15 Failed Sequels (and Why They Crapped the Bed)
![15 Failed Sequels (and Why They Crapped the Bed)](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/5/4/883454_320x180.jpg)
Studios foam at the mouth as an original’s box office numbers climb higher and higher. They might even get on the phone that opening weekend to get the ball rolling on a sequel. And why not? They know it’ll come with the original’s built-in audience, so sure, it might cost them more to pump out a follow up, but the returns are basically a slam dunk! Right?! Come on, guys, right?! Well, not for these entries.
These bad boys cost way more than their original, and made a hell of a lot less. Sometimes, luckily enough, they just managed to make their money back, but there’s a lot of losers here. And we’re never ones to wish ill on any project, but when they don’t even hide the fact that the sequel is a cash grab, we’re cool with them taking a hit. For a myriad of reasons, these 15 sequels just crapped the bed, and we’re here today to find out why.
'Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'
![Failed Sequels J Eh:00 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace When has anyone ever said, The fourth one was the best? A mainstay of worst comic book movies ever lists, it was such a failure that it killed live- action Superman movies for almost 20 years. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/9/883469.jpg)
Warner Bros.
'The Matrix Resurrections'
![Failed Sequels For PC NET PO Rx 7IQ P The Matrix Resurrections A movie not even its creator wanted. Almost 20 years after the trilogy, co-creator Lana Wachowski came on board reluctantly, and it showed. Fans noticed the self-deprecating themes, and it kind of tarnished the trilogy. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/0/883460.jpg)
Warner Bros. Pictures
'Terminator: Dark Fate'
![Failed Sequels Terminator: Dark Fate We must go back and stop this movie from happening! Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and James Cameron reunited to take things too far. This sequel quickly states that the entire mission of the original two films was all for nothing. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/7/0/883470.jpg)
20th Century Studios
'Basic Instinct 2'
![Failed Sequels Basic Instinct 2 A lot changed in 14 years. Back in 1992, the original set the bar in the erotic thrillers genre. But that had long cooled by 2006, so the sequel was behind the times of the standards set by the original. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/1/883461.jpg)
MGM
'Predator 2'
![Failed Sequels Predator 2 Predator 2: Lost in L.A. It sounds like a fictional movie in the BoJack Horseman universe, but nope. Bringing Predator from the rainforest to Los Angeles and overcomplicating the story confused fans, and it fell way short of its successful original. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/5/9/883459.jpg)
20th Century Studios
'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'
![Failed Sequels X-Men: Dark Phoenix It's been done. The final installment of the Fox reboot was same- old, story-wise, as the Jean Grey turned dark plot had been done in X-Men: The Last Stand (which was itself a failed sequel). CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/6/883466.jpg)
20th Century Studios
'Shaft' (2019)
![Failed Sequels Shaft (2019) Shaft failed to pass the baton. Samuel L. Jackson's Shaft in 2000 was a critical and financial success, but in 2019, his return was outdated and unnecessary, and lost almost $15 million. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/7/1/883471.jpg)
Warner Bros. Pictures
'Sin City: A Dame To Kill For'
![Failed Sequels Sin City: A Dame To Kill For A singular style is hard to recapture. Nine years after the original, this sequel kept its great cast and style, but felt irrelevant. It lost over $25 million. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/8/883468.jpg)
Dimension Films
'The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter'
![Failed Sequels The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter A never-ending story that needed an ending after all. The German original film found massive success in the U.S, but the sequel was a step down both visually and in storytelling. Not to mention: it lost almost $20 million. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/2/883462.jpg)
Warner Bros.
'Grease 2'
![Failed Sequels Grease 2 They couldn't catch Grease Lightning in a bottle again. In 1978, Grease was Paramount's second highest grossing film (behind The Godfather). But by 1982, that '50s bad boy style felt stale. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John didn't return for it. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/5/883465.jpg)
Paramount Pictures
'Evan Almighty'
![Failed Sequels Evan Almighty The scene that launched an ark. In Bruce Almighty, fans loved Jim Carrey forcing sleazy news anchor Evan (Steve Carell) to babble on air, but why this warranted an entire Noah's Ark sequel remains a mystery. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/4/883464.jpg)
Universal Pictures
'The Rage: Carrie 2'
![Failed Sequels The Rage: Carrie 2 Just another teen-filled horror flick. In 1976, a blood-soaked teen drama was groundbreaking, but by 1999, we'd seen it all. Critics called it a tired, boring rehash with less horror and more annoying teen angst. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/6/3/883463.jpg)
MGM
'Blues Brothers 2000'
![Failed Sequels Blues Brothers 2000 If you want nostalgia, just watch the original. In 1998, Dan Akroyd teamed up with John Goodman - which seemed like a slam dunk, but it only reminded fans of how good Aykroyd and John Belushi were back in 1980. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/5/8/883458.jpg)
'Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2'
![Failed Sequels They spent more on a weaker version. The DIY original was made for under $500k and raked in $248 million, but this sequel cost $15 million to gross $47.7 million. It used the same basic formula, but managed to make it worse. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/5/7/883457.jpg)
Artisan Entertainment
'Batman & Robin'
![Failed Sequels The franchise failed to land on a tone. Where fans and critics thought Tim Burton's second Batman was too dark, Joel Schumacher overcorrected with a cartoonish installment featuring the now-iconic Bat Nipples. Batman & Robin CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/4/5/6/883456.jpg)
Warner Bros. Pictures