Summary

• Movie sequels often struggle to live up to high expectations, with many failing to exceed the hype created by their predecessors.
• Hype can be dangerous for film releases, as it can lead to disappointment when fan expectations exceed the actual quality of the film.
• Sequels face stricter criticism and often have to fight against poor expectations, as there is a stigma against reboots and spin-offs that are seen as cash grabs with limited effort.

Movie sequels have challenging expectations to live up to, often following up on beloved films. Some of the most highly anticipated movies ever have been sequels that either complete a saga of films, like Revenge of the Sith or Avengers: End Game, or return to a series after years away, like Mad Max: Fury Road. While those are examples of movies that succeeded, living up to their hype, many others in similar situations have failed to do so.

Hype is a dangerous game for film releases. Studios want fan expectations to be high to fill seats at the theaters. However, when those expectations exceed the quality or scope of the film, it can result in more resounding disappointment. Many movies didn't live up to unrealistic expectations, but sequels are often subjected to stricter criticism, as there's a stigma toward the excess of reboots and spin-offs that put limited effort in for a cash grab. Not only are they directly compared to what came before them, but they fight an uphill battle of people having poor expectations for sequels to begin with.

10 Avengers: Age Of Ultron

Directed by Joss Whedon (2015)

The Avengers was one of the most exciting superhero films ever, concluding Phase 1 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The tie-in from the five previous films added an unprecedented emotional weight to the team-up of the six core heroes. Avengers: Age of Ultron had the challenge of following it up, and Ultron was a far cry from Loki in of a big boss villain, resulting in it being considered one of the worst MCU movies. In retrospect, it's a charming team-up movie, but it didn't live up to the hype of the other Avengers movies.

9 Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice

Directed by Zack Snyder (2016)

Batman and Superman had both had their respective films before, but the prospect of seeing them together in live-action for the first time was a dream come true. Not to mention, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was planned to be DC's first crossover movie to compete with the increasingly popular MCU. With Wonder Woman's introduction and the Justice League prospect, DC's future seemed promising. Unfortunately, the movie wasn't received well, and the franchise was criticized for jumping into the team-up too quickly rather than developing its characters individually.

8 The Rise Of Skywalker

Directed by J.J. Abrams (2019)

Not only did The Rise of Skywalker have to conclude the sequel trilogy, but it also had to end the entire Skywalker saga, with decades of films, story, and fan appeal behind it. That's a ton of pressure to live up to, especially given the seemingly disorganized creative vision of the sequels. The Rise of Skywalker is primarily considered the worst Star Wars movie, falling far below any expectations for a series of movies that had dominated the internet with theory-crafting and excitement since The First Awakens.

7 The Godfather Part III

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1990)

The Godfather Part III is far from a bad movie, but the level of excellence of the first two films made them hard to live up to. Especially given Robert Duvall's absence and the increased involvement of new characters, Francis Ford Coppola's sequel failed to meet expectations and tainted an otherwise nearly perfect film series. Coppola's recent cut of the movie, The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone, fixes some of the issues, but it's still the weakest entry.

6 The Dark Knight Rises

Directed by Christopher Nolan (2012)

Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy is regarded as the gold standard of superhero films, offering as grounded and realistic an approach to the character as possible, with prestige actors and writing. After The Dark Knight, still considered the best Christopher Nolan movie, the hype was extraordinarily high for Nolan to conclude the trilogy properly. The Dark Knight Rises is far from a bad superhero movie, but Nolan had already used the ace up his sleeve with the Joker, and Heath Ledger's performance as Batman's greatest villain was nearly impossible to top.

5 Space Jam: A New Legacy

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee (2021)

Nearly two decades after the first Space Jam film, a sequel starring LeBron James was highly anticipated for years. Unfortunately, Space Jam: A New Legacy failed to capture the magic of the original Looney Tunes/Michael Jordan mash-up, instead over-inflating it with various Warner Bros. property cameos to serve as an ad for HBO Max essentially. A movie that should've been a treat for NBA fans and those who grew up watching the original turned out to be a distasteful cash grab.

4 The Matrix Resurrections

Directed by Lana Wachowski (2021)

The Matrix is one of the best sci-fi movies ever, perfectly mixing thought-provoking narrative and cinematic blockbuster action. Its sequels started a downward trend, never living up to the strength of the first film. The Matrix Resurrections arrived nearly two decades later, providing a modern update to the franchise. The fourth installment was divisive, trying to take the franchise in a different direction that didn't sit well, with many hoping for at least more of the exciting action previous sequels had.

3 The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies

Directed by Peter Jackson (2014)

Aside from the first film, which had decent reviews, The Hobbit trilogy wasn't met with much positive reception. The story was elongated by the studio's demands for a trilogy, and the hope for The Battle of the Five Armies was at least to provide an exciting battle akin to Helm's Deep to end the saga properly. But the major action sequences in The Battle of the Five Armies were ruined by mediocre CGI, lacking the authenticity of the Lord of the Rings films that had arrived ten years prior. If the plan was to shoehorn in a massive battle sequence, it should've at least been a great movie battle.

2 Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull

Directed by Steven Spielberg (2008)

The Indiana Jones films are some of the most beloved family-friendly adventure movies ever, with a fitting original trilogy despite its ups and downs. Decades later, the addition of a fourth film was off-putting on its own, resulting in the worst addition to the franchise. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull went wrong on multiple levels, tainting the franchise and Steven Spielberg's filmography.

1 Spider-Man 3

Directed by Sam Raimi (2007)

Like Christopher Nolan's Batman, Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy peaked with the second film, creating massive hype for its sequel. Spider-Man 3 not only failed to live up to the expectations of its predecessor, it became one of the worst superhero movies ever. The evil Peter Parker scene has at least found a home in meme culture, but the flaws are in the disted narrative and the messy use of multiple villains.