20 Movie Sequels Everyone Knew Were A Huge Mistake (But Still Got Made)
Everyone saw these duds coming, even the people making them.
Sequels are the very thing that Hollywood needs, that it craves, in order to keep all that big, expensive studio machinery turning - the need to milk an IP dry of every last cent rather than rolling the dice on risky original ideas.
And while there are many, many great sequels produced with creativity and good intent, there are also many more sequels made solely to squeeze the remaining money out of a brand while it's still relevant, even if there's no real good idea at the core.
That's absolutely true of most of these 20 movie sequels, which weren't just viewed as a huge mistake by critics and fans, but perhaps even those involved with the production.
Since these mostly dreadful sequels came and went, many cast and crew members have held nothing back in detailing how they knew the production was absolutely cooked long even while they were making it.
These films all made it to the finish line against the odds, though most failed to replicate the success of previous films in the series, perhaps even killing the franchise in the process...
20. Speed 2: Cruise Control
Speed is one of the most beloved action films of the 1990s, and so a sequel made a certain amount of sense, except Speed 2: Cruise Control ended up being basically everything it should've never been.
For one, Keanu Reeves wasn't in it, leaving poor Sandra Bullock to slum it with his less-than-stellar replacement, Jason Patric.
But Speed 2's biggest problem is its entire premise - a runaway cruise ship isn't nearly as exciting or intense as a bomb-rigged bus, and the title "Cruise Control" straight-up suggests a more benign, less-enthralling outing than what came before.
Bullock later admitted that she had huge reservations about the film during production, and after seeing Speed 2 she knew it would be the huge flop it indeed turned out to be.
Once Reeves pulled out the writing was very much on the wall - this sequel clearly should've been 86'd without his involvement, but like a runaway cruise ship on a casual collision course with a pier, everyone just stayed the course regardless.