Top 20 Biggest Movie Sequel Bombs of All Time
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the Top 20 Movie Sequel Bombs of All Time.For this list, we’ll be looking at the lamest movie sequels that failed to capitalize on their predecessor’s success. Did you enjoy any of these sequels? Let us know in the comments below!
#20: “Batman & Robin” (1997)
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To be honest, the cracks were starting to show with “Batman Forever.” While it made a truckload of money, the tonal change from dark to colorful and comedic was critically reviled. And then came “Batman & Robin.” Now one of the internet’s biggest jokes (bat nipples, anyone?), this film is a mess from beginning to end. It was even worse than “Forever” and made much less, with a gross of just $238 million. Analysts agreed that the movie probably broke even, with a budget between $125 and $160 million. But “break even” is not what Warner Bros. wanted, and “Batman & Robin” effectively killed the franchise. It was rebooted eight years later with Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins.”
#19: “The Chronicles of Riddick” (2004)
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We honestly have no idea what Universal was thinking here. “Pitch Black” was a fairly standard horror movie about characters escaping from monsters while a reluctant antihero protects them from the dangers. This antihero was such a popular character that they decided to give him his own story. Only, they switched the genre from horror to big budget science fiction and took the series and character in a more fanciful direction. It wasn’t what fans of “Pitch Black” were hoping for. On a budget of about $105 million, the movie grossed only $57 million in domestic markets, and $115 million worldwide. And that wasn’t what the studio was hoping for. Fair trade.
#18: “Look Who's Talking Now” (1993)
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The first “Look Who's Talking” was a huge success in 1989, making nearly forty times its $7.5 million budget with a gross of $297 million. This understandably launched a franchise, which experienced diminishing returns. The second movie, ingeniously titled “Look Who's Talking Too,” grossed $121 million. And the third movie, “Look Who's Talking Now,” was a disaster. It holds a rare 0% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed an abysmal $10 million, which is less than the first movie made in its opening weekend. Blame was placed around. Some attributed its failure to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which was dominating at the box office. Others took aim at the movie’s quality. Whatever the case, it was an embarrassment for the ages.
#17: “The Whole Ten Yards” (2004)
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“The Whole Nine Yards” made $106 million on a $41 million budget. So what’s next? Well, “The Whole Ten Yards,” of course! The budget was pretty much the same, coming in just $1 million shy of its predecessor. But it made a lot less. It opened over the Easter weekend, which should have given it a nice boost. But harsh reviews hurt its chances and it grossed a very disappointing $7.4 million, coming in ninth behind “Ella Enchanted.” It went on to gross just $26 million, making it both a critical and financial failure. We don’t know if anyone wanted to see “The Whole Eleven Yards,” but this performance ensured that they wouldn’t.
#16: XXX: State of the Union” (2005)
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The first “XXX” was a fun movie that perfectly embodied that machismo skater-bro attitude of the early 2000s. Fast cars, extreme stunts, Vin Diesel - what more could you want? Well, even more Vin Diesel would be nice. Unfortunately, Sony didn’t get the memo and replaced him with Ice Cube for this misguided sequel. Titled “State of the Union,” the second “XXX” film was coldly received, with its illogical plot, poor filmmaking, and significant lack of Vin Diesel earning criticism. It opened in third with $12 million before finishing with a $71 million total. With a budget of $113 million, this movie crashed harder than the Corvette that Xander Cage drove off a bridge.
#15: “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation” (1997)
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This sequel is firmly in the Bad Movie Hall of Fame. In fact, you could argue that it’s one of the sloppiest films ever released by a major studio. The first “Mortal Kombat” is fondly remembered by those seeking some ‘90s nostalgia, and it earned a very respectable $122 million. If anything, it proved that video game adaptations could actually be good. “Annihilation” undid all that goodwill in 95 excruciating minutes. Producer Lawrence Kasinoff later admitted that the movie was unfinished, which goes a long way in explaining its poor quality. While it opened relatively strong with $16.7 million, poor word of mouth quickly spread, and it ended up grossing just $51 million worldwide. Plans for a third film were immediately dropped.
