The 50 Worst Movie Sequels Ever Made

Actors Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman return in this sequel about two slackers palling around with the corpse of their murdered boss. While 41% of audience members reported liking the comedy on Rotten Tomatoes, only 10% of critics could bring themselves to giving it the thumbs up.

This 1998 teen horror flick revives the character of Julie James — played by Jennifer Love Hewitt — who, along with her friends, was involved in a deadly hit and run in the 1997 movie “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” This time, she’s in the Bahamas. Only 7% of critics liked the movie, calling it boring and moronic.

“The Karate Kid” (1984) was praised by critics as exciting and heart-warming. Much less appreciated was “The Next Karate Kid” (1994) — the fourth in the series released one decade later. Only 7% of critics enjoyed it, despite the talents of a young Hilary Swank in the lead.

In its Critics Consensus, Rotten Tomatoes characterized “Problem Child 2” as a “dubious sequel,” and only 7% of critics liked the movie, which revisits the home life of a mean, selfish child and his dad. Amazingly, the sequel managed to top the original’s critics rating of 0 on Rotten Tomatoes, which Critics Consensus panned as “particularly unpleasant.”

On Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of critics gave positive ratings to the original “Crocodile Dundee” (1986) about a charming crocodile hunter adjusting to life in New York City. Reviews for the series’ third installment, “Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles” (2001), were less kind. Only 11% of critics liked it and one-quarter of audiences, with the site’s Critics Consensus describing it as “as unnecessary as it is belated.”

John Travolta returns as Tony Manero, the pelvic-gyrating disco king from the hit “Saturday Night Fever” in a sequel written and directed by Sylvester Stallone. Instead of a disco, Tony Manero takes his dancing ambitions to Broadway. Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes gave “Staying Alive” a 0 and said the movie was “shockingly embarrassing and unnecessary.” “Saturday Night Fever” received a Freshness score of 83% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes when it was released six years earlier.

Considering the success of “Aliens” (1986) and “Predator” (1987), combining the two might seem like a great idea. However, “AVP – Alien Vs. Predator” (2004) was poorly received, and its sequel, “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem” (2007) did even worse. Only 11% of critics and 30% of audiences delivered positive reviews, with one critic calling it “mindless.”

The Police Academy movie franchise was hardly a favorite of critics, who dismissed the three earlier comedies as sophomoric. However, the fourth installment of the series hit bottom, with critics on Rotten Tomatoes giving it a 0. Critics Consensus said the film was “utterly, completely, thoroughly and astonishingly unfunny.”

The 2010 horror flick “The Last Exorcism” was relatively well-received by critics, earning a 72% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This number plummeted to 15% for its sequel, “The Last Exorcism Part II.” The movie commits what is perhaps the worst sin possible for a horror film: it is boring.

The sequel to “Are We There Yet?” about a family that moves from the city and buys a suburban fixer-upper was a bigger failure among critics than the original. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the sequel a rating of 8%, and Critics Consensus said “Are We Done Yet” was “uninspired.”

Silent killer Jason Voorhees has been the star of 12 movies, beginning with “Friday the 13th” (1980). “Jason X,” which finds Jason hunting down a group of astronauts in the future, is rated as among the worst. Critics found the slasher format tired by this point — the movie was released in 2001 — and audiences seem to think so as well, judging by the 25% positive audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Without Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau (Sellers died in 1980), “Curse of the Pink Panther” lacked a strong comedic fulcrum. Sellers was replaced by Ted Wass, who played an inept New York City detective. The movie foundered, even with Panther returnees David Niven, Robert Wagner, and Herbert Lom. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 29% rating, and only 25% of audiences like the Panther sequel.

The 2002 horror movie “The Ring” — centered around a video tape that results in the deaths of those who watch it seven days later — was warmly received by critics, who gave it a 71% Freshness rating and praised its atmosphere and acting. Its sequel, “Rings,” released 15 years later, was hated, with critic John Semley writing for the Globe and Mail that “pretty much everything about ‘Rings’ is incoherent.” Only 8% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked it.

“Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo” checked off many of the boxes for reasons why critics on Rotten Tomatoes dislike a movie — “raunchy, politically incorrect, and not particularly funny,” as the Critics Consensus notes. The sequel to the forgettable “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo” scored 9% among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, though it did better among audiences, with a score of 33% liking the movie.

“Major League: Back to the Minors,” the third entry in the baseball franchise, was liked by only 21% of critics and 24% of audience members on Rotten Tomatoes with most agreeing that it’s simply dull. By contrast, the original “Minor League” is Certified Fresh and liked by 84% of audiences.

The comedic talents of Marlon Wayans and Cedric the Entertainer were not enough to save the sequel to “A Haunted House,” a send-up of horror flicks. Critics Consensus on Rotten Tomatoes chided the sequel as “sloppy, vulgar, and manic” and gave it a rating of 8%. Audiences were kinder, with 43% of filmgoers saying they liked “A Haunted House 2.”

While “Jason X” was critically panned, even it was better received than the 1989 flick “Jason Takes Manhattan,” which won over just 8% of critics rating it on Rotten Tomatoes. Most of the movie takes place on a ship rather than in the Big Apple, and the censoring of explicit content by the MPAA left the film with much to be desired.

Neither critics nor audiences were especially enthralled with the original “Leprechaun” (1993), which stars a young Jennifer Aniston. Regardless, the horror flick about an evil Leprechaun grossed nearly $19 million at the domestic box office when adjusting for inflation, making a sequel inevitable. Not a single critic reviewing the film on Rotten Tomatoes gave it a positive rating, and only 28% of audiences liked it.

The original “Halloween” (1978) is a tense, economical slasher film that changed the horror genre forever. It currently has a 96% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The eighth film in the series — “Halloween: Resurrection” (2002) — won over a mere 11% of critics, with Variety’s Joe Leydon accusing it of being “even more uselessly redundant and shamelessly money-grubbing than most third-rate horror sequels.”

The original “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” (2009) raked in more than $146 million at the domestic box office on a $26 million budget. Kevin James returned to play the New Jersey mall security guard in the 2015 sequel that, despite grossing nearly $71 million, only received positive reviews from 5% of the critics logged on Rotten Tomatoes. Many reviewers took issue with the movie’s over-reliance on “fat jokes.”

Only 1% of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes gave “Daddy Day Camp” — the sequel to 2003’s “Daddy Day Care” — a positive review. Cuba Gooding Jr. replaced Eddie Murphy, who starred in the original film, but he delivers a lazy and unfunny performance. Critic Richard Roeper summed the film up as “just horrible.”

Not one of the 25 critic reviews on Rotten Tomatoes for “Look Who’s Talking Now” are positive, with the average rating being 2.5 out of 10. The third and final movie in the Look Who’s Talking series adds talking dogs to the mix, though the gimmick is not enough to save what critic Rita Kempley writing for the Washington Post called “a crude and mawkish film.”

Despite boasting star power from the likes of Sharon Stone and Charlotte Rampling, this sequel to director Paul Verhoeven’s 1992 Hitchcockian thriller failed to win over many critics or moviegoers, impressing only 7% of the former and 26% of the latter. Critics described it as silly, flat, and lackluster.

The 1995 sci-fi horror flick “Species” received middling reviews upon its release. Critics were less kind to its sequel, released three years later. Only 9% liked the movie, which is described by the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus as “clumsily exploitative and sloppily assembled.” Despite this, two more Species movies were produced.

Only 19% of critics gave the thumbs up to the slasher flick “Urban Legend” (1998). An even lower 9% of critics approved of the follow-up “Urban Legends: Final Cut.” The movie is described as “stupid” and “mediocre,” with Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus stating that it “brings nothing new to an already exhausted genre.”

Despite its grotesque premise of surgically connecting multiple humans, “The Human Centipede (First Sequence)” (2009) — the first in the series — was given positive reviews by half of the critics reviewing it on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie’s vulgarity may have worked in its favor, however, as its sequel — liked by 29% of critics — is described on the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus as being worse as it “loses its ability to repulse and shock and ends up obnoxious and annoying.”

