A Marvel juggernaut that flamed out after only one sequel. An edgy,
stylized franchise that absolutely bombed on its second outing. Blade Runner? More like
Blade done-er. These 11 franchises could have been huge. Instead, they flopped after just one sequel.
In 2002, "Scooby-Doo" proved to be a box office hit. And how could it not
be? A live-action adaptation of one of the most popular cartoons in history,
"Scooby-Doo" was a wacky romp that could appeal to youngsters and nostalgic adults alike. However,
live-action adaptations of cartoons tend to be projects that only work financially once:
the novelty has worn off for most audiences after a single installment. "The Smurfs 2," "Garfield:
A Tail of Two Kitties," "Peter Rabbit 2…" the list of examples go on and on.
"Scooby-Doo" also suffered from this phenomenon, as its sequel, "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed,"
was a box office disappointment. The film's $181 million worldwide gross was roughly
35% worse than the global box office haul of its predecessor. "Monsters Unleashed" may have
delivered more familiar "Scooby-Doo" foes from the original cartoon, but this new installment
suffered from mixed reviews along with a less hospitable March release date compared to the
first film's June launchpad. With these financial shortcomings, another theatrical live-action
"Scooby-Doo," penned by James Gunn and meant to take place in Scotland, was given the ax.
"We're gonna die!" "Think positive!"
"We're gonna die quickly!"
Lara Croft as a video game character has been plundering ruins for decades,
which has turned this fictional figure into one of the more enduring characters of 1990s video games.
On the big screen, though, Lara Croft hasn't been so lucky, with the original live-action movie
adaptation of "Tomb Raider" — starring Angelina Jolie — sputtering out after just two entries.
It didn't initially seem like the franchise would be so short-lived:
"Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," made serious bank at the worldwide box office in the summer of 2001.
Capitalizing on the popularity of Croft and Jolie's increasing star power,
the film came along at the perfect time in every respect. Unfortunately,
it wasn't particularly beloved by audiences or critics despite its sizable box office returns.
When "Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life" dropped into cinemas in the summer of 2003,
moviegoers gave the production the cold shoulder. With the film raking in significantly less cash
than its predecessor, it was game over for the "Lara Croft" movie franchise.
Thanks to this extremely disappointing box office development, this staple of video game
history wouldn't find its way back to movie theaters until its reboot 15 years later.
The original "The Exorcist" wasn't just a hit, it was a pop culture sensation. There was no
going back for American horror after the release of William Friedkin's magnum opus,
with every scary movie released in its wake existing in its shadow. This level of influence
meant it was only a matter of time before the producers of the movie decided to try
their hand at continuing the story. Despite the definitive ending of the original film,
"Exorcist II: The Heretic" hit theaters in 1977, four years after the original.
While "The Exorcist" was greeted with universal praise, "The Heretic" became one of the
worst-reviewed horror movies of all time. Original "Exorcist" director William Friedkin was among the
chorus of moviegoers who despised the project, going so far as to declare that "The Heretic"
was one of the worst films he'd ever watched. What inspired this deluge of vitriol? Mostly a
confounding plot and moments that elicited giggles rather than screams. With this kind of response,
the prospect of an ongoing "Exorcist" franchise suddenly seemed a lot less probable than before.
"The Exorcist" only wound up being resurrected in 1990 when William Peter Blatty,
author of the novel the original "Exorcist" was based on, decided to write and direct a
third installment himself. "The Exorcist III" is much more well-regarded than "The
Heretic" — probably because its creator actually had an understanding of the source material.
Vin Diesel is best known for being fast and furious on the silver screen,
but Dominic Toretto isn't his only character that loves a good burst of adrenaline.
In 2002's "xXx," Diesel plays Xander Cage, a super spy who uses extreme sports to save the world.
"You've just entered… the Xander zone."
"xXx" was a solid box office performer and was enough of a moneymaker to ensure that
it would get a couple of sequels. If James Bond could keep going and going,
Xander Cage could surely sustain a few more installments.
