10 Recent Movie Sequels NOBODY Expected To Be Good

2. Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy

Bridget Jones's Baby offered up such a fitting ending to the original trilogy of rom-coms that there was immediate scepticism about unpicking that happy ending for a fourth go-around, especially as it happened to be based on the most divisive book in Helen Fielding's hit novel series.

The shock death of Bridget's (Renee Zellweger) husband Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) didn't sit well with many fans when the novel came out in 2013, and so there was considerable pre-release negativity about this adaptation.

Toss in the fact that Universal sent the film direct to their streaming service Peacock in the U.S., and it didn't exactly paint the sunniest picture of the movie's prospects.

What a surprise it was, then, when Mad About the Boy released to enthusiastically positive reviews, with many even daring to call it the best film in the franchise.

As polarising as Mark's death remains, the sequel handles it with grace and heart, using it as a launching pad to deliver an affecting, probably-last entry in the series.