10 Movie Franchises That Surprisingly Got Better

9. Transformers

Expectations weren't exactly high when Paramount tapped Michael Bay of all people to helm the Transformers franchise, and though the original 2007 movie wasn't bad, it nevertheless felt like an overly juvenile, clumsy attempt to appeal to hormonal teenagers above all else.

The sequels got progressively worse, with the first three follow-ups turning in absurd profits almost inversely proportional to their critical responses. Audiences finally grew out of Bay's shtick with the fifth film, The Last Knight, which scored the lowest box office of the series.

Something clearly needed to change, and so the studio opted to proceed with a smaller-scale Bumblebee-starring spin-off, while hiring Travis Knight (Kubo & the Two Strings) to direct.

This resulted in Bumblebee receiving the only Fresh critical rating of the franchise, being praised for its family-friendly tone, less chaotic direction and more faithful approach to the Transformers themselves.

Better still, its mighty 92% Tomatometer is higher than the scores of the previous four movies combined.

Though Bumblebee did turn out to be the lowest-grossing film in the series, its decidedly lower $135 million budget nevertheless allowed it to multiply its price tag three-fold.

Paramount recently confirmed development of a sequel, which will hopefully prove that Bumblebee's success wasn't a one off for Bay's beleaguered series.