20 Hollywood Failures That Almost Killed Popular Film Series

    Some sequels breathe new life into their failing franchises. These are not those movies.

    Ken W. Hanley
    by Ken W. Hanley

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    Hollywood often gambles every time they release a new entry to their franchises, as one wrong move could put the studio in the red.

    However, these risks are not new, as studios have shot themselves in the foot time and time again, as evident by the underwhelming and underperforming films below.

    1. The Final Destination

    A woman riding on top of a car in "The Final Destination"
    New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Ironically not the final film in the Final Destination franchise, the late David R. Ellis returned to the beloved horror series for its undoubtedly weakest entry, with uninspired set pieces, desperate use of 3D, and a betrayal of the series' core mythology that was later restored in its stellar follow-up, Final Destination 5.

    2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2

    Spider-Man running in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2"
    Columbia Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    While some might revisit The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with rose-colored glasses after Andrew Garfield's wonderful and emotional appearance in Spider-Man: No Way Home, the truth is that this cluttered sequel doubled down on putting style over substance, derailing the trajectory of the franchise and forcing Sony to play nice with Marvel Studios for the reboot.

    3. Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem

    Predator about to attack a woman in "Aliens vs. Predator - Requiem"
    20th Century Fox / Courtesy Everett Collection

    A sequel born out of the fans' disappointment with the tame violence of Alien vs. Predator, this illogical trainwreck has the distinction of almost cratering both the Alien and Predator franchises at once, leaving Ridley Scott and Shane Black to eventually bring both back to the big screen years later. 

    4. Seed of Chucky

    Chucky next to a woman screaming and tied to a bed in "Seed of Chucky"
    Rogue Pictures / Everett Collection

    This writer may personally advocate for Seed of Chucky in the bigger picture of the Child's Play franchise, but that doesn't change that the absurd and outrageous horror-comedy nearly put the kibosh on Chucky's reign of terror until the arrival of the more grounded and Gothic Curse of Chucky nearly 10 years later.

    5. Solo: A Star Wars Story

    Characters in a spaceship in "Solo: A Star Wars Story"
    Lucasfilm / Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Plagued by behind-the-scenes drama and an growing indifference to all things Star Wars in the wake of The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story disappointed greatly to Disney's financial expectations, causing the company to shutter all plans for further Star Wars spinoffs.

    6. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

    A character breathing fire in "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor"
    Universal Pictures / Photo 12 / Courtesy Alamy

    Though Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was an international success, the third entry into Brendan Fraser-led Mummy franchise bungled many of the aspects that made the first two films so fresh and exciting, which inspired the franchise to focus largely on direct-to-video Scorpion King movies until The Mummy failed to launch the Dark Universe in 2017.

    7. X-Men Origins: Wolverine

    Wolverine running in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine"
    20th Century Fox Film Corp / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Now lambasted as a punchline in regards to misguided spinoffs and the folly of studio interference, X-Men Origins: Wolverine not only sank the prospective Magneto origins film but nearly killed off the Deadpool franchise before it was ever brought to life.

    8. Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

    Characters in an old building in "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation"
    New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection

    A shining highlight reel of bad filmmaking and utterly unbelievable cinematic choices, Annihilation completely robbed the Mortal Kombat franchise of any and all credibility and remains a sore spot even in the disappointing pantheon of bad video game movies.

    9. Mission: Impossible III

    Tom Cruise and Keri Russell pointing guns in "Mission: Impossible III"
    Paramount / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Mission: Impossible III has certainly aged better over time, largely in part to J.J. Abrams' direction and a scene-stealing performance from Philip Seymour Hoffman, but the film almost ended the action franchise due to its underwhelming box office, with the studio later intending to replace Cruise with Jeremy Renner in Ghost Protocol.

    10. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2

    Characters in "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2"
    Artisan Entertainment / Courtesy Everett Collection

    A misstep on almost every fashion, Book of Shadows seemed to have banished the Blair Witch franchise into dormancy until it was revived by an ambitious threequel 16 years later, which helped renew interest in the property and inspired video games and an escape room.

