5 Movie Franchises That Got Better Over Time (And 5 That Got A Whole Lot Worse)

3. Worse: The Matrix

After delivering one of the most groundbreaking and inventive movies that both the sci-fi and action genres had ever seen, expectations were through the roof for the back-to-back Matrix sequels. The prospect of diving even deeper into the world and seeing what kind of mind-blowing set-pieces the Wachowskis would come up with next made them two of the most highly-anticipated films in history, but all we were left with was a staggering drop in quality.

While Reloaded boasted several standout sequences and quickly became the highest-grossing R-rated movie in history, the constant pseudo-philosophical speeches and inflated sense of self-importance saw the franchise border on the pretentious, with The Architect's appearance marking the moment the series definitively jumped the shark for many people.

Despite arriving just six months later, Revolutions earned over $300m less at the box office than Reloaded and saw critical and audience opinion head even further south, as a franchise that had the potential to be an all-timer instead disappeared firmly up its own a*se in a conclusion that ultimately disappointed and alienated a huge amount of the fanbase.