10 Huge Movie Franchises That Don't Have A 5 Star Entry

6. Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003-2011)

The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has greatly suffered from the law of diminishing returns; Curse of the Black Pearl surprised a lot of people when it turned out to be one of the most entertaining blockbusters in years thanks to its deft blend of spectacular action and sense of fun, but each of the sequels have unfortunately turned out to be more disappointing than the last. Of course, that hasn't stopped the series from becoming one of the most lucrative brands in Hollywood, with over $3.7bn in box office receipts so far and fifth entry Dead Men Tell No Tales set for release in July 2017. Anchored by Johnny Depp's instantly-iconic Academy Award-nominated performance as Jack Sparrow, the first movie is vastly superior to any of the follow-ups thanks to some massively entertaining set-pieces and no shortage of humor in amongst the impressive CGI. From there the franchise lost its way, with Dead Man's Chest and At World's End suffering from an over-eagerness to expand the mythology, that resulted in two movies loaded with unnecessary supporting characters and convoluted plots that saw the series border on tedium. On Stranger Tides served as a reboot of sorts and jettisoned much of the supporting cast but largely suffered from the same problems, favoring style over substance and resulting in the worst entry yet. Given the ever-decreasing quality of the sequels, it seems unlikely that the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise will ever deliver an undisputed classic but the popularity of the brand will continue to see it earn a ton of money.