    11. Justice League

    Various superheroes like Wonder Woman and Batman in "Justice League"
    Warner Bros. Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection

    You've probably heard enough online in the volatile discourse between Joss Whedon and Zack Snyder's Justice League, but the fact that D.C.'s blunder sent their entire franchise trajectory into disarray (for better or for worse) is oddly fascinating.

    12. Halloween: Resurrection

    Characters looking scared in "Halloween: Resurrection"
    Dimension Films / Courtesy Everett Collection

    The critical and commercial success of Halloween: H20 sent the classic slasher franchise back into relevancy, but Dimension Films retconned H20's perfect ending to continue the series with one of the most misguided sequels of all time, which will be forever known for pitting killing machine Michael Myers against kung-fu master Busta Rhymes.

    13. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

    Two men look out of a car in "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift"
    Universal Pictures / Courtesy Alamy

    When the late Paul Walker refused to return for a third Fast and Furious outing, Tokyo Drift essentially stripped the franchise bare and nearly took it to a grinding halt before Vin Diesel and the crew reunited to rebrand the franchise as a bombastic anti-hero spectacular.

    14. Rocky V

    Rocky being declared a champion in "Rocky V"
    United Artists / Courtesy Everett Collection

    The Rocky franchise was running on fumes by the time Rocky V exited theaters, as it felt out of date and boring with a confusing, preachy message taking center stage, though the failure of this film was perhaps necessary for Sylvester Stallone to find the humility to fuel his return to form in Rocky Balboa.

    15. Superman Returns

    Two characters talking in a newsroom in "Superman Returns"
    Warner Bros / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Controversial filmmaker Bryan Singer's attempt to continue the timeline of the Christopher Reeve-era Superman films was ultimately an exercise in futility, as too few cared, and the ones who did failed to receive action and set pieces worthy of D.C.'s first son.

    16. Die Another Day

    Pierce Brosnan looking up at Halle Berry in "Die Another Day"
    Eon Productions / AA Film Archive / Courtesy Alamy

    Pierce Brosnan began his tenure as James Bond with an all-time classic with Goldeneye, but he sadly exited the role in perhaps the very worst Bond picture, which also assassinated Eon Productions' hope for a Halle Berry-starring Jinx spinoff.

    17. Star Trek: Nemesis

    Riker looking at Data's head in "Star Trek: Nemesis"
    Paramount Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Star Trek: Nemesis may not be the worst film in the longstanding franchise, but it convinced Paramount Pictures that the bloom may had been off the rose for Star Trek and that new blood both behind and in front of the camera was necessary to carry the series on to a new generation.

    18. Blade: Trinity

    A man screaming in another man's face in "Blade: Trinity"
    New Line Cinema / Courtesy Everett Collection

    Blade: Trinity faced an impossible task with following the superb, Guillermo del Toro-helmed Blade II, but Lord knows what inspired New Line Cinema to recruit pro wrestlers, Christopher Guest regulars, and an untested director in their backfiring attempt to shift the Blade franchise into an ensemble property co-led by Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel.

    19. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls

    Indiana Jones with others looking concerned in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
    Paramount Pictures / Everett Collection

    There's no denying that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the lame duck of the Indiana Jones franchise, shifting their focus from spiritual and mythology-based lore to a more science fiction-driven effort that literally hoped to pass the hat to Indy's son (which, thankfully, never bore further fruit). But with the fifth Indiana Jones film well under way, there's still hope yet that this franchise can end on a bright note for the legendary adventurer.

    20. Terminator: Salvation

    Christian Bale and Anton Yelchin in "Terminator: Salvation"
    Warner Bros / Courtesy Everett Collection

    The law of diminishing returns has applied to the Terminator franchise since T2, and while Dark Fate had its moments and James Cameron's seal of approval, the franchise itself was nearly terminated by Salvation, a film plagued by Christian Bale's behind-the-scenes controversy, a not-so-quiet battle over the rating and the film's ending, and box office failure that sent the iconic sci-fi/horror property up for auction on the open market soon thereafter.