After Stephen Norrington declined to return for the sequel, Guillermo del Toro stepped in to make what was only his second Hollywood feature. Improving on the sequel in almost every way, the Mexican director injected Blade II with his usual combination of stylish visuals, imaginative effects and a streak of dark humour. At its heart a glorified B-movie, Blade II excels in its numerous fight scenes that overcome the sometimes dodgy CGI to deliver a series of fast-paced, kinetic and entertainingly gory showdowns. Luke Goss makes for a surprisingly formidable villain, with the welcome addition of the Bloodpack expanding both the cast and the mythology, allowing each action sequence to serve a different purpose. As well as his mastery of both hand-to-hand and sword-wielding combat, Snipes utilises his screen presence and dry one-liners to cement Blade as one of cinema's most iconic bloodsuckers. As you would expect, the script isn't the movie's strong point but Blade II still delivers two hours of expertly-staged, violent popcorn entertainment with an impressive sense of scale that belies the $55m budget. Released in March, often referred to as a cinematic dumping ground, Blade II managed to buck the trend and open at the top of the domestic box office with an impressive $32.5m. Worldwide, the movie improved on its predecessor and earned $155m, a solid number for a violent, R-rated hybrid of the superhero and vampire genres.