It has been said that there are no new ideas in Hollywood. If a film is successful, odds are that it will get at least one sequel. In fact, many films these days are designed from the beginning to be part of a larger cinematic universe, with follow-up films in the works even before the first flick hits theaters.
Audiences tend to gravitate towards movies with familiar themes and characters, assuming that if they liked a film, its follow-ups should be enjoyable as well. But this is not always the case – many of the most beloved franchises in cinema history have put out at least one film that missed the mark, that didn’t live up to the original – or to the other entries in the franchise.
To determine the worst movie from every major franchise, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of May 2022, weighting all ratings equally. We identified the worst-rated movie in the 65 highest-grossing franchises. Franchises were ordered according to total inflation-adjusted domestic box office, using data from film industry data site The Numbers.
There are many reasons a movie sequel can flop. Sometimes writers, directors, or actors from earlier iterations leave for different projects, and their replacements can fail to recapture the magic. Other follow-ups can turn into cynical cash grabs, as the studio puts very little effort into the film in the hopes that familiar characters will be enough to lure fans to the theater.
The farther a film franchise gets away from the original movie, the more often challenges can arise. Many of the films on this list are fifth, sixth, or even later on in the lineage of their franchise, and can end up being downright awful. They don’t just fail to live up to previous movies, but end up being some of the biggest duds in Hollywood history. These are the 25 worst movie sequels of all time.
Click here to see the worst movie from every major franchise
Movie sequels aren’t always a miss, though. Some studios realize what made the original films successful and reapply that formula over and over again, to the delight of audiences. For some of the franchises on this list, even the lowest-rated entry was still pretty good. These are the best movie sequels of all time.
65. Magic Mike
> Worst-rated movie: Magic Mike XXL (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 5.6/10 (54,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (35,041 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 65% (239 reviews)
> Directed by: Gregory Jacobs
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64. Diary of a Wimpy Kid
> Worst-rated movie: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 4.3/10 (8,131 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 31% (5,731 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 18% (72 reviews)
> Directed by: David Bowers
63. Kingsman
> Worst-rated movie: Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (291,982 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (45,801 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 51% (308 reviews)
> Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
62. Insidious
> Worst-rated movie: Insidious: The Last Key (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (56,377 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 50% (5,928 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (112 reviews)
> Directed by: Adam Robitel
61. xXx
> Worst-rated movie: xXx: State of the Union (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 4.5/10 (69,065 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 32% (113,349 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 17% (139 reviews)
> Directed by: Lee Tamahori
60. John Wick
> Worst-rated movie: John Wick (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (576,949 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (84,099 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (219 reviews)
> Directed by: Chad Stahelski
59. Final Destination
> Worst-rated movie: The Final Destination (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 5.2/10 (100,779 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 35% (603,841 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 28% (100 reviews)
> Directed by: David R. Ellis
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58. Pitch Perfect
> Worst-rated movie: Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (59,851 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 43% (17,016 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 28% (151 reviews)
> Directed by: Trish Sie
57. Predator
> Worst-rated movie: The Predator (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (122,547 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 33% (7,160 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (294 reviews)
> Directed by: Shane Black
56. Police Academy
> Worst-rated movie: Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 3.5/10 (33,055 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 22% (38,381 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 0% (7 reviews)
> Directed by: Alan Metter
55. Lego
> Worst-rated movie: The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (24,206 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 46% (18,858 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 56% (135 reviews)
> Directed by: Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher, Bob Logan
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54. Madea
> Worst-rated movie: Boo 2! A Madea Halloween (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 3.9/10 (4,442 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 40% (5,803 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 4% (23 reviews)
> Directed by: Tyler Perry
53. Nightmare on Elm Street
> Worst-rated movie: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (43,780 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 32% (73,291 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 20% (30 reviews)
> Directed by: Rachel Talalay
52. Scary Movie
> Worst-rated movie: Scary Movie V (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 3.5/10 (68,491 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 38% (236,252 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 4% (52 reviews)
> Directed by: Malcolm D. Lee
51. Cars
> Worst-rated movie: Cars 2 (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (171,809 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (103,872 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 40% (219 reviews)
> Directed by: John Lasseter
50. Godzilla
> Worst-rated movie: Godzilla (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 5.4/10 (188,274 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 28% (303,074 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 15% (79 reviews)
> Directed by: Roland Emmerich
49. Hannibal Lecter
> Worst-rated movie: Hannibal Rising (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (107,014 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (549,996 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 16% (147 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Webber
