20 Film Franchises That Were Cancelled After One Movie

19. Godzilla (1998)

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TriStar Pictures

By the 1990s, Toho Studios had released over 20 Godzilla films. As a result, it's no surprise the American remake was never intended to be anything except a franchise.

Although Roland Emmerich's film is considered a flop, it did actually make a profit. However, it didn't make enough money to warrant a follow-up so the two planned sequels were canned. Originally, Emmerich intended the sequel to take place on Monster Island where Godzilla's son would battle six or seven kaiju. When that plot was deemed too expensive, the story was rewritten so the titular dinosaur would battle a giant insect in Sydney.

After the studio saw the lukewarm reception from critics and viewers, they pulled the plug on the whole project.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows