Special Report
Best and Worst Movie Sequels
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Last Updated:
“Blade Runner 2049,’’ the reboot of the 1982 cult classic about a dystopian future in Los Angeles, disappointed in its three-day opening, posting $31.5 million in ticket sales that was below the lower end of expectations of industry watchers.
The new “Blade Runner’’ film, in which Harrison Ford reprises his role from the original movie, was expected to bring in from $45 million to $55 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.
Movie sequels are made in order to capitalize on an initial film’s success after establishing a fanbase to create a franchise and generate future profits. What is unusual about the “Blade Runner 2049” debut is the original film was released over a generation ago and only built a following well after its initial release.
24/7 Wall St. has identified the 25 best and 25 worst movie sequels based on metrics such as box office gross and online ratings. All but five of the best grossed over $100 million at the domestic box office, conversely only one of the worst surpassed that benchmark.
Click here to see the worst movie sequels.
Click here to see the best movie sequels.
Click here to see our methodology.
The Worst Sequels
25. A Haunted House 2
> Release year: 2014
> Average user rating: 5.6/10
> Average critic rating: 2.0/10
> Domestic box office: $18.8 million
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24. Speed 2: Cruise Control
> Release year: 1997
> Average user rating: 4.3/10
> Average critic rating: 3.4/10
> Domestic box office: $93.1 million
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23. Return to the Blue Lagoon
> Release year: 1991
> Average user rating: 5.4/10
> Average critic rating: 2.2/10
> Domestic box office: $5.9 million
22. Species II
> Release year: 1998
> Average user rating: 4.5/10
> Average critic rating: 3.1/10
> Domestic box office: $36.3 million
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21. Jaws 3-D
> Release year: 1983
> Average user rating: 4.6/10
> Average critic rating: 2.9/10
> Domestic box office: $119.1 million
20. Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
> Release year: 1987
> Average user rating: 5.2/10
> Average critic rating: 2.3/10
> Domestic box office: $63.8 million
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19. Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
> Release year: 2015
> Average user rating: 5.0/10
> Average critic rating: 2.5/10
> Domestic box office: $74.9 million
18. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2
> Release year: 2000
> Average user rating: 4.1/10
> Average critic rating: 3.4/10
> Domestic box office: $43.6 million
17. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
> Release year: 2003
> Average user rating: 4.6/10
> Average critic rating: 2.8/10
> Domestic box office: $38.5 million
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16. RoboCop 3
> Release year: 1993
> Average user rating: 4.4/10
> Average critic rating: 3.1/10
> Domestic box office: $23.0 million
15. Look Who’s Talking Now
> Release year: 1993
> Average user rating: 4.9/10
> Average critic rating: 2.5/10
> Domestic box office: $22.2 million
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14. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
> Release year: 1994
> Average user rating: 4.3/10
> Average critic rating: 3.2/10
> Domestic box office: $191,411
13. Scary Movie 5
> Release year: 2013
> Average user rating: 5.4/10
> Average critic rating: 2.0/10
> Domestic box office: $35.0 million
12. The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)
> Release year: 2011
> Average user rating: 4.0/10
> Average critic rating: 3.4/10
> Domestic box office: $134,527
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11. Weekend at Bernies II
> Release year: 1993
> Average user rating: 4.8/10
> Average critic rating: 2.5/10
> Domestic box office: $27.4 million
10. Problem Child 2
> Release year: 1991
> Average user rating: 4.8/10
> Average critic rating: 2.4/10
> Domestic box office: $53.0 million
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9. Universal Soldier: The Return
> Release year: 1999
> Average user rating: 4.5/10
> Average critic rating: 2.7/10
> Domestic box office: $18.3 million
8. Cannonball Run II
> Release year: 1984
> Average user rating: 5.2/10
> Average critic rating: 2.0/10
> Domestic box office: $74.3 million
7. Piranha 3DD
> Release year: 2012
> Average user rating: 4.0/10
> Average critic rating: 3.2/10
> Domestic box office: $413,229
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6. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
> Release year: 1987
> Average user rating: 4.4/10
> Average critic rating: 2.8/10
> Domestic box office: $35.7 million
5. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
> Release year: 1997
> Average user rating: 4.6/10
> Average critic rating: 2.4/10
> Domestic box office: $69.6 million
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4. Caddyshack II
> Release year: 1988
> Average user rating: 4.3/10
> Average critic rating: 2.2/10
> Domestic box office: $25.5 million
3. Jaws: The Revenge
> Release year: 1987
> Average user rating: 4.3/10
> Average critic rating: 2.0/10
> Domestic box office: $47.2 million
2. Son of the Mask
> Release year: 2005
> Average user rating: 3.0/10
> Average critic rating: 2.8/10
> Domestic box office: $23.6 million
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1. Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2
> Release year: 2004
> Average user rating: 2.4/10
> Average critic rating: 2.2/10
> Domestic box office: $13.0 million
The Best Sequels
25. Star Trek Into Darkness
> Release year: 2013
> Average user rating: 8.1/10
> Average critic rating: 7.5/10
> Domestic box office: $250.1 million
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24. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
> Release year: 2004
> Average user rating: 7.8/10
> Average critic rating: 7.7/10
> Domestic box office: $94.8 million
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23. Evil Dead II
> Release year: 1987
> Average user rating: 7.7/10
> Average critic rating: 8.0/10
> Domestic box office: $13.5 million
22. X-Men: Days of Future Past
> Release year: 2014
> Average user rating: 8.2/10
> Average critic rating: 7.5/10
> Domestic box office: $254.5 million
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21. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
> Release year: 2004
> Average user rating: 7.7/10
> Average critic rating: 7.9/10
> Domestic box office: $357.0 million
20. Toy Story 2
> Release year: 1999
> Average user rating: 7.3/10
> Average critic rating: 8.6/10
> Domestic box office: $430.2 million
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19. How to Train Your Dragon 2
> Release year: 2014
> Average user rating: 8.1/10
> Average critic rating: 7.8/10
> Domestic box office: $192.6 million
18. Skyfall
> Release year: 2012
> Average user rating: 8.0/10
> Average critic rating: 8.2/10
> Domestic box office: $339.9 million
17. Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
> Release year: 1983
> Average user rating: 8.3/10
> Average critic rating: 7.2/10
> Domestic box office: $872.4 million
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16. Before Sunset
> Release year: 2004
> Average user rating: 8.1/10
> Average critic rating: 8.3/10
> Domestic box office: $8.3 million
15. Before Midnight
> Release year: 2013
> Average user rating: 7.9/10
> Average critic rating: 8.7/10
> Domestic box office: $8.9 million
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14. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
> Release year: 2015
> Average user rating: 8.2/10
> Average critic rating: 8.2/10
> Domestic box office: $987.7 million
13. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
> Release year: 1989
> Average user rating: 8.1/10
> Average critic rating: 7.9/10
> Domestic box office: $441.5 million
12. Bride of Frankenstein
> Release year: 1935
> Average user rating: 7.8/10
> Average critic rating: 9.1/10
> Domestic box office: N/A
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11. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
> Release year: 2003
> Average user rating: 7.5/10
> Average critic rating: 8.7/10
> Domestic box office: $555.8 million
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
> Release year: 2011
> Average user rating: 8.3/10
> Average critic rating: 8.3/10
> Domestic box office: $427.1 million
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9. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
> Release year: 1991
> Average user rating: 8.1/10
> Average critic rating: 8.4/10
> Domestic box office: $432.5 million
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8. The Bourne Ultimatum
> Release year: 2007
> Average user rating: 8.2/10
> Average critic rating: 8.0/10
> Domestic box office: $293.5 million
7. The Dark Knight Rises
> Release year: 2012
> Average user rating: 8.5/10
> Average critic rating: 8.0/10
> Domestic box office: $500.5 million
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6. Aliens
> Release year: 1986
> Average user rating: 8.0/10
> Average critic rating: 9.0/10
> Domestic box office: $204.2 million
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
> Release year: 2002
> Average user rating: 8.4/10
> Average critic rating: 8.5/10
> Domestic box office: $521.0 million
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4. Toy Story 3
> Release year: 2010
> Average user rating: 8.5/10
> Average critic rating: 8.9/10
> Domestic box office: $467.6 million
3. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
> Release year: 1980
> Average user rating: 8.5/10
> Average critic rating: 8.9/10
> Domestic box office: $958.9 million
2. The Dark Knight
> Release year: 2008
> Average user rating: 8.9/10
> Average critic rating: 8.6/10
> Domestic box office: $660.3 million
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1. The Godfather: Part II
> Release year: 1974
> Average user rating: 8.9/10
> Average critic rating: 9.5/10
> Domestic box office: $272.4 million
Methodology
To determine the best and worst movie sequels, 24/7 Wall St. created an index based on each film’s Rotten Tomatoes average critic rating, Rotten Tomatoes average audience rating, and Internet Movie Database average user rating. To be considered, each film needed to have at least 5,000 Rotten Tomatoes user ratings, 10 approved Tomatometer critic reviews, and 10,000 IMDb user ratings.
We averaged the user ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb and weighted by the number of votes for each. The combined user rating was then averaged with the Rotten Tomatoes critic rating.
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