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48. Hangover
> Worst-rated movie: The Hangover Part III (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 5.8/10 (302,293 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 44% (165,864 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 20% (206 reviews)
> Directed by: Todd Phillips
47. Muppets
> Worst-rated movie: Muppets from Space (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (18,823 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58% (45,508 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (57 reviews)
> Directed by: Tim Hill
46. The Conjuring
> Worst-rated movie: The Nun (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (129,924 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 34% (7,204 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 24% (205 reviews)
> Directed by: Corin Hardy
45. Ocean’s Eleven
> Worst-rated movie: Ocean’s Eight (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (201,268 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 45% (10,548 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (363 reviews)
> Directed by: Gary Ross
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44. Halloween
> Worst-rated movie: HalloweenVIII: Resurrection (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 4.0/10 (39,632 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 25% (90,497 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 12% (67 reviews)
> Directed by: Rick Rosenthal
43. Austin Powers
> Worst-rated movie: Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (201,874 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 44% (32,935,203 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 53% (185 reviews)
> Directed by: Jay Roach
42. Rush Hour
> Worst-rated movie: Rush Hour 3 (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (159,634 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (582,594 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 18% (159 reviews)
> Directed by: Brett Ratner
41. Madagascar
> Worst-rated movie: Madagascar (2005)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (380,656 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (65,167 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 54% (191 reviews)
> Directed by: Eric Darnell & Tom McGrath
40. Meet the Parents
> Worst-rated movie: Little Fockers (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 (109,644 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 34% (133,115 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 9% (151 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul Weitz
39. Mummy
> Worst-rated movie: The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 5.2/10 (155,377 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 30% (340,665 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 12% (177 reviews)
> Directed by: Rob Cohen
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38. Die Hard
> Worst-rated movie: A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (202,345 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 40% (117,755 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 15% (231 reviews)
> Directed by: John Moore
37. Pink Panther
> Worst-rated movie: Son of the Pink Panther (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 3.9/10 (5,229 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 18% (5,285 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 6% (33 reviews)
> Directed by: Blake Edwards
36. The Matrix
> Worst-rated movie: The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (467,833 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (792,363 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 35% (217 reviews)
> Directed by: Lana & Lilly Wachowski
35. Alien
> Worst-rated movie: Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 4.6/10 (119,887 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 30% (212,446 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 12% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Colin & Greg Strause
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34. Ice Age
> Worst-rated movie: Ice Age: Collision Course (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (60,965 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 39% (33,118 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 18% (121 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Thurmeier
33. Bourne
> Worst-rated movie: Jason Bourne (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (215,891 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (56,954 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 54% (326 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul Greengrass
32. Lethal Weapon
> Worst-rated movie: Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (157,768 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (254,692 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 53% (68 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Donner
31. Home Alone
> Worst-rated movie: Home Alone 3 (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 4.5/10 (110,516 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 27% (448,984 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 29% (24 reviews)
> Directed by: Raja Gosnell
30. Beverly Hills Cop
> Worst-rated movie: Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 5.6/10 (79,167 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 35% (17,008 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 9% (53 reviews)
> Directed by: John Landis
29. Terminator
> Worst-rated movie: Terminator Genisys (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (267,619 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (82,657 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 27% (274 reviews)
> Directed by: Alan Taylor
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28. Men in Black
> Worst-rated movie: Men in Black: International (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 5.6/10 (122,860 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (11,496 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 23% (317 reviews)
> Directed by: F. Gary Gray
27. Godfather
> Worst-rated movie: The Godfather Part III (1990)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (375,238 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (261,514 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (63 reviews)
> Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
26. Ghostbusters
> Worst-rated movie: Ghostbusters II (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (190,147 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (407,063 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 53% (38 reviews)
> Directed by: Ivan Reitman
25. Despicable Me
> Worst-rated movie: Minions (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (221,609 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (137,056 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 55% (221 reviews)
> Directed by: Pierre Coffin & Kyle Balda
