Summary
- These 12 movie franchises have managed to bounce back after disappointing sequels, proving that redemption is possible.
- Sequels that improve on their predecessors are rare, but these movies have shown that it can happen with determination and effort.
- From The Avengers to Thor: Ragnarok, these franchises have turned their fortunes around, delivering films that are considered the best in their series.
Disappointing movie sequels are a common occurrence, but these 12 franchises have accomplished the rare achievement of rebounding after a disappointing sequel. Disappointing sequels are often a sign of decline for a franchise, with one disappointing sequel often leading to another as the quality continues to drop. However, some movie franchises have realized their sequel mistakes and have become determined to fix them, with later film entries completely saving the series.
Plenty of sequels have improved on already acclaimed original movies, such as Kung Fu Panda 2, while others like The Suicide Squad have improved on poorly-received original movies. However, the pattern of having a well-received original, a bad sequel, and then a well-received sequel is an incredibly rare one. Oftentimes franchises end due to having poorly-received sequels, meaning that getting another chance is a hurdle. Even when these second chances are given, it is rare for a film to drastically improve on its predecessors. However, in these 12 cases, exactly that happened.
12 Avengers: Infinity War After Avengers: Age Of Ultron
2012's The Avengers was the beloved pay-off to Marvel's Phase 1 project, with it proving that the MCU could actually work. Another swatch of critically acclaimed movies like Captain America: The Winter Soldier showed this continued success, making viewers even more excited for the sequel to The Avengers. However, when 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron was released, it was incredibly disappointing to many viewers compared to the original. Luckily, The Avengers series redeemed itself, with many holding Avengers: Infinity War up as the best film in the series. Avengers: Infinity War was a massive recovery for the MCU, showing that The Avengers wasn't a one-off success.
11 Rocky Balboa After Rocky V
Throughout the first four movies, the Rocky series had a fairly rocky path, with movies like Rocky and Rocky IV being beloved while movies like Rocky II and Rocky III were liked, but not as much. However, Rocky V was a new low for the franchise, with the film managing to entirely sink the once-beloved series. The Rocky franchise was essentially dead after Rocky V, with it not coming back until 2006's Rocky Balboa. Luckily, the 16-year wait was worth it, with Rocky Balboa bringing the boxing franchise back to the heights of the original film, ending the series on a good note.
10 Scream 4 After Scream 3
While the original Scream is considered to be one of the best slasher movies of all time, its first two sequels have been seen as a decline in the franchise's quality. The reception of Scream 2 was mixed, but Scream 3 was torn apart by fans and critics alike, with it not holding up to the original at all. Luckily, Scream 4 managed to recover the best aspects of the franchise, with it working better as a horror movie as well as a genre homage. Things have only been getting better in recent years, with Scream V and Scream VI revitalizing the franchise, and it's all thanks to Scream 4.
9 Star Trek Beyond After Star Trek Into Darkness
Although the critical reception of all three entries in the J.J. Abrams' Star Trek trilogy has been positive, the second film in the trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness, was more divisive with fans. Star Trek Into Darkness heavily pulled from the story of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, but it was seen as an immense downgrade to fans of the franchise. Luckily, the conclusion of the trilogy, Star Trek Beyond, managed to pull away from retelling old stories, fixing many of the problems that Star Trek Into Darkness' Khan story created.
8 Bumblebee After Transformers: The Last Knight
Michael Bay's Transformers movies have always been a mixed bag, with the various sequels doing well at the box office while being panned critically. While the first Transformers movie is generally well-liked, it is the fifth film, Transformers: The Last Knight, that is generally seen as the worst in the series. Because of this, the Transformers franchise decided to go in a new direction, with the Bumblebee prequel film attempting to revitalize the franchise. Luckily, this strategy worked, with many considering Bumblebee to be the best of the live-action Transformers movies. With Transformers: Rise of the Beasts acting as a sequel to Bumblebee, it seems that this new direction worked.
7 Prey After The Predator
Ever since 1987's Predator was released, fans have clamored for a good sequel, but this seemed almost impossible. Predator 2 and 2010's Predators were both seen as declines in quality compared to the original, but they were nothing compared to 2018's The Predator. Upon its release, The Predator was torn apart by critics, with it being called the worst entry in the franchise. Luckily, 2022's Prey was the long-awaited Predator follow up that was actually good, with it giving the franchise a new setting and time period that made the creature scary once again.
6 Skyfall After Quantum Of Solace
Casino Royale's sequel, Quantum of Solace, was nowhere near as good as its predecessor. Quantum of Solace was called boring, poorly directed, and disappointing, with it being a bad second entry in Daniel Craig's James Bond series. Luckily, Skyfall, the third entry in the franchise, saved face, with it being considered the best Craig 007 movie as well as one of the best James Bond movies of all time.
5 Halloween (2018) After Multiple Halloween Sequels
Despite John Carpenter's original Halloween being one of the slasher genre's defining films, every sequel focusing on Michael Myers is pretty bad. However, 2018's Halloween retconned all of these awful Halloween sequels out of existence, and it surprisingly worked really well. 2018's Halloween acted as a deserving follow-up to the original film, although its sequels did leave a lot to be desired.
4 Mission: Impossible 3 After Mission: Impossible 2
All of the Mission: Impossible movies are critically acclaimed with one exception: Mission: Impossible 2. Mission: Impossible 2 was a poor attempt at recapturing the magic of the first film, with it being way too campy and narratively bland for its own good. Luckily, Mission: Impossible 3 swept in and turned the franchise around, introducing a new tone and style that would be carried forward in future sequels as well as one of the series' most popular villains, Owen Davian.
3 Cars 3 After Cars 2
Although Cars isn't considered Pixar's best, it is still a really good film, which is more than can be said about Cars 2. Cars 2 is often considered to be Pixar's worst movie, which is what makes Cars 3 so surprising. Cars 3 managed to shift gears, turning Cars 2's ridiculous spy storyline into a genuine drama about an aging sports star, giving Cars the heart that it needed to work.
