10 Terrible Movie Sequels That Prove Bigger Definitely Doesn't Mean Better
4. Speed 2: Cruise Control
Speed remains one of the finest action movies ever made, and arguably the best example of the type of high-concept pitch that was all the rage during the genre's 1990s heyday that maximized every penny of the relatively thrifty $30m budget, which it recouped ten times over at the box office.
The warning signs were already there when Keanu Reeves opted not to return for the sequel, not to mention the strange idea of setting a movie with the word 'Speed' in the title on a decidedly slow-moving form of transport, with Cruise Control ultimately suffering the ignominy of bombing hard and quickly gaining a well-earned reputation as one of the worst sequels ever made.
Director Jan de Bont staged the most expensive stunt ever committed to film when he crashed the boat into a harbor at a cost of $5m, but despite it being an admittedly impressive sequence it only accounted for a couple of the movie's mind-numbing 126 minutes, and at no point did it feel like you were watching something that cost a reported $160n to put together.