10 Great Movie Sequels (That Nobody Saw)
4. The Two Jakes
Highly regarded amongst cinephiles and film scholars alike, Roman Polanski's 194 film Chinatown is one of the most critically praised and celebrated motion pictures of all time.
Jump ahead to 1990 and we have a follow-up in the form of The Two Jakes. Penned by Chinatown screenwriter Robert Towne and with star Jack Nicholson taking over directing duties, as well as reprising his role as J. J. "Jake" Gittes, the film seemed like it was on to a winner.
Whilst it couldn't possibly live up to the heights of Chinatown, The Two Jakes is still an exceptional film that fans of the original will no doubt get a kick out of. It retains all of the mystery, thrills and neo-noir tropes of the original, but it seems that this wasn't enough to bring in the crowds.
The film was a box-office failure, raking in a mere 10 million against a budget of 19 million, resulting in a loss Paramount Pictures. These meager returns ensured that a third and final film in the series would never come to fruition, despite a script already being in the works.