10 Major 2014 Films That Will Probably Kill Their Franchise

9. Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

Just like trailers spoiling third act events and self gratifying press junkets, it's becoming a required element of movie promotion for the filmmakers to talk about how a sequel to their latest is being "talked about". If people think there is an ongoing story or that they won't understand a subsequent movie without the new one, then they're going to be that bit more desperate to go check your flick out. Most of the time this is based off official studio word; The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was announced in the week leading up to the first film's release and the promise of X-Men: Apocalypse is already whetting appetites for Days Of Future Past. But confirmation isn't a requirement; just this week Robert Rodriguez began planting seeds for Sin City 3 in anticipation for A Dame To Kill For's release later this year. The issue with this isn't Rodriguez's overzealousness, but that Sin City 2 isn't the surefire hit some are expecting. Look at the belated sequel to another stylised, brutish adaptation of comic master Frank Miller's graphic novels; 300: Rise Of An Empire, which has failed to live up to the Gerard Butler-led original. And Sin City only has more of a fight; the sequel comes even later in the day, while much of the original's perceived success came from a very restrained budget. Rodriguez would be right to not pack all those eggs into that basket just yet.