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24. Planet of the Apes
> Worst-rated movie: Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
> IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 (29,914 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 30% (22,069 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 36% (28 reviews)
> Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
23. Mission: Impossible
> Worst-rated movie: Mission: Impossible II (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (325,551 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 42% (452,093 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 57% (153 reviews)
> Directed by: John Woo
22. Twilight
> Worst-rated movie: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 4.9/10 (231,341 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (186,853 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 25% (211 reviews)
> Directed by: Bill Condon
21. Hunger Games
> Worst-rated movie: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (302,308 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (201,506 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (290 reviews)
> Directed by: Francis Lawrence
20. Jaws
> Worst-rated movie: Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
> IMDb user rating: 3.0/10 (44,259 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 15% (88,545 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 3% (39 reviews)
> Directed by: Joseph Sargent
19. Toy Story
> Worst-rated movie: Toy Story 2 (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (548,385 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (1,000,804 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (169 reviews)
> Directed by: John Lasseter
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18. Transformers
> Worst-rated movie: Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 5.2/10 (142,436 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 43% (39,989 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 15% (254 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Bay
17. Pirates of the Caribbean
> Worst-rated movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (497,634 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (199,896 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 33% (278 reviews)
> Directed by: Rob Marshall
16. Rocky
> Worst-rated movie: Rocky V (1990)
> IMDb user rating: 5.3/10 (131,727 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 31% (268,285 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 30% (37 reviews)
> Directed by: John G. Avildsen
15. Shrek
> Worst-rated movie: Shrek the Third (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (291,321 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 52% (2,218,576 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 42% (214 reviews)
> Directed by: Chris Miller
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14. Superman
> Worst-rated movie: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
> IMDb user rating: 3.7/10 (46,555 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 16% (66,035 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 11% (46 reviews)
> Directed by: Sidney J. Furie
13. Indiana Jones
> Worst-rated movie: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (438,015 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53% (1,320,929 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (277 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
12. Fast and the Furious
> Worst-rated movie: 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (262,979 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 50% (32,791,717 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 36% (161 reviews)
> Directed by: John Singleton
11. DC Extended Universe
> Worst-rated movie: Suicide Squad (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (651,492 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (146,901 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (387 reviews)
> Directed by: David Ayer
10. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings
> Worst-rated movie: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (494,189 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (215,504 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 59% (265 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
9. Star Trek
> Worst-rated movie: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 5.5/10 (58,010 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 24% (58,641 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 22% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: William Shatner
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8. Jurassic Park
> Worst-rated movie: Jurassic Park III (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 5.9/10 (305,076 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 36% (527,034 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 49% (186 reviews)
> Directed by: Joe Johnston
7. X-Men
> Worst-rated movie: X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 5.7/10 (169,869 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 64% (15,456 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 22% (381 reviews)
> Directed by: Simon Kinberg
6. Harry Potter
> Worst-rated movie: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (238,698 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (15,408 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 36% (332 reviews)
> Directed by: David Yates
5. Spider-Man
> Worst-rated movie: Spider-Man 3 (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 6.2/10 (524,171 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51% (2,265,043 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (262 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Raimi
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4. Batman
> Worst-rated movie: Batman & Robin (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 3.8/10 (241,109 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 16% (554,450 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 12% (93 reviews)
> Directed by: Joel Schumacher
3. James Bond
> Worst-rated movie: Casino Royale (1967)
> IMDb user rating: 5.1/10 (28,742 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 34% (33,219 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 26% (39 reviews)
> Directed by: John Huston, Ken Hughes, Robert Parrish, Joe McGrath, Val Guest
2. Star Wars
> Worst-rated movie: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 6.0/10 (61,665 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 40% (164,012 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 18% (172 reviews)
> Directed by: Dave Filoni
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1. Marvel Cinematic Universe
> Worst-rated movie: Eternals (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (309,803 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (10,000 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 47% (398 reviews)
> Directed by: Chloé Zhao
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