The 2010 horror comedy “Piranha 3-D” won over the majority of critics with its unique brand of unpretentious and borderline over-the-top entertainment. Its follow-up, “Piranha 3DD” — which places the killer fish in a water park setting — fails to recreate the balance of the original. It only impressed 14% of Rotten Tomatoes’ critics.

There are 23 Amityville Horror movies to date, and 1983’s “Amityville 3-D,” or “Amityville: The Demon,” may be the worst. The movie — which features Tony Roberts, Tess Harper, and even a young Meg Ryan — received a positive review from only 5% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Janet Maslin, writing for the New York Times, said, “The cast is good, but the characters are idiots.”

Jean-Claude Van Damme returned for this sequel to “Universal Soldier” (1992) as a cyborg warrior tasked with going to war with a group of android killing machines. Only 5% of critics and 24% of audiences could get behind the movie, with the Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus blaming everything from “its generic story to its second rate action and subpar performances” for its failure.

The original “The Howling” (1981) was a modest success, receiving positive reviews from 70% of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Only 27% liked its 1985 sequel, “Howling II,” and — worst still — only 15% of audiences gave it thumbs up. The movie — which features Christopher Lee as an occult expert who travels to Transylvania to take down a gang of werewolves — was described by Roger Ebert as “impenetrable and amazingly inept.” Producers would go on to create another six Howling films.

Fans and critics mostly enjoyed “Highlander” (1986) — an action-fantasy movie about immortal warriors from the 15th century. Yet while that movie’s borderline ludicrousness largely worked in its favor, its sequel went too far, with numerous critics describing it as a mess. Zero critics gave it positive review, although 23% of viewers liked it.

Boasting the acting talent of Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper, and Sandra Bullock, “Speed” (1995) has an exceptional 94% Freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Bullock is the only one to return for the flop of a sequel, “Speed 2: Cruise Control” (1997), which was liked by only 4% of critics. The movie replaces the original’s speeding bus with a cruise ship that is similarly forced to maintain a high speed.

The fifth entry into the horror-spoof series is accused of being “juvenile even by Scary Movie standards,” according to Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus. Only 4% of the 51 critics who reviewed it on the site gave the movie a positive review. Regardless, the movie managed to gross $32 million at the domestic box office against its reported $20 million budget.

“The Blair Witch Project” (1999), which is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, was a massive success upon its release and helped popularize the found footage horror subgenre that is going strong to this day. “Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2” (2000) abandons this approach and is worse off for it, pleasing only 14% of critics and 18% of viewers who have reviewed it on Rotten Tomatoes.

Commentary-laden action flick “Robocop” (1987) pleased 89% of critics and 84% of audiences who reviewed it on Rotten Tomatoes. “Robocop 3” (1993) managed to please just 3% of critics and 14% audience reviewing it. The sequel is accused of being “tame” and “stupid.”

The Batman franchise is hugely popular, and critics generally review its various films positively. Joel Schumacher’s “Batman & Robin” (1997) is a notable exception, receiving only positive reviews from 11% of the critics on Rotten Tomatoes. A slightly larger share of audience members liked it — 16%. George Clooney, who stars as Batman, later told the Hollywood Reporter that he “wasn’t good in it” and “it wasn’t a good film.”

Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” (1975) has a near-perfect Freshness rating of 98% and is credited for revolutionizing the blockbuster movie system. The series’ third entry, “Jaws 3-D,” was liked by only 10% of critics, by contrast. Its scathing Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus describes the shark flick as “a cheese-soaked ocean thriller with no evident reason to exist.”

The 2013 film “Escape Plan,” starring Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, divided both critics and audience members. Its sequel, “Escape Plan 2: Hades” (2018), unified them in their contempt. The movie — which retained Stallone but lost Schwarzenegger — won over only 8% of critics and 14% of audience members. Hollywood Reporter’s Frank Scheck describes the action flick as “essentially a tired, low-rent attempt to create a new franchise.”

