Entertainment
Top 15 Movies About Celebrations and Gatherings Gone Horribly Wrong
15. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
After years of saying he was done with Axel Foley, Eddie Murphy returned for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, nearly 40 years after the original. It’s a streaming sequel no one expected, but somehow still managed to be more fun than it had any right to be. | © Netflix
14. Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick took decades to happen, and even when it was ready, COVID pushed it back again and again. But the wait paid off big time, with Tom Cruise returning to the cockpit for one of the biggest box office hits of 2022. | © Paramount Pictures
13. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home pulled off the impossible, bringing together three different Spider-Men from three separate franchises in one movie. The fact that it stayed secret until release might be even more shocking than the movie itself. | © Sony Pictures Releasing
12. Blade Runner 2049
Blade Runner 2049 took a cult classic with a famously ambiguous ending and somehow made a worthy sequel 35 years later. It brought back Harrison Ford, kept the mystery alive, and delivered a stunning follow-up no one expected to work but somehow did. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
11. Dumb and Dumber To
Twenty years after the original, Dumb and Dumber To reunited Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels, now firmly middle-aged, for more clueless antics. Fans showed up out of nostalgia, but critics weren’t laughing nearly as hard. | © New Line Cinema
10. Tron: Legacy
Tron: Legacy followed up a cult sci-fi film that wasn’t exactly a hit to begin with, 28 years later. Somehow, Disney pulled it off, bringing back Jeff Bridges and turning a niche concept into a slick, neon-drenched franchise that’s now getting a third entry. | © Walt Disney Pictures
9. Superman Returns
Nearly two decades after the original franchise ended, Superman Returns tried to revive the Reeve-era Superman with a new face and a retro vibe. Brandon Routh did a solid job, but the film’s soft box office and odd in-between feel led Warner Bros. to hit a reboot instead of a follow-up. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
8. The Rage: Carrie 2
The Rage: Carrie 2 started as a totally unrelated movie, then got retrofitted into a sequel no one asked for. With a new telekinetic teen and a surprise half-sister reveal, it mostly just rehashes the original with late-’90s angst and a few returning faces. | © MGM
7. Blues Brothers 2000
With John Belushi gone, a Blues Brothers sequel seemed unthinkable, but Blues Brothers 2000 happened anyway, with John Goodman stepping in and a kid sidekick tagging along. The edge was gone, the plot made no sense, but at least the music still slapped. | © Universal Studios
6. Highlander II: The Quickening
Highlander II came just five years after the original, but considering the first film ended with the immortal battle resolved, a sequel made no sense. Instead of building on the lore, it rewrote it completely, turning warriors into aliens and earning a spot as one of the strangest misfires of the ’90s. | © InterStar Releasing
5. Texasville
Nearly 20 years after The Last Picture Show, Texasville brought back the same director, the same cast, and even the same town, but almost none of the magic. Despite having solid source material and Jeff Bridges returning as Duane, the sequel landed with a thud and left audiences scratching their heads. | © Columbia Pictures
4. The Color of Money
A Martin Scorsese-directed sequel to a 1961 pool drama wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card, but The Color of Money happened anyway. With Paul Newman back as Fast Eddie and Tom Cruise in tow, it brought Newman his first Oscar despite mixed reviews. | © Touchstone Pictures
3. Never Say Never Again
After swearing off Bond for good, Sean Connery returned 12 years later for Never Say Never Again, a title that pretty much says it all. It’s technically a remake of Thunderball and not part of the official franchise, but Connery’s comeback as an older 007 makes it an unlikely sequel all the same. | © Warner Bros. Pictures
2. The Sting II
The Sting II recasts everyone, tweaks the names, and then pretends it’s not a sequel, even though the plot is clearly a follow-up. It’s less a charming con and more a confusing, sluggish cash grab that nobody really asked for. | © Universal Studios
1. Return to Oz
Nearly 50 years after The Wizard of Oz, Disney dropped a sequel no one saw coming, and definitely not like this. Return to Oz swaps musical whimsy for unsettling horror, with Dorothy in a mental hospital and facing a much darker version of the Emerald City. | © Walt Disney Pictures
