15 Terrible Movies That Did Not Deserve a Sequel

If a movie brings in a lot of money — or at least is profitable enough given its budget — studios can’t resist a second bite of the box office pie by making a sequel. Despite the law of diminishing returns, Hollywood knows that familiar characters and storylines have a better shot at connecting with audiences than an entirely original and unfamiliar concept.

That said, the following iffy movies in no way deserved a follow-up. Regardless of whether the original movie was a box office hit (Twilight), already a sequel itself (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), or just a shoddy production (Sharknado), the only excuse for making sequels to the following flicks is a desperate cash grab at the behest of some eager studio bean counter.

How many of the following movies do you think were so fantastic that they warranted one or umpteen more sequels?

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

Michael Bay’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the second installment of the Transformers live-action film franchise. Although the sequel brings back original stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, Revenge of the Fallen features irritating, jive-talking robots in disguise from outer space that challenge one’s tolerance for mindless popcorn flicks.

The movie won the Razzie for Worst Picture but still spawned several more sequels and spin-offs.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra is yet another movie based on a toy line — rarely an encouraging sign unless we’re talking about Barbie. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra follows two U.S. soldiers (Channing Tatum and Marlon Wayans) who join the G.I. Joe Team, a unit specializing in covert special operations.

Despite negative reviews that described the movie as “cartoonish” and “derivative,” the movie became a box office success and spawned the unnecessary 2013 sequel G.I. Joe: Retaliation.

Children of the Corn (1984)

1984’s Children of the Corn starring Linda Hamilton is based on the Stephen King short story of the same name about a rural Nebraska town whose children form a cult and kill all of the adults. Although it developed a cult following and has an effective opening scene featuring creepy kids dispatching the town’s elders, the low-budget horror flick features some laughable special effects.

Despite this and getting mixed reviews, Children of the Corn spawned a theatrical sequel, multiple straight-to-video sequels of dubious value, as well as a 2009 remake and a 2023 reboot. It’s time to harvest some fresh ideas because this short story didn’t necessitate 11 films, not a single one of which is great.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)

The noisy, chaotic 2014 live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie stars Megan Fox and Will Arnett. The simplistic story follows the Turtles as they emerge from the New York City sewers to face Shredder and his clan.

Despite critics dismissing it as “forgettable” and “occasionally infuriating,” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a box office hit and spawned the equally unremarkable 2016 sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.

Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

Fifty Shades of Grey, based on E.L. James’ novel of the same name, is tailor-made for bored housewives game for a titillating romantic drama. Dakota Johnson stars as Anastasia “Ana” Steele, a college grad who gets wrapped up in the sadomasochistic world of wealthy hunk Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan).

Although the movie won the Razzie for Worst Picture and critics dismissed it as “laughable” and “terrible,” enough thirsty viewers showed up to make the trashy-yet-tame flick a box office hit, forcing its two lead actors to phone it in for the flaccid sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

Resident Evil (2002)

Image Credit: Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Releasing.

The only phrase in reference to a movie that should raise more eyebrows than “based on a toy line” is “based on a video game.” Paul W.S. Anderson’s 2002 action-horror movie Resident Evil is based on the video game series of the same name about the Umbrella Corporation’s attempt to cover up the leak of deadly virus that transforms living organisms into mutated zombies.

The panned movie starring Milla Jovovich as Alice spawned five more-of-the-same sequels as well as an even more unnecessary 2021 reboot, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City.

Sharknado (2013)

The implausible premise for Sharknado involves a literal tornado of sharks that threatens humans living far inland. The silly Syfy movie starring Tara Reid and Ian Ziering spawned five increasingly ludicrous, over-the-top sequels, the most of recent of which is 2018’s aptly named The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time.

Just because a movie knows it’s bad and delights in that fact, it doesn’t mean the joke doesn’t wear thin by the end of movie, let alone after several shoddy sequels.

Twilight (2008)

Based on a novel by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight explores the burgeoning love triangle between a sullen human teen (Kristen Stewart) and two supernatural hotties: a sparkly vampire (Robert Pattinson) and a hunky werewolf (Taylor Lautner).

Despite critics dismissing Twilight as “unintentionally funny,” the tween-friendly blockbuster hit spawned The Twilight Saga franchise, consisting of five movies. None of the movies were scary enough for horror fans or kept the interest of Twihards after Pattinson and Stewart put a stake in their real-life relationship.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009)

In the 2009 action-comedy Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Kevin James stars as the titular New Jersey security officer who gets tangled up in a heist and hostage situation in the mall where he works.

Although the movie inexplicably became a box office hit, critics described it as “shockingly amateurish,” “juvenile,” and “a stale riff on Die Hard.” The lame 2015 sequel Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 got even less love from critics, who summed it up as “bereft of purpose.”

Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

This seasonal slasher film stirred up a lot of controversy in 1984 for depicting a killer dressed up as Santa Claus.

Silent Night, Deadly Night developed a cult following for its naughty premise, but it wasn’t compelling enough to warrant the uninspired 1987 sequel Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2, a large chunk of which uses recycled footage from the first movie. Three subsequent increasingly desperate sequels followed Part 2, plus the 2012 remake Silent Night.

Leprechaun (1993)

The best thing the 1993 horror-comedy Leprechaun has going for it is an early appearance by Jennifer Aniston.

The cheap cult film featuring a wise-cracking, homicidal leprechaun (Warwick Davis) didn’t have much luck with critics, but it made enough coin at the box office to spawn seven additional sequels, which took the titular leprechaun to Las Vegas, space, the hood, and back again. Now a reboot no one asked for is reportedly in the works.

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

Sleepaway Camp is a cheap rip-off of Friday the 13th, which itself is a cheap rip-off of Halloween. Sleepaway Camp is notorious for revealing that the killer at a summer camp is actually a traumatized teen boy trying to pass as a girl named Angela (Felissa Rose).

The gimmick proved effective enough for more sequels, the first two of which recast Angela with Pamela Springsteen. Although the Springsteen-starring movies will please fans of campy horror flicks, 2008’s Return to Sleepaway Camp and 2012’s Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor are pretty much unwatchable even by undemanding horror enthusiasts.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010)

The filmmakers intended the 2010 fantasy film Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief to kick off a lucrative YA series in the tradition of The Hunger Games or Harry Potter, but things didn’t exactly play out as planned.

Critics pointed out screenwriter Craig Titley’s poor grasp of the source novel written by Rick Riordan. The 2013 sequel Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters got an equally “meh” reaction, and plans for a third movie were scrapped. Instead, the TV series Percy Jackson and the Olympians debuted in 2023 on Disney+.

Fantastic Four (2005)

For whatever reason, the superhero team the Fantastic Four has not had a fantastic time on-screen. 2005’s Fantastic Four starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis is forgettable and got trashed by critics, but enough Marvel fans showed up to green-light the equally not-so-fantastic sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer.

Still, both of those movies seem like Oscar winners compared to the 2015 reboot also titled Fantastic Four, which recast the four superheroes as teens. Despite four duds, Marvel is readying a second reboot, imaginatively titled The Fantastic Four, for a 2025 release. Maybe the fifth time is the charm?

Shazam! (2019)

Any movie with an exclamation point in its title had better deliver something extra. Although the inoffensive DC superhero movie Shazam! starring Zachary Levi tickled some critics for its light, playful tone and made a profit at the box office, it wasn’t so exclamation worthy that it deserved a sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, which arrived in 2023.

Critics weren’t as easygoing on the sequel, which bombed at the box office and squashed any talk of Levi reprising the character again on-screen.