“The Exorcist” (1973) is often considered one of the scariest movies ever made. Its 1977 sequel did not even come close and impressed only 15% of critics and 13% of audiences reviewing it on Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s Critics Consensus cites the movie’s “hokey mystical effects, lousy plotting, and worse acting” for its failure.

“Dumb and Dumber” (1994) is a fan favorite, thanks in large part to the comedic performances of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. The sequel (actually a prequel), “Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd” (2003) produced far fewer laughs and received a good review from only 10% of critics and 23% of viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie failed to recoup its $30 million production budget at the domestic box office.

Horror classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) is liked by 88% of critics and 82% of audience members on Rotten Tomatoes. This is the highest rated of the franchise and far higher than “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation” (1994), which won over only 14% of critics and 18% of viewers. Directed by Kim Henkel, who co-wrote the original, and starring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey in two of their earliest roles, the movie often plays out as more of a bizarre remake than a sequel.

The original “Mortal Kombat” (1995) film, inspired by the video game of the same name, was relatively well received thanks to its atmosphere and effects. However, only 2% of critics and a quarter of audience members on Rotten Tomatoes liked its sequel. The site’s Critics Consensus faults the “shallow characters, low budget special effects, and mindless fight scenes” found in “Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.”

An exceptional 94% of critics reviewing the original “Superman” (1978) on Rotten Tomatoes liked it. The series’ fourth film — “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987) — won over just 11% of critics and 17% of audiences, however, despite actors Christopher Reeve and Gene Hackman reprising their roles. The superhero would not be the subject of another major live action film until “Superman Returns” in 2006.

Despite its somewhat iconic status, the original “Teen Wolf” (1985) only received positive reviews from 44% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes. This is still better than “Teen Wolf Too,” which features Jason Bateman taking over for Michael J. Fox in the lead. The movie was condemned by all but 7% of critics, with reviewers describing it as tedious, unfunny, and dreadful.

“Caddyshack” (1980) is a classic comedy, with memorable performances by Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Rodney Dangerfield. Only Chase returned for the 1988 sequel, which transformed the raucous, R-rated comedy into a PG-rated family affair. Only 4% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes liked the film, with the Chicago Tribune’s Dave Kehr calling it “shoddy, lazy and numbingly stupid.”

Horror flick “Troll 2” has developed a cult status for being “so bad it’s good.” A documentary titled “Best Worst Movie” (2009) about the making of the film was even produced. And while 44% of viewers on Rotten Tomatoes gave the movie a positive rating, only 6% of professional critics could bring themselves to do the same.

The original “King Kong” (1933) is a treasure of cinema, was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, and has garnered near-universal praise from critics. It was remade in 1976, for which the sequel “King Kong Lives” was released a decade later. This film, in which King Kong seeks out a female gorilla mate, does not have a single positive critic review on Rotten Tomatoes, with most finding it simply dull.

This sequel to the cartoonish Jim Carrey-vehicle “The Mask” (1994) won over 6% of critics and 16% of audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie features both a baby and a dog wearing the titular mask. Rotten Tomatoes’ Critics Consensus refers to the flick as “painfully unfunny” and “sorely missing the presence of Jim Carrey.”

The Human Centipede series hit its lowest point with its third and final entry, “The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence).” The movie centers around a prison warden who, inspired by the earlier Human Centipede films, sets out to connect 500 humans. The gross-out flick impressed 17% of critics and 11% of viewers on Rotten Tomatoes and reportedly made less than $15,000 at the domestic box office.

Director Bob Clark’s original “Baby Geniuses” (1999) was not a critical hit, with just 2% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes giving it a good review. His follow-up, “Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2” (2004), managed to do even worse, receiving zero positive reviews. Audiences didn’t love it either — it currently holds a 1.9/10 rating on IMDb, making it the only film on this list to have a rating lower than 2.0. Writing for the Wall Street Journal, critic Joanne Kaufman called it “unspeakably ghastly.” The sequel managed to gross less than half of its $20 million production budget at the domestic box office, although this did not stop the production of a further three Baby Geniuses movies.