studio New Line Cinema had to learn that lesson the hard way.

This sequel asks a very important question: What’s “Blues Brothers” without John Belushi? The answer is not a lot. In fact, following Belushi’s death in 1982, initial plans for a follow-up were put on indefinite hold. At least, for a while. Salivating at the idea of a sequel, Universal Pictures eventually dusted off the IP and pumped out “Blues Brothers 2000.” Belushi’s absence makes the whole thing feel pointless from the very beginning - and that’s without even mentioning the cringey shock-out humor. It’s a complete downgrade in just about every conceivable way. If anything, “Blues Brothers 2000” reinforces the idea that the original can never be replicated.

This slasher series should have died a long time ago. To be fair, they’ve tried. A couple times, actually. 1993’s “Jason Goes to Hell” was literally dubbed “The Final Friday.” And it was… for all of eight years. In a shameless attempt to wring more cash out of the series, the machete-wielding killer returned yet again for the sci-fi leaning “Jason X.” While not without some fun moments, the tired routine left everyone with a feeling “been there, done that.” And it has the poor box-office returns to prove it. Slasher villains usually come back to life, but for the sake of Jason’s dignity, he should’ve just stayed in hell.

Kevin McCallister’s holiday hijinks are Christmas staples for very good reason. The sequels, however? Not so much. Credit where it's due, “Home Alone 3” at least got a proper theatrical release. That’s more than we can say for the two made-for-TV movies, and the straight-to-streaming reboot on Disney+. It’s a shame; Macaulay Culkin’s hiatus from acting gave the franchise a chance to end on a high note with “Home Alone 2.” But, instead, these soulless follow-ups have watered down the brand into a shell of its former self. It’s obvious that most viewers left with Kevin McCallister, and given what’s followed, we can’t even blame them.

Money talks, and at the time of its release, “The Blair Witch Project” was doing a whole lot of talking. Distributor Artisan Entertainment wanted to fast track a sequel while the iron was hot. So much so, they pushed forward without the original’s production company. In layman’s terms, that meant new creatives, a new cast, and an extremely tight-turnaround to meet a Halloween release date. You can probably guess how it turned out. Without a clear vision or the first film’s found-footage presentation, “Book of Shadows” failed to live up to its esteemed legacy. Not with critics, not with audiences, and not with Artisan Entertainment’s wallets. Scary stuff, indeed.

Despite how it may seem, this is “Hellboy” in name alone. Whether you like the premise, the source material, or the camp of the original films, this is not for you. Even though he helmed the beloved earlier entries, Guillermo del Toro wasn’t even offered to return as writer and director for this reboot. Without him behind the camera, original Hellboy actor Ron Perlman refused to join, either. You may be asking, without them, why bother making a “Hellboy” movie at all? Great question! This horrid reboot tried to wring some money out of the brand, but all it did was go down as one of the year's biggest box-office bombs.

Hollywood has never found a trend they don’t want to run into the ground. Case in point, “Paranormal Activity.” The first did baffo business back in 2007. But, instead of looking at its novel found-footage format, Paramount Pictures saw a whole lot of green in its name recognition. Like clockwork, they began churning out sequel after sequel on a near yearly basis. The scares dried up, the story became a mess, and the shaky-cam footage felt more cheap than inventive. But, that didn’t stop Paramount Pictures from continuing to push “Paranormal Activity” well beyond its expiration date. Nowadays, the franchise has officially spoiled into yet another horror has-been.

Say what you will about the bevy of underwhelming “Terminator” sequels, but at least most of them have some unique ideas. “Genisys,” on the other hand, is basically a glorified trek through memory lane, and not even a particularly good one. While Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return is certainly appreciated, the nostalgia wears off fast when you realize how little “Genisys” brings to the table. Instead of pushing the story forward, it goes the multiversal route in order to recreate the franchise’s best moments. But, in doing so, “Terminator: Genisys” never finds a compelling reason to be. After all, if we wanted to watch a good apocalyptic film, we could just turn on “T2: Judgement Day.”

Appendices or not, J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel to “The Lord of the Rings” is a pretty brief story. Not that studio Warner Bros. cared when it came to their big-screen cash-cow. Director Peter Jackson can defend the choice all he wants, but there’s absolutely no reason a 300 page book needed to be three, feature-length films. Well, no reason except Warner Bros.’ wallet. Look, we aren’t saying “The Hobbit” movies are bad by any stretch of the word. But, you have to admit one thing. If Warner Bros. really cared about the source material, this bloated franchise would’ve been as short as an actual hobbit.

