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But what of all the box office flops actually deserve a sequel?
Still, though audiences ignored Equilibrium at first, the picture has slowly drawn attention as a cult movie.
Blue Beetle (2023)
Blue Beetle was a solid movie at an awkward time.
Historically, it was groundbreaking as the first Hollywood superhero movie with a Latino lead.
The Replacement Killers (1998)
Antoine Fuqua’s action thriller had all the makings of a would-be franchise.
Chow Yun-fat, a superstar in his native Hong Kong, was at last making headway in Hollywood.
Mira Sorvino was an Oscar-winning actress on the cusp of blockbuster stardom.
(One of its biggest direct competitors?
The Fault in Our Stars.)
But the original movie’s lukewarm box office means investors still have cold feet.
It wasn’t even an outright bomb; the movie earned a respectable $140 million worldwide.
In 2024, Diesel hinted on his Instagram page that a sequel was still in development.
Spoilers: The creature causing the movie’s destruction is none other than Cthulhu, from H.P.
Lovecraft’s “The Call of Cthulhu.”
But its happy ending is begging to see a continuation.
The World (2010)
Edgar Wright’s cult smash Scott Pilgrim vs. Butwhat ifa new movie explored Scott and Ramona’s happily ever after?
What if a movie took on the characters in their 30s instead of their slacker 20s?
And the Wachowskis have long ago proven themselves capable of doing something so unexpected.
Van Helsing (2004)
Hugh Jackman will forever be known as Wolverine.
But in 2004 the hunky heartthrob had a different shot at an action franchise.
(Bloodborne fans should really check out Van Helsing.)
While critics adored Dredd, bad marketing kept the movie from box office success.
(Audiences eventually came around due to its unadulterated violence and ultra-cool Urban in the main role.)
Tomb Raider (2018)
For a long time, the bar was hilariously low for video game movies.
Still, The Fall Guy is ripe for endless sequelizing.
(We’re not kidding.
Know what movie beat it for number one at the box office?
to some day reach the shores of the big screen.
Serenity (2005)
Aim to misbehave.
You really can’t stop the signal.
Still, The Northman had the backing of critics who praised the movie’s intensity.
Subsequent controversies surrounding both of its stars has rendered The Lone Ranger unlikely to ride again.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
as one of the greatest action-comedy franchises that never was.
Still, it wasn’t an outright failure, and there has been talk of a sequel.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (2004)
Calling Sky Captain!
Come in, Sky Captain!
Unfortunately, its underwhelming box office has grounded it seemingly forever.
Snake Eyes: G.I.
Coupled with a pandemic-era box office, and what you have is a recipe for a box office bomb.
(Worldwide gross: A measly $40 million.)
But Snake Eyes: G.I.
Joe Origins, a prequel/reboot that tried and failed to launch a new era for the G.I.
Here’s hoping that the Green Hornet and Kato may one day strike again.
John Carter (2012)
It remains infamous as one of Disney’s biggest disasters of all time.
That’s a shame, because John Carter doesn’t deserve to be “the worst” anything.
An eye-popping spectacle, John Carter was set to become a whole new franchise for Disney.
(And let’s be real: Does the plain title “John Carter” actually inspire excitement?)