#14: “Caddyshack II” (1988)
It doesn’t get much more iconic than the first “Caddyshack.” Released in 1980, it was directed by legendary filmmaker Harold Ramis and contains a who’s who of cinematic legends. It was also a huge hit, grossing ten times its budget with a $60 million take. About the best thing to come from “Caddyshack II” is Kenny Loggins’s “Nobody’s Fool.” Everything else is laughable, and not in a good way. Many people associated with the movie regret making it, including Ramis, director Allan Arkush, and Warner Bros’s then-head of production, Mark Canton. Bill Murray has also spoken negatively about it. The sequel was a huge flop, making just under $12 million on a $20 million budget.
#13: “Speed 2: Cruise Control” (1997)
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Sequels that replace or discard beloved characters almost never work. The first “Speed” is a classic of the action genre. Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock have exceptional chemistry, and their relationship is a big part of the movie’s success. But Reeves turned down the sequel for a variety of reasons, and he was replaced with Jason Patric. Nothing against him, but it just didn’t work. Neither did the movie’s setting, with most critics finding a cruise ship to be a horribly boring and illogical choice. “Speed 2” earned eight Razzie nominations and made $164 million - about half of the first movie’s $350 million. It was dead in the water and failed to recoup its budget.
#12: “Alice Through the Looking Glass” (2016)
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We think “Alice in Wonderland” even surprised Disney. Few people could have foreseen the success of the first movie, which earned three Oscar nominations and grossed over $1 billion. Yet hardly anyone saw “Alice Through the Looking Glass.” The three Oscar noms were replaced by three Razzie nods, including Worst Supporting Actor for Johnny Depp. It also grossed less than a third of the original, finishing with just $300 million. Only $77 million of this was from the domestic market. This is especially embarrassing when compared to the first movie, which made $116 million in its opening weekend alone. These effects don’t come cheap, and it’s estimated that “Alice Through the Looking Glass” lost Disney about $70 million.
#11: “Zoolander 2” (2016)
Sequels that come over ten years after the original almost never do well. The first “Zoolander” opened in September 2001 and grossed a very modest $60 million. But it has since become something of a cult classic, prompting the production of this far-too-late sequel. Released almost fifteen years later in February 2016, “Zoolander 2” received harsh reviews and eight Razzie nominations, with Kristen Wiig winning for Worst Supporting Actress. It grossed just $15 million over the Presidents' Day weekend, opening in fourth behind the unstoppable “Deadpool.” It went on to make less than the original with $56.7 million. Even worse, this movie had a budget of $50 million, whereas the first cost half that.
#10: “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore” (2022)
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Warner Bros. is sitting on a gold mine with their rights to the “Harry Potter” universe. Yet we’ve never seen an IP so badly bungled. Both “The Crimes of Grindelwald” and “The Secrets of Dumbledore” were immensely disappointing, and the latter didn’t have the goodwill of the first movie to fall back on. As such, it really floundered at the box office. It earned just $407 million, making it the lowest-grossing entry in the entire Harry Potter franchise. And with a budget of $200 million, these were not the numbers that Warner Bros. wanted. J.K. Rowling claimed that they were making five “Fantastic Beasts” movies, but the horrible performance of this one all but killed those hopes.
#9: “Independence Day: Resurgence” (2016)
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We feel like “Independence Day” is one of those movies that didn’t need a sequel. And even if it did, it was a “strike while the iron was hot” sort of deal. Instead, “Resurgence” pulled a “Zoolander 2” and was released twenty years after the original. As a result, it grossed about half of the original, with a global take of $390 million. Against a production budget of $165 million, it was considered a major disappointment. The reasons for its failure are many, including the long gap between movies, fierce competition from other releases, so-called “sequelitis,” and a significant lack of Will Smith.
#8: “Evan Almighty” (2007)
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Movies don’t get much more unnecessary or ridiculous than “Evan Almighty.” This sequel to “Bruce Almighty” follows Evan, the slimy news anchor from the original who probably earned his own spinoff solely for that scene where Bruce forces him to babble his way through the news. In this film, Evan is forced into the role of Noah and builds a massive ark for an upcoming flood. Yes, they couldn’t even think of an original story idea, and to make matters worse, the movie came with a staggering $175 million bill. Alas, the profits were washed away when the film ended up grossing only $173 million worldwide.