In 1996, the white house exploded on movie screens with trailblazing results. But, that’s a bit of a misnomer. Amid the alien invasion, the secret ingredient to “Independence Day’s” success was the burgeoning star power of Will Smith. Unfortunately, “Resurgence” forgot that part of the recipe. Some rumors allege that Smith was deemed too expensive to get back, and if that’s true, it just goes to show where the studio’s priorities really were. Without Smith’s leading man charm, all you're left with is another generic action film that just so happens to have a classic film’s name slapped on top. It’s really no wonder “Resurgence” underperformed.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” was, well, Indiana Jones’ last crusade. But, never underestimate how much studio’s love a franchise. In the name of some pocket change, Indy came out of retirement in 2008 for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” To say it was underwhelming would be putting it lightly. It shamelessly relived the character’s glory days without meaningfully adding to them in any way. The worst part is that the studios didn’t even learn their lesson. Fifteen years later, they got Harrison Ford back yet again for another flimsy follow-up, “Dial of Destiny.” Some advice? Just let Indy retire already.

From the moment Michael Jordan refused to come back, Warner Bros. should’ve taken the hint and let “Space Jam” rest as a fantastic standalone work. But, no, they just had to turn it into a film series. Coming in over twenty years after the original, “A New Legacy” doesn’t even try to shake things up. It’s the same, rehashed routine as the first, but this time, delivered without any shred of wit or humor. Plus, with all due respect to LeBron James, he simply can’t dribble a ball to Michael Jordan in the acting department. Poetically, all “A New Legacy” did was ensure that “Space Jam’s” reputation is now a glass-half empty.

Live-action, animated, whatever. The real issue here is why anyone thought we needed another version of “The Lion King” in the first place. Simba’s quest to reclaim his pride is a timeless story that holds up to this day. It didn’t need a remake; especially one with a distinct lack of new ideas. Admittedly, 2019’s “The Lion King” is a tour-de-force of visual effects. But its commitment to realism also robs the characters of the charm and personality they had in the original. Too different to satisfy but too safe to stand on its own, “The Lion King” remake feels like it was made for all the wrong reasons.

Another classic comedy flick; another sequel that recasts Jim Carrey. You’d think Hollywood would’ve learned their lesson after “When Harry Met Lloyd.” But, despite that, they still barreled ahead with another “Ace Ventura” film that doesn’t include the Ace Ventura we all know and love. Instead of Carrey’s delightful unhinged antics, this made-for-TV special introduces his son, named - you guessed it - Ace Ventura Jr.. The movie doesn’t get any more clever than that. It’s not funny, it’s not entertaining, and it’s not a good “Ace Ventura” film. Since there hasn't been much headway on a proper follow-up since, Cartoon Network’s sleazy use of the brand may have actually destroyed it for good.

Jim Carrey brought this title character to life in a classic 90s comedy before getting recast in the maligned sequel… wait, is there an echo in here? Yes, once again, Jim Carrey left a franchise, and it went down in flames. In this case, they pivoted to the Mask’s never-before-mentioned son, played by Jamie Kennedy. And, just like every other Carrey-less sequel in existence, it’s a total trainwreck of a movie. Kennedy himself has since gone on the record lambasting the final cut and laying the blame on the studio’s rewrites. But, even if “Son of the Mask” was genuinely great, the lack of Jim Carrey would still make it a money-grubbing misfire.

At this point, when they say to get out of the water, they’re talking to studio executives. Never ones to leave money on the table, they took Steven Spielberg’s industry-defining blockbuster, and turned it into a parody of itself. Just look at “Jaws 3-D,” a movie so bad, it’s flat-out ignored in the fourth film’s continuity. That’s not to say “Jaws: The Revenge” is any better. It was cobbled together in just nine months to meet a summer release date, and boy can you tell. The story practically falls apart on screen, only to be stitched back together by more nonsensical shark attacks. “Jaws” deserved better than to go out like this.

You’d think that “Speed’s” gimmicky concept wouldn’t lend itself to follow-ups. But, this is Hollywood we’re talking about, and they weren’t going to let something as silly as “story integrity” stop them. “Speed 2: Cruise Control” moves the action from a high-speed bus to an ocean liner, with the pacing to match. There’s no Keanu Reeves, no edge-of-your-seat thrills, and no reason to watch. It’s glaringly evident that there was only one thing on anyone’s mind when filming this, and it wasn’t making a good movie. As a result, “Cruise Control” is considered not only one of the worst sequels ever made, but one of the worst movies, period. So much for a franchise, huh?