Some completely missed the mark
The popular Police Academy film series pushed it too far with 'Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol.' You can spot the unoriginal slapstick gags coming at every turn.
The 'Scary Movie' film series is juvenile at the best of times, but number five takes the cake. As one critic put it: "A film composed almost entirely of jokes that were much funnier when you read them on Twitter years ago."
This sequel to the 2003 film 'Daddy Day Care' seemed to be a rather desperate money grab off the back of the relative success of the original. The humor relies entirely on bodily functions and the laughs are few and far between!
'The Next Karate Kid' was an unnecessary fourth instalment in the 'Karate Kid' series. Despite good performances from Pat Morita and a young Hilary Swank, it was a pretty feeble attempt to keep the franchise going.
'Big Momma's House' was hardly the height of comedic genius, but somehow it managed to become a franchise. The low ratings dropped even lower for 'Big Momma's House 2.' The third instalment was even worse.
Despite appearances from Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci, the fifth in Michael Bay's Transformers series was a total flop (with the critics, if not the box office).
The last movie in the 'Jaws' franchise really put the final nail in the coffin. All of the tension and magnetism of the first movie was gone and not even Michael Caine could save it.
'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace' was pretty on-theme at the time of its release given the recent end of the Cold War. Superman is on a mission to gather up all the nuclear weapons in the world and destroy them. Unfortunately, it's boring, the special effects are poor, and it was another disappointing instalment of a franchise that was already going down hill.
'The Lost World: Jurassic Park' was the final Jurassic Park movie directed by Steven Spielberg. Even a genius like him couldn't keep the franchise going for that long.
'The Matrix' was such a genre-defining sensation that nothing could really follow it. While the sequels aren't terrible, they're simply not on par with the original, which leaves the viewer disappointed every time.
'Zoolander' is a comedy classic. Why bring out this disappointing rehash 15 years later? The numerous celebrity cameos did little to help.
'Meet the Parents' is a classic, 'Meet the Fockers' is a disappointing sequel, and 'Little Fockers' is just insulting to viewers.
The modern fourth instalment of the Indiana Jones series turned Indy into a joke. He's a character who was always in a little over his head, but the old man jokes in this one get old fast.
'The Hangover Part II' simply tells exactly the same story as the first movie, but this time it's in Thailand. It's a pointless exercise and a clear attempt to turn a lone-standing hit into a franchise for the sake of profits.
The original 'Grease' is brilliant for its flamboyance, innuendos, and and over-the-top musical numbers. 'Grease 2' loses all of the good points and reminds us that this storyline has no depth whatsoever.
'The Godfather: Part III' is by no means the worst movie ever made, but as the follow-up to two of the best movies ever made, it couldn't be anything but disappointing.
The original writers of 'Dumb and Dumber' did not want to see their heroes go on! But they allowed the studio to hand the project over to someone else for this prequel, and the results are just what you'd expect.
We thought it couldn't get any worse after 'Live Free or Die Hard,' but they managed to pull it off. The 'Die Hard' franchise should have come to an end several movies ago and you can tell that Bruce Willis' heart isn't in it anymore.
For a movie series based around relatable dating foibles, the second movie took a strange turn. In 'Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason,' Jones ends up in a Thai prison after accidentally smuggling cocaine in her suitcase. Seems as though they may have run out of ideas for this character.
'Cheaper by the Dozen 2' was a sequel to the remake of the original, so as you can imagine things had gotten predictable. Unfortunately the great comedic talents of Steve Martin and Eugene Levy were wasted on this one.
'The Blair Witch Project' is the bar for found-footage horror films. The sequel was just a massive waste of money. It completely lacked the originality of the first movie and simply borrowed tropes from its predecessor and other standard horror flicks.
Sources: (Insider) (Rotten Tomatoes)
'The Blues Brothers' was arguably one of the best comedy musicals of all time. Unfortunately, the legacy of that great film was sullied by this over-the-top rewrite.
Will Smith skipped out on the sequel to 'Independence Day,' leaving Jeff Goldblum and Liam Hemsworth holding the bag. Looks like he made the right choice! The 2018 follow-up was torn apart by critics.
The fifth in the Terminator franchise sees Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke take a lurching adventure through time that doesn't really tick any of the boxes. The action-packed spectacle of the original was totally missing.
Jamie Kennedy simply could not live up to Jim Carrey's performance, and his attempt earned him a nomination for a Razzie award.
'Basic Instinct' is one of those movies that will live forever as a cultural reference, but 'Basic Instinct 2' did not need to happen. Fourteen years after the original they tested the waters again, and the waters said no.
The 1990s-era Batman movies were pretty bizarre and outlandish, but this one was really off the rails. Arnold Schwarzenegger was reportedly paid US$25 million to dress up as a silver living statue to play Mr. Freeze, but even that couldn't save this film!
'Spider-Man 3' was the last of the Spider-Man movies directed by Sam Raimi and starring Toby Maguire. There's a sense of burnout from all involved.
As expected, 'RoboCop 3' was the worst of the RoboCop trilogy. By this point, all the sophistication of the first film had disintegrated and it was just a typical '90s action movie about an evil corporation run by nefarious foreigners causing trouble.
Bad sequels are a trend that has plagued Hollywood for decades. There's definitely something to be said for a director who respects their art enough to call it quits at the right moment. Just because a sequel might make money doesn't mean the integrity of the story can be maintained.
The phrase "let sleeping dogs lie" is extremely appropriate here! Click through this gallery to see some of the most awful, disappointing, and laughable sequels ever made.
The worst movie sequels of all time
Dear God, not another one...
MOVIES Film franchise
Bad sequels are a trend that has plagued Hollywood for decades. There's definitely something to be said for a director who respects their art enough to call it quits at the right moment. Just because a sequel might make money doesn't mean the integrity of the story can be maintained.
The phrase "let sleeping dogs lie" is extremely appropriate here! Click through this gallery to see some of the most awful, disappointing, and laughable sequels ever made.