It’s anuphill battle for follow up films. Superior sequel pictures are given bigger budgets, stronger casts and higher stakes, but despite being recognized as the superior installment by fans and critics, the box office results are lower than the previous movie.
When given an opportunity to right the wrongs of its predecessor,The Suicide Squadyielded stronger critical praise. Motion pictures like the comic book sequel remain in the shadow of the weaker initial installment because of low box office performances.
10’Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer' (2007)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surferpits Marvel’s first family against Doctor Doom and Galactus. Both films received mixed reviews, however, critics considered the sequel the stronger half of the series.
RELATED:What Marvel Movies Were Like Before Disney Owned Marvel
The second film featured more villains, a bigger budget and more references to the comics like the Fantasticar. The additions weren’t enough to lift the weak box office performance.
9’Paddington 2' (2017)
ThePaddingtonseries is a film adaption of the popular children’s book centered around a lovable bear. Both installments were commercial successes, however,Paddington 2made less money than the original at the ticket booth.
The worthier sequel is ranked higher in regard to the Rotten Tomato critic scores. The original motion picture outpacedPaddington 2at the box office by almost $60 million.
8'10 Cloverfield Lane' (2016)
10 Cloverfield Laneis the second entry into theCloverfieldanthology series. The superior performances in the sequel byJohn GoodmanandMary Elizabeth Winsteadweren’t enough to eclipse the revenue made by the first picture.
10 Cloverfield Laneis the bigger critical success and has the highest ratings of the series on Rotten Tomato. The thinner budgeted bottle film brought in $62 million less than the original at the ticket booth.
7’Bumblebee' (2018)
The sixth installment in theTransformersfranchise is the prequelBumblebeethat showcased an origin story for the canary Autobot. The origin story was the most well received picture by critics, but had the worst box office performance in the series.
RELATED:What We Hope ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ Carries Over From ‘Bumblebee’
Bumblebeeis the only film in the franchise with a positive Rotten Tomato critic score. Suffering from the sins of its forefathers, the film possibly had trouble gaining attention during promotion because of the diminishing expectations and ticket sales that had plagued the franchise after the third installment.
6Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clonesis the second addition to theStar Warsprequels. Regarded as the stronger entry of the two, the sequel trailsStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menacein box office performance.
Despite higher ratings on Rotten Tomato, IMDb and Metacritic,Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Cloneshad softer box office totals thanThe Phantom Menace. Someoutlets consider it a marginal improvement, but the first film is the highest grossing movie in the prequel series despite garnering the most polarizing reviews.
5’Superman II' (1980)
A majority of the comic book movie fanatics considersSuperman IIto be thegreatest Superman movie. The second picture is an excellent follow-up, but came in $100 million shy of the revenue mark set bySuperman.
Featuring Zod and his henchmen, legitimate threats for the Man of Steel, the movie bolstered more action and tougher villains. Famous film criticsRoger EbertandGene Siskelgifted the film three and three-and-a-half stars out of four respectively. Siskel found the sequel to be “better than the original”.
The Suicide Squadis a follow up to 2016’sSuicide Squadand is centered around a disposable group of mercenaries hired by the government to complete suicide missions. The teetering property was reenergized when the sequel garnered critical praise, but the weak box office performance paled in comparison to the first movie.
RELATED:10 Main Characters Who Didn’t Return for the Movie Sequel
The first picture was the victim of last minute script changes, excessive studio interference and late reshoots.The Suicide Squadis regarded as at the stronger picture because of it’s performances, writing and critical acclaim.The movie’s poor box office resultswere credited to COVID restrictions and an early streaming release to HBO Max.
3’Aliens' (1986)
Considered one of the best sequels of all time,Aliensdid a phenomenal job in following the footsteps of the original.James Cameron’sfollow-up picture surpassedAlienin action, but missed the mark in ticket sales.
Empire ranked Aliens over the originalas one of the top 100 films of all time. The superior sequel garnered seven Oscar nomination and took home two trophies compared to the two nominations and one win fromRidley Scott’sAlien.
2’Spider-Man 2' (2004)
Most fans would agree that the sequel toSpider-Manis the de facto best film in theSam Raimitrilogy, but the the proof escapes the numbers. Outpacing the previous installment in nearly every statistical category,Spider-Man 2was commercially outperformed by the original.
RELATED:Live Action ‘Spider-Man Noir’ Series In Development at Amazon
Spider-Man 2is considered the peak of the series and hoisted an Academy Award for Visual Effects and the move sits atop the Rotten Tomato rankings for the trilogy. The highly decorated sequel failed to cross the $800 million mark like it’s predecessor, but is still considered the superior installment by most fans and critics.
1’Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' (1980)
The sequel toStar Wars: Episode IV - A New Hopeisregarded as one of the best sequels in cinematic history. The $200 million gap between both films’ box office totals placeStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Backsecond when ranking their commercial success.
RELATED:‘Star Wars’: 10 Greatest Acting Performances from the Franchise, According to Reddit
The Empire Strikes Backholds top ranking against the otherStar Warsfilms on Rotten Tomato. The twist ending, intense action and cliffhanger ending makes it the most memorable installment in the franchise. InThe Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back,George Lucasspeculated the bleak ending had a negative effect on repeating viewings and led to low ticket sales.
NEXT:Bigger Isn’t Always Better: 10 Sequels That Disappointed Audiences by Including Too Much
