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)
Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Release Date
- May 1, 2015
- Director
- Joss Whedon
- Cast
- Chris Hemsworth, Clark Gregg, Robert Downey Jr., Cobie Smulders, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jeremy Renner, Thomas Kretschmann, Chris Evans, Don Cheadle, Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Samuel L. Jackson, James Spader
- Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 141 minutes
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 terms 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 v Superman: Dawn of Justice
- Release Date
- March 25, 2016
- Director
- Zack Snyder
- Cast
- Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot
- Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 152 minutes
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)
Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker
- Release Date
- December 20, 2019
- Director
- J.J. Abrams
- Cast
- Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Anthony Daniels, Joonas Suotamo, Mark Hamill, Adam Driver, Ian McDiarmid, Kelly Marie Tran, Billie Lourd, Keri Russell, Richard E. Grant, Daisy Ridley, Lupita Nyong’o, Dominic Monaghan, John Boyega, Domhnall Gleeson, Billy Dee Williams, Naomi Ackie
- Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 142 minutes
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
- Release Date
- December 25, 1990
- Director
- Francis Ford Coppola
- Cast
- Al Pacino, Andy Garcia, Diane Keaton
- Runtime
- 142 minutes
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)
The Dark Knight Rises
- Release Date
- August 16, 2012
- Director
- Christopher Nolan
- Cast
- Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman
- Runtime
- 2h 45m
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)
Space Jam: A New Legacy
- Release Date
- July 16, 2021
- Director
- Malcolm D. Lee
- Cast
- Eric Bauza, Don Cheadle, Jeff Bergman, Gabriel Iglesias, Sonequa Martin-Green, LeBron James, Cedric Joe, Bob Bergen
- Rating
- PG
- Runtime
- 1h 55m
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 Resurrections
- Release Date
- December 22, 2021
- Director
- Lana Wachowski
- Cast
- Keanu Reeves, Jessica Henwick, Priyanka Chopra Jonas
- Rating
- r
- Runtime
- 2h 28m
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)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
- Release Date
- May 22, 2008
- Director
- Steven Spielberg
- Cast
- Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent
- Rating
- pg-13
- Runtime
- 122 Minutes
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)
Spider-Man 3
- Release Date
- May 4, 2007
- Director
- Sam Raimi
- Cast
- Tobey Maguire, James Franco, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard, Kirsten Dunst, Rosemary Harris, J. K. Simmons, Thomas Haden Church, James Cromwell
- Rating
- PG-13
- Runtime
- 139 minutes
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 disjointed narrative and the messy use of multiple villains.