In the film industry, some projects fail at the box office but still get sequels. Sometimes it’s a calculated marketing decision, other times studios attempt to recover losses, and in some cases, it’s just sheer stubbornness from producers. Here are five films that, despite their failures, still managed to get a follow-up.
Death on the Nile → A Haunting in Venice
Recent adaptations of Agatha Christie’s detective stories have been met with mixed reactions.
Murder on the Orient Express (2017) received lukewarm reviews but still managed to earn $350 million, making it a financial success. However, Death on the Nile (2022) struggled — its budget nearly doubled, while its earnings plummeted to a third of its predecessor’s.
Despite this, A Haunting in Venice (2023) was released, but it too failed to become a hit. Why does the studio keep making these films? The answer remains unclear.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters → Godzilla vs. Kong
Kaiju films have their fans, but mainstream audiences have mixed reactions to them.
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) had a $200 million budget but only grossed $386 million, barely avoiding disaster when factoring in marketing costs.
However, Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) had a smaller budget ($155 million) and earned $470 million, proving that audiences still enjoy giant monster battles — if they get more screen time. Despite the second film’s underperformance, the franchise survived.
Terminator Salvation → Terminator Genisys
After the second film, the Terminator franchise started losing its audience’s interest.
Terminator Salvation (2009) failed to reignite the series, even with Christian Bale in the lead. It barely covered its budget but wasn’t a true success.
Terminator Genesys (2015) was intended as a franchise reboot, but it performed so poorly that the studio scrapped its planned sequels.
Then came Terminator: Dark Fate (2019), which completely killed the franchise again, grossing less than $300 million despite a massive budget.
The Chronicles of Riddick → Riddick
A franchise that suffered from a confusing branding strategy.
The first film, Pitch Black (2000), became a minor cult hit, but its sequel, The Chronicles of Riddick (2004), was a financial disappointment.
The studio abandoned the series, but Vin Diesel personally funded the third installment. Riddick (2013) performed decently at the box office, though it wasn’t a major hit.
Now, Diesel is trying to get a fourth film off the ground, but its success remains uncertain.
47 Ronin → Blade of the 47 Ronin
The 47 Ronin film starring Keanu Reeves was a major box office flop, earning $151 million against a $175 million budget.
Yet in 2022, Netflix unexpectedly released Blade of the 47 Ronin, a sequel that no one anticipated and few even noticed.
Now, Netflix is reportedly considering a third installment — but why remains a mystery.
Conclusion
Some franchises refuse to die, even when audiences have lost interest. A few of these sequels turned out to be unexpected successes, but in most cases, they simply prove that studios will cling to any hope of profitability.
