As movies get bigger and bigger, crossovers are increasing in frequency. While the first popular crossover dates back to 19th-century literature when Mark Twain had Tom Sawyer make an appearance in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the decades since have seen cinematic giants like Godzilla, Freddy Krueger, and Spider-Man hop from franchise to franchise.
Sometimes, crossovers don't live up to the fans' hype due to a lack of creativity or an over-stuffed script. On the other hand, some movies managed to take advantage of the trope and even revolutionize the genre. These successful crossover titles should be watched by movie buffs at least once in their lives if for no other reason than to appreciate a well-executed combination.
10 Freddy vs. Jason Defined Mainstream Horror Crossovers
With almost ten movies in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, all classic horror fans would know the name immediately. Parallel to it, Friday the 13th transformed the unlucky superstition of the same name into something more sinister. Putting the two together brought something different to mainstream horror.
However, the 2003 release of their crossover received a mix of responses. While fans of both franchises enjoyed the epic showdown, the general audience didn't see anything too special. With that said, some horror fans remain hopeful that a sequel featuring Evil Dead's Ash can pull through and deliver some over-the-top kills.
9 Godzilla Vs. Kong Brings The Kaiju Mania To Hollywood
The Kaiju genre hails from Japan, where putting giant beasts against one another or attacking a city is a common story plot. Monsters in Hollywood didn't often match up in terms of size until King Kong's arrival in the 1930s and the popularity of Lovecraftian horror made its way to film.
With the release of Godzilla vs. Kong, Hollywood shares its take on what makes this genre so hyped up overseas. Based on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie received a 91% audience score and 75% on the Tomatometer. Whether it's the epic battle scenes or the destruction of civilizations, viewers are hooked.
8 Alien vs. Predator Includes Movies, Games, And Comics
After thirty years of existence, the Predator has made itself known for its constant travel between different pop culture titles. For avid readers of the comics or players of the games, the 2004 Alien vs. Predator movie doesn't even come off as a surprise.
The story follows the face-off between the bloodthirsty Xenomorphs and the trophy hunters, the Yautja. Just like Freddy vs. Jason, the movie only attracts fans of their individual movie franchises. In its defense, it managed to rank number one at the box office during its opening weekend.
7 Sadako Vs. Kayako Revived Two Classic J-Horror Icons
Even if people haven't actually watched the original adaptations, the names Sadako and Kayako are well-known. Japan makes a name for itself when it comes to producing obscure and disturbing horror movies. The extensive myths and folklore about otherworldly beings in the country become the basis of film storylines.
The Grudge and The Ring influenced the jumpscare culture in modern horror. With both franchises having more than ten movies each, it's hard to determine what to expect in the crossover. While the reviews leaned towards the negative, the promotional campaigns definitely hyped it up.
6 RoboCop Versus The Terminator Deserves A Film Adaptation
In the sci-fi genre, Robocop and The Terminator are considered action-hero icons of the 1980s. While both franchises gained popularity as movies, their crossover has yet to make it to the big screen. Meanwhile, a comic book mini-series popularized the overlap of their worlds and was later released as a video game.
For modern cinema, sci-fi takes a dark reality approach, favoring dystopian themes over utopia. Since The Terminator fits the bill, it would be an interesting concept for Robocop to also take a dark turn. In a crossover movie, the two can either battle each other or join forces to destroy or protect the world.
5 Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Pits Hero Against Hero
Superman and Batman belong to the Justice League ensemble. While both superheroes exist in the same universe, they also have their respective franchises. DC Comics has adapted crossovers for a long time, but big-budget films like this don't always push through.
The success of Superman's 2013 reboot, Man of Steel, prompted the beginning of the DC Extended Universe and the crossover. Fans largely agreed that it was too early in the shared universe's life to do such a big crossover, and the "death" of Superman felt unearned. Thankfully, Cavill is finally set to return as Superman once again.
4 Lake Placid Vs. Anaconda Is So Bad, It's Good
It's surprising that films from the Lake Placid and Anaconda franchises can even have multiple sequels, let alone a crossover. In fact, Sony Pictures announced in 2020 that a reboot for Anaconda is in the works. For some reason, movie watchers find themselves gravitating toward badly-produced movies.
Whether it's the lack of plot devices or the poor use of CGI, the audience stays for pure amusement. Some of them even force their way to the ending and hope to be proven wrong, but some movies are just meant to be bad, and they can even be enjoyable because of it.
3 Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man Reminisce Old Horror And Noir
The crossover between Frankenstein and The Wolfman happened twice, in separate movies. The first time was in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, and the second was in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The Universal Monsters holds the distinction of having one of the first shared cinematic universes.
While both are considered weird films, the crossover between the two monsters reflects the history of how movies were made at the time. The intention of making it a horror genre coupled with its production quality, the reception could only be described by the critics as silly.
2 Spider-Man: No Way Home Puts Three Generations Of Fans Together
Spider-Man comics have been around since the 1960s and adapted into movies many times. However, in terms of modern-day releases, the audiences are divided between three generations - the Tobey Maguire, the Andrew Garfield, and the Tom Holland version.
The MCU itself is categorized as crossovers between Marvel superheroes, but the approach Spider-Man: No Way Home can only be described as top-tier Spider-Man content. The reception for bringing the three Spider-Men together speaks for itself, with a 98% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.3 on IMDb.
1 Arsène Lupin Contra Sherlock Holmes Was One Of The Earliest Crossovers
Movies are generally adapted from literary fiction. When two icons like Arsène Lupin and Sherlock Holmes come together in one movie, it starts a revolution. Prior to their crossover, which was a German film released in 1910, they each had their respective stand-alone films.
Despite existing for over a century, both characters remain relevant in pop culture. Sherlock Holmes' popularity spread across multiple platforms - games, comics, movies, television, stage, and radio. While Arsène Lupin gets a long-running manga franchise spinoff and a recent Netflix series.