20 Great Movie Franchises That Became Unwatchable

3. Pirates Of The Caribbean

Back in 2003, nobody could have predicted just what a critical, commercial, and pop culture phenomenon a Pirates of the Caribbean movie could be. And yet, with Johnny Depp leading things as the beloved Captain Jack Sparrow, this quickly became one of Disney’s greatest assets.

Following The Curse of the Black Pearl came the rest of a trilogy that brought life to the high seas, perfectly balancing the eccentricity of Captain Jack and the darkness of the supernatural element that was so important.

While it was Jack who was at the front and centre for the most part, the franchise suffered greatly from the loss of Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley. Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann were essential characters, and the fourth Pirates film, On Stranger Tides, fell horrifically flat without them.

Marketed as bringing them back six years later, Dead Men Tell No Tales not only featured the duo for just a few scenes each, it wasted Javier Bardem, produced a post-credit that no one cared about even with the prospect of a Davy Jones (Davy Jones) return, and put the final nail in the franchise's watery coffin. There has been talk of a return since, with either Margot Robbie or Johnny Depp leading the way, but it’s far more likely that this would only make things worse, if it were to happen at all.