10 Movie Franchises That Can't Be Good Again (And Exactly Why)
The success of these former franchises has been terminated for good.
There's a famous fallacy amongst movie-goers that sequels can never be as good as the original and most times, this is certainly true. Far too many times, we've seen cheap and unnecessary clones of the same movie that offer nothing new.
Even so, there have been a plethora of movie franchises, spanning genres and time periods, that have kept us coming back with every new release. There comes a time, however, when even the biggest of blockbusters aren't enough to satisfy audiences, and serious problems with production and staleness of ideas can cause the whole thing to fall apart.
Occasionally Hollywood can surprise us all with fresh reinventions of previously abandoned properties - whether through ingenious recasting, focusing on a new perspective or simply giving each story long enough to avoid becoming boring, old cinema-fodder. More times than not though, the cash-cows that have given so much already are dusted off for one more storyline, and it can be detrimental to the franchise as a whole for it.
With that in mind, here are 10 movie franchises that can never be good again, and why.
10. Pirates Of The Carribean
With five movies under its belt, and a sixth involving actress, Margot Robbie, coming later this year, it's safe to say that the Pirate franchise's ship hasn't sailed just yet. But does that mean that the next instalment will be any good?
If the rest of the reported cast list is anything to go by, it's not very likely. One of the biggest problems with the franchise struck following At World's End, when the iconic trio of Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan were torn apart, never to return on screen again in central roles. It was the icons of the early adventures that drew audiences to love the franchise, and the loss of cinema's most badass couple was a heavy burden on subsequent stories.
Later storylines have long felt repetitive and formulaic. A McGuffin that either promises unimaginable power or holds a terrible curse must be found through a series of daring and quirky adventures, ultimately falling favourably into the hands of Jack and allowing him to escape his demons or captors and journey on to the next instalment. It's understandable and almost impressive for a franchise with five movies, that built its entire premise upon a children's ride at Disneyland, to have got this far! It just doesn't inspire much hope that our next quest is going to be anything new or different either.