A sequel did emerge with the 2005 feature
"xXx: State of the Union," but the production had a massive issue with Diesel — or rather,
his absence. To the producers' dismay, Diesel chose not to return for the sequel
and had to be replaced by Ice Cube. While the rapper-turned-actor is certainly no slouch,
the original idea was to create an iconic character that people could follow for
endless adventures — not somebody who would get swapped out after a single installment.
Unsurprisingly, "State of the Union" crumbled at the box office and destroyed any hopes for
a sprawling franchise. While the "Fast and Furious" movies have managed to deliver new
adventures on a regular basis, it would take more than a decade for another "xXx" installment, "The
Return of Xander Cage," to hit theaters, with — you guessed it — Diesel returning as Xander Cage.
The original "Blade Runner" wasn't exactly a box office smash, but it proved to be so
enormously influential that a sequel was an inevitability. After years of development,
"Blade Runner 2049" hit theaters in October 2017, courtesy of director Denis Villeneuve.
Before the sequel's release, Villeneuve and producer Ridley Scott openly discussed their hopes
and story ideas for a potential "Blade Runner 3." Sadly, those hopes were immediately threatened
by the box office earnings. Despite lots of pre-release hype, "2049" underperformed on its
opening weekend. What once looked like a surefire way to re-energize the "Blade Runner" universe
suddenly wasn't looking so promising. This critical problem didn't get rectified in the weeks
afterward either, as "2049" ended up losing money once its worldwide box office run was finished.
With this development, the idea of doing further "Blade Runner" movies was shelved,
with Villeneuve moving his sci-fi storytelling abilities into the world of "Dune" instead.
Despite both entries in the franchise scoring critical acclaim,
box office woes have so far kept further "Blade Runner" movies from gracing the silver screen.
Box office expectations often miss severely when it comes to comedy sequels. While
projects like "City Slickers" and "Horrible Bosses" made big bucks at the box office,
their respective follow-ups just failed to click with moviegoers. Still, the allure of delivering
the rare "The Hangover: Part II" or "22 Jump Street" at the box office means that studios
still try their luck at launching hit comedy franchises. This includes a follow-up to the
2014 sleeper hit "Neighbors," which ended up becoming one of Seth Rogen's biggest movies.
The same could not be said for "Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising," a follow-up that flipped
the script by having Rogen and Rose Byrne team up with their former enemy,
Zac Efron, to take down a sorority house.
"That's right: I'm switching sides."
The result was a project that just didn't connect with moviegoers, partially because
the premise didn't seem all that different from the original. Although technically profitable by
making $108 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, "Neighbors 2" was a massive step down
from the original "Neighbors" film. Any potential for "Neighbors" taking a cue from "The Hangover"
and going on for an entire trilogy was stopped cold with "Sorority Rising," which turned out
to be both a franchise killer and yet another example of an underperforming comedy sequel.
At the start of the 2010s, director Roland Emmerich announced that there
were finally plans to make a sequel to "Independence Day." Not only that,
but the filmmaker openly discussed his ambitions to make multiple follow-ups
to his 1996 sci-fi disaster movie. Even though only a single sequel was eventually greenlit,
Emmerich was eager to discuss his detailed ambitions for the future of the series.
Ultimately, however, Emmerich would not get a chance to realize the entirety of his vision.
The original "Independence Day" was one of the biggest box office hits of the 1990s,
but its sequel was one of the biggest disappointments of 2016.
The project's financial troubles could be chalked up to all sorts of factors,
including intense competition from other blockbusters that summer along with relatively
lousy marketing. Whatever the reasons for "Resurgence" failing to meet box office
expectations were, it was quickly made clear that there would not be a third "Independence Day."
