One of the most popular ways to determine the dominant trends that have captured the interests of the public is to look at the movies that make the biggest noise at the box office. There’s an increasing need for movies to become bigger and flashier, with plans to create connected franchises and series of sequels becoming more of the norm.
There are plenty of occasions where a movie necessitates another chapter and has more story to tell, but there are even more sequels that get pushed into production for empty reasons. The scores on Rotten Tomatoes can often be an effective barometer for the success of movie sequels and unfortunately there are some extremely poor examples that exist.
10 The Whole Ten Yards Wastes & Embarrasses Its Talent (4%)
It’s always frustrating when an abysmal sequel doesn’t just preemptively end a franchise, but also tarnishes the original movie’s reputation in the process. The Whole Nine Yards isn’t a cinematic treasure, but it’s an above-average comedy that makes excellent use of both Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis.
The comedy lovingly pays service to mob films and it’s not exactly a movie that necessitates another chapter. Unfortunately, The Whole Ten Yards operates on auto-pilot with regressive character turns that squander the sequel’s talent. It’s a wasted opportunity that’s made for the wrong reasons.
9 Speed 2: Cruise Control Returns With A Weaker Premise & Co-Star (4%)
There’s understandable pressure to turn a hit movie into a franchise, but some ideas only work because of their limited scope. Speed is a smart action thriller that works as well as it does because of its heightened premise and the electric chemistry between Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock.
Speed 2: Cruise Control loses that magic when Jason Patric replaces Reeves and it swaps its bus setting for a cruise liner. A boat that can’t stop is considerably lower stakes and even though Willem Dafoe makes for a fun villain, it’s not enough to keep this sequel from capsizing.
8 Daddy Day Camp Runs Out Of Steam Before It Gets Moving (1%)
Some movies are only able to succeed because they don’t rock the boat or try to overextend themselves. Daddy Day Care is a perfectly serviceable family comedy from Eddie Murphy that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but is entertaining enough and makes good use out of Murphy’s comedic skills.
Daddy Day Camp is the unnecessary follow-up that moves these slapstick antics to a dilapidated summer camp. Daddy Day Camp is broader with less to offer, but it also loses Eddie Murphy in favor of Cuba Gooding Jr., who never taps into the right energy.
7 The Gallows Act II Is A Forgettable Sequel That Adds Nothing To The Formula (0%)
Horror films are subjected to more insulting sequels than any other genre of film and this trend has only become more popular thanks to companies like Blumhouse figuring out how to deliver low-budget installments that offer low risk and high rewards. This is the strategy that’s taken with The Gallows Act II.
The original is an average found footage movie set within the high school drama scene. Blumhouse tempted fate with a low-budget sequel and a tiny release, but The Gallows Act II vanished with a whimper. It offers nothing new and has a less frightening and more predictable narrative.
6 Police Academy 4: Citizens On Patrol Is The Low Point Of The Broad Comedy Series (0%)
Any franchise that’s able to turn out seven installments deserves some respect and while the Police Academy movies aren’t exactly considered classics, they still have a memorable reputation as fun and disposable comedies from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Curiously, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, marks the franchise’s most embarrassing entry.
It’s not the last Police Academy movie, but it signals the beginning of the end. The loose plot about bringing everyday citizens onto the police force struggles before it even gets started. Even Michael Winslow’s sound effects aren’t enough to save this sequel.
5 Return To The Blue Lagoon Feels Unnecessary & Exploitive (0%)
The Blue Lagoon is a formative 1980s film that helped put a young Brooke Shields on the map. The Blue Lagoon is emblematic of many of the hormone-fueled romantic adventures of the decade, but this prospect already seems dated when Return to the Blue Lagoon attempts to recapture this energy over a decade later.
Return to the Blue Lagoon quickly hits diminishing returns with another escape to paradise. The sequel’s themes are empty and it heads into uncomfortable territory with its presentation of budding sexuality. It’s notable for an early role from Milla Jovovich, but not much else.
4 Return Of The Living Dead Part II Turns Zombies Into A Lame Joke (0%)
George A. Romero became a prolific name in the horror genre thanks to the formative zombie work that he established in Night of the Living Dead. The Living Dead universe has only grown more cumbersome and flawed over the years and some broad swings have been taken.
Return of the Living Dead turns up the comedy and this dynamic becomes intolerable in its sequel. Return of the Living Dead Part II utilizes a flimsy plot where strange gas reanimates the dead. Thin characters, messy effects, and a bizarre tone all make this sequel an unmitigated disaster.
3 Highlander 2: The Quickening Loses Its Way In Spectacular Fashion (0%)
The original Highlander is a strange sci-fi/fantasy vehicle that managed to connect with such a large audience because of its unique mythos that it doesn't overexplain. Highlander 2: The Quickening robs the universe of its mystique and reduces the series into a parody of itself. Highlander 2's bleak vision of the future and Connor MacLeod's efforts to eliminate his seemingly immortal competition are laughable.
The sequel's nonsensical story also suffers from rampant edits. Several sequels and expansions to the Highlander universe have happened, but the abysmal nature of Highlander 2 is proof for why “there can only be one.”
2 Jaws: The Revenge Proves That It’s Finally Safe To Go Back In The Water (0%)
Steven Spielberg’s Jaws is a cinematic triumph that’s largely responsible for the concept of summer blockbusters. Accordingly, there was endless pressure to make subsequent Jaws movies and the sequels, while lesser films, still find their own rhythm. The most flawed of these follow-ups is the fourth and final film in the series, Jaws: The Revenge.
Jaws: The Revenge riffs on better ideas from the previous movies and the plot, which implies a personal grudge that’s held between the great white shark and the Brody family, is ludicrous. Plagued with production problems, Jaws: The Revenge’s finished product is just as painful.
1 Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 Is A Vile Waste Of Time (0%)
There are certain concepts in the movie industry that aren’t necessarily good, but popular for a certain stretch of time. A strong example of this is the trend of animals and babies that talk or perform extraordinary actions. Baby Geniuses capitalizes on this premise and manages to make it work while also being fairly cute.
Unfortunately, Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2 runs out of goodwill and just plays like an empty, manipulative cash grab. This time the Baby Geniuses have super powers and are up against a corrupt media mogul, but it’s all just embarrassing nonsense.