Sequels have been a mainstay of Hollywood for decades but these days, along with prequels, remakes and other spin-offs, the concept of the ‘franchise’ dominates.
By creating ‘universes’, studios are able to capitalise on an established brand and its built-in audience.
And hey, it works. It’s led to some of the the highest-grossing films of all time, just look at the Avengers.
But sometimes it doesn’t work. What might seem like the safest route to a surefire hit also risks hitting marks like originality, which reeks of a cheap cash grab.
Instead of getting into the latest trends, let’s go back to where sequels were still clumsily finding their feet. Ultimate Classic Rock recently came up with a list of 25 1980’s movie sequels they reckon should never have been made… and honestly, some of them are so bad, they’re almost good:
‘Flying High II: The Sequel’ (1982)
‘Arthur 2: On the Rocks’ (1988)
‘Caddyshack II’ (1988)
‘Fletch Lives’ (1989)
‘Big Top Pee-wee’ (1988)
‘Grease 2’ (1982)
‘Teen Wolf Too’ (1987)
‘Crocodile Dundee II’ (1988)
‘Staying Alive’ (1983)
‘Conan the Destroyer’ (1984)
‘Smokey and the Bandit Part 3’ (1983)
‘Cannonball Run II’ (1984)
‘Cocoon: The Return’ (1988)
‘2010: The Year We Make Contact’ (1984)
‘Jaws 3-D’ (1983)
‘Poltergeist II: The Other Side’ (1986)
‘Porky’s II: The Next Day’ (1983)
‘Return to Oz’ (1985)
‘Return to Snowy River’ (1988)
‘Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise’ (1988)
‘Short Circuit II’ (1988)
‘The Fly II’ (1989)
‘The Gods Must Be Crazy II’ (1989)
‘The Sting II’ (1983)
‘Meatballs Part II’ (1984)