Nobody involved with the original "Speed" imagined the movie sustaining a series of sequels,
especially not director Jan de Bont. Alas, the film's massive box office intake meant
that de Bont was contractually obligated to direct a second installment— but this time,
it would be without Keanu Reeves. The loss of their leading man
should've been the first warning sign for the producers at 20th Century Fox,
but that didn't stop them from pouring over $110 million into the budget.
It certainly didn't help that the intense and claustrophobic setting of a bus from the original
"Speed" was traded out for a massive boat — an idea that de Bont claimed came to him in a dream.
Of course, "Speed 2: Cruise Control" ended up being more of a nightmare.
June 1997 was an exceptionally crowded time for blockbusters, meaning the film had to compete
with the likes of "Batman & Robin," "Con Air," and "The Lost World: Jurassic Park."
It didn't stand a chance, and "Cruise Control" quickly became nothing more than a punchline.
It's unknown if there were any initial plans to develop a "Speed 3," but the
failure of this doomed follow-up ensured that studio executives
wouldn't try to kick the "Speed" franchise into high gear again.
The enduring popularity of Lee Child's Jack Reacher books meant that it was only a matter
of time before Reacher would get to star in a theatrical film. This opportunity finally
emerged in December 2012 with "Jack Reacher," which functioned as yet another star vehicle
for Tom Cruise. The production wasn't as big of a hit as the novels, but "Jack Reacher" still proved
reasonably profitable on its more restrained budget. Paramount Pictures, which wasn't exactly
bursting with franchises in the mid-2010s, was willing to gamble on "Jack Reacher."
A sequel, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," wouldn't emerge until October 2016 — a whopping four years
after its predecessor debuted in theaters. The original "Jack Reacher" was well-liked,
but was it beloved enough to maintain audience interest for so long? No, not really.
"You're right. The numbers don't add up."
"Never Go Back" ended up flopping, killing off "Jack Reacher" as a viable theatrical
franchise in the process. When the character finally did re-appear,
it was in an Amazon TV series starring Alan Ritchson in the title role.
Certain Marvel superheroes have no shortage of big-screen hits.
Iron Man and Captain America have both received plenty of solo outings and crossover appearances,
while "Spider-Man" seems destined to be rebooted and reimagined over and over again. However,
there are plenty of other figures from this comic book company's vast library of
characters that have been less successful at maintaining longevity in theaters.
Case in point: Ghost Rider, a darker, more edgy superhero that initially seemed to be poised for
franchise success when he made his big-screen debut in 2007. The first "Ghost Rider" film,
which starred Nicolas Cage in the title role, was a solid box office performer.
"Ghost Rider" yielded a sequel, "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance," but there
were a few problems that ended up causing the franchise to crash and burn. Most glaringly,
there was a five-year gap between the two "Ghost Rider" movies — a stretch of
time during which the first two "Iron Man" films were released.
At the end of the day, this new "Ghost Rider" simply didn't offer anything new to audiences.
An R rating might have saved the series, but executives decided to play it safe instead.
While there were originally plans for a third "Ghost Rider," the
dismal box office intake of "Spirit of Vengeance" slammed the brakes on
those prospects. The character has yet to surface in the MCU, but a different
version of the character made an appearance on Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." TV series.
When "Sin City" first hit theaters in April 2005,
it was considered new and fresh. Mainstream American cinema wasn't exactly yearning for
more noir tributes, but Robert Rodriguez's heavily stylized world made the film stand out
from the rest. With several other "Sin City" stories from the comics yet to be adapted,
it seemed like only a matter of time before "Sin City" became an ongoing franchise. However,
it took nearly a decade before "Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" finally ended up in movie theaters.
By the time "A Dame to Kill For" rolled around in August 2014, the cinematic landscape had changed
dramatically. The visual look of "Sin City" had already been copied to death by other filmmakers,
and audiences had simply moved on — resulting in a disastrous box office haul.
Any plans for additional "Sin City" movies were immediately shelved,
unlikely ever to see the light of day. What had once seemed like a foolproof franchise
quickly turned into two movies with vastly differing receptions.
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