10 Movie Franchises That Became Parodies Of Themselves

2. Superman

Everyone knows the trajectory of the original Superman series; great first entry, compromised second, comedic third and creatively and financially bankrupt fourth. And while the obscenely cheap The Quest for Peace was the last nail in a coffin Kal-El would find himself in for almost two decades until Superman Returns hit in 2006, it was Superman 3 that really marked the point where it stopped being, well, Superman. Sequels weren't the massive, market dominating force they are now. Franchises as they are today just didn't exist and any follow on was a cheap attempt to make a small amount of cash. And that sort of explains why, after two successful movies, producers the Salkinds decided to go light. With comedian Richard Pryor in a supporting role and little narrative oomph the film is a copy of the early films repurposed as a comedy. There's slight references to the mythos, but the majesty of Superman: The Movie is nowhere to be seen. It may have been intentional, fitting director Richard Lester's modus operandi, but that doesn't stop it marring the Man of Steel's legacy.