#7: “Shaft” (2019)
Sure, the 2000 “Shaft” - which was simultaneously a remake of the 1971 film and a storyline sequel - topped the box office and was received positively by critics. But it doesn’t mean that putting Samuel L. Jackson back into the role of the man related to the original John Shaft will also similarly succeed. That’s obviously what the filmmakers behind this second remake-sequel hoped for when they released 2019’s “Shaft,” which followed Shaft’s now-grown son J.J. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.In fact, the action comedy made only a paltry $21 million at the box office while its budget ranged between $30-35 million. The update to the “Shaft” series was more outdated than anything else.
#6: “Basic Instinct 2” (2006)
Yes, this IS a real movie. And yes, it was something that absolutely no one asked for. The original “Basic Instinct” is a fine movie, but its main claim to fame was the sensual performance of Sharon Stone. It was a film that teenagers covertly rented and hid from their parents. Now here’s an unwanted sequel, released fourteen years later, and at a time when sexuality wasn’t nearly as taboo and didn’t guarantee big money. And big money it did not make. The movie opened to an abysmal $3 million and stayed in theatres for only 17 days before being pulled with a total domestic tally of $5.9 million.
#5: “Terminator: Dark Fate” (2019)
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While retconning may allow for a clean slate or at least for another chance to atone for past mistakes, it’s not always gonna help return an intellectual property to its former glory. While critics seemed to agree that this 6th film was better than many installments before it, “Dark Fate” still did not blow them or audiences away. Acting as a direct sequel to the first two “Terminator” flicks, the sci-fi action movie didn’t only rehash previous plot points, but also ended up becoming a box office bomb. When comparing its $185-196 million production budget to its box office earnings of $255 million, the film’s break-even point has estimates pointing to a studio loss of up to $130 million!
#4: “Blues Brothers 2000” (1998)
And you thought “Caddyshack II” was unnecessary. “The Blues Brothers” is a cult classic, released to critical acclaim and notable financial success in 1980. Nearly twenty years later, an extraordinarily unneeded sequel was released with John Goodman trying to fill John Belushi’s shoes. It went over about as well as you’d expect. While some people saw the movie as a passable tribute to the original with a kickass soundtrack, others saw it as a woefully disappointing sequel that tarnished the original and insulted the memory of Belushi. The movie only grossed $14 million at the box office, about 12% of the original’s $115 million gross.
#3: “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” (2014)
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Coming in just barely under a decade after the original “Sin City,” “A Dame to Kill For” captures the same visual magic as its predecessor and retains much of its charming cast, including Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke. There are even some exciting new additions, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Josh Brolin, and Eva Green. While the cast and style were certainly there, the relevance had LONG gone. With an estimated budget of $65 million, the movie grossed a tragically horrendous $13 million at the domestic box office. It didn’t fare much better overseas, accumulating a worldwide gross of only $39 million. Now that’s a depressing tale worthy of “Sin City.”
#2: “Dark Phoenix” (2019)
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You’d think after 12 tries, they would have figured out the formula to box office success by now… unfortunately, the directorial debut of Simon Kinberg, who wrote several of the previous films’ screenplays, still did not get things right. At least when it comes to the numbers it didn’t - though critics’ reviews of the movies were quite unfavorable as well. The sequel to 2016’s “X-Men: Apocalypse” sees the failure of a space mission and the X-Men having to take on the titular Phoenix. However, despite an ensemble cast, this conclusion to Fox’s “X-Men” franchise would go on to become the series’ lowest-grossing film, disappointingly making only about $52 million more than its $200 million production budget.
#1: “Son of the Mask” (2005)
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Making a sequel to “The Mask” without Jim Carrey is one thing. Replacing him with Jamie Kennedy is another. “Son of the Mask” was far too wacky, which is saying something, considering the frantic energy of the original. The humor was childish - and don’t even get us started on that freaky CGI baby. It’s baffling that this comedy was greenlit with a budget between $84-100 million! What isn’t baffling, however, is that the film only earned $17 million at the domestic box office and $57 million worldwide, seemingly proving that everyone thought this movie belonged at the bottom of a river, just like its titular mask.
