10 Biggest Comic Book Movie Sequel Disasters

Throughout the history of comic book movies in the MCUThe DCUAnd beyond that, there were many sequels that turned out to be disasters. While many of the MCU movies have been massive successes, that’s not the case for all comic book movies. While many films based on comic book source material are successful with critics or at the box office, there are times that have seen such movies disastrously.

Throughout the history of DC movies and the MCU’s movie timeline, there have been many instances of the sequel being a successful or respectable cinematic effort that didn’t live up to their predecessors. Some comic book movie follow-ups simply aren’t able to live up to their own hype, ending up in box office failure or critical panning. With that in mind, here are 10 comic book movie sequel disasters.

10

Joker: Folie A Deux (2024)

Sequel to: Joker (2019)

After the massive success of 2019 JokerThe announcement that the letters of Joker: Folie à Deux Would continue its history was met with widespread anticipation. Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar-winning turn as Arthur Fleck made announcements about the sequel even more exciting, with cryptic teases about the film’s musical inspirations and the casting of Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn earning particular interest. Unfortunately, the sequel proved to be an instant disaster upon release.

With mixed to negative reviews across the board, Joker: Folie à Deux was immediately in trouble. The underwhelming box office of its opening weekend saw it gross significantly less than projected, quickly marking it as an utter disaster. Considering the overwhelmingly positive reception of its 2019 predecessor, Folie à Deux‘s critical and box office failures seem all the more dismaying by comparison.

9

Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice (2016)

Sequel to: Man of Steel (2013)

2013s Man of Steel Marked the beginning of the DCEU’s movie timeline, and despite a relatively mixed reception, it was ultimately considered an interesting new direction for the titular hero. Zack Snyder’s unique vision continued in 2016 Batman v Superman: Dawn of JusticeAlthough with even less encouraging results. The sequel was considered mediocre at best, marking it as a low point in a franchise that was barely in its infancy.

Batman v Superman was a disaster for a handful of reasons. Its bloated runtime, poor representations of beloved elements of the source material, and questionable narrative choices all hurt the film’s reputation. with critics and audiences alike. Considering that the DCEU had only just started, the poor reception to its second entry was far from ideal, and was generally disastrous for the franchise as a whole.

8

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Sequel to: Thor (2011)

The release of 2011’s Thor It was one of the more surprising movies in Phase 1 of the MCU, as it combined fantasy and sci-fi while adapting a lesser-known Marvel hero. However, it paid off massively, enthralling audiences and introducing one of the franchise’s most interesting figures. The sequel of the film, 2013 Thor: The Dark Worldwas seen as an opportunity to expand on the success of the original, also after the MCU’s major hit in 2012 The Avengers.

Thor: The Dark World Disappointed on almost all fronts. It was considered the nudest entry in the MCU at the time, and for a considerable time was labeled the franchise’s worst film. Poor handling of the film’s villain and its general narrative ultimately made for an uninteresting entry in the MCUEarning it a disastrously poor reputation with fans of the franchise.

7

Batman and Robin (1997)

Sequel to: Batman Forever (1995)

The sad critical reception to 1995s Batman Forever It may not have been very successful, but it was able to capitalize on the reputation of Tim Burton’s Batman movies that came before it. However, its own sequel, 1997’s Batman and RobinDid not have any good will to draw on liberation. As a result, the movie stood purely on its own merits, and was, therefore, a complete disaster.

Batman and RobinThe unnecessarily cheesy and wacky approach to The Dark Knight was not well-received, and earned instant derision from both audiences and critics. Poor critical reception and a moderate disappointment at the box office was a disaster for Joel Schumacher’s Batman sequel, even compared to its underwhelming predecessor. The movie was considered bad enough to keep Batman out of cinemas for the better part of a decadeMeaning it’s also disastrous for the character’s cinematic legacy.

6

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Sequel to: The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

The release of The Amazing Spider-Man In 2012, the titular hero was rebooted after Sam Raimi’s groundbreaking trilogy. The first movie was not as resounding a success as its predecessors, but he earned enough attention to justify the making of a sequel. 2014s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Continuing his story, exploring some of his independent plot threads and introducing some other aspects to the story of the franchise. Unfortunately, the sequel was also something of a disaster.

The general reception received generation The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was not positive. Critics have been leveled at the film, especially where its story and script are concerned. Despite the film’s ambitions teasing a sequel and potential spin-offs, the underwhelming reactions to its release saw the franchise scrapped.With Sony soon after striking a deal with Marvel to introduce Spider-Man into the MCU. Although The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Has since been more favorably reappraised, it was once considered disastrous enough to justify scrapping all future plans.

5

Superman Returns (2006)

Sequel to: Superman II (1980)

After the way that Richard Donner’s first two Superman Movies shaped modern superhero cinema, it would seem that a more modern attempt to capture their story would be very successful. Superman Returns picked up where Superman II Left off, with Brandon Routh taking over the role of the titular hero thanks to his uncanny resemblance to a young Christopher Reeve. Unfortunately, the sequel did not live up to the high expectations placed on it.

One of the main obstacles to success was the fact that Superman II Has already received two sequels, both of which were disasters in themselves. Skimming over part of the hero’s cinematic legacy only distanced Superman Returns of its predecessors, and an uninspired script only further weakened the appeal of the 2006 movie. Despite being an equally entertaining film in its own right, Superman Returns could not achieve the success that was expected of himAnd Root’s iteration of the hero was short-lived.

4

Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania (2023)

Sequel to: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

Following the narrative developments of Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaS characters ventured into the quantum realm. The MCU sequel has teased major MCU plot points, most notably the full debut of Kang the Conqueror, who was only previously introduced via Multiversal variants. The character once set to be the next main antagonist of the franchise helped to hype the release of the sequel, with Quantum mania Tipped to be one of the most important MCU movies yet-End game.

however, The third Ant man The movie was a disaster on both critical and financial levelsAnd spelled huge trouble for the MCU in general. Quantum mania Failed to break even at the box office, thanks in part to widespread negative reviews that marked it as one of the franchise’s worst movies ever. Despite Ant-Man once considered an MCU fan-favorite, Quantum mania Proved one of the franchise’s worst sequel disasters.

3

Superman III & IV (1983, 1987)

Sequel to: Superman II (1980)

Long before superhero movies consistently dominated the box office, Richard Donner’s Superman Movies ushered the genre into the modern age of cinema, using groundbreaking effects to bring comic book stories to life on the big screen. Another two widely celebrated and critically acclaimed Superman Movies Christopher Reeve’s Man of Tomorrow is being brought back for two more movies. sad, Each of the two sequels proved to be more disastrous than the last.

Superman III was critically panned for its campy tone and inability to live up to the success of its predecessors. however, Superman IV Was disastrous even when judged against its less-than-impressed predecessor. The production values, script and acting of the fourth movie continued the considerable decline in quality started by Superman IIIMaking Christopher Reeve’s last two Superman sequels utterly disastrous from a financial and critical standpoint.

2

The Marvels (2023)

Sequel to: Captain Marvel (2019)

Considering the alarming trend of MCU movies and TV shows receiving increasing poor reviews at the time of The Marvels‘ release, expectations for the movie were relatively low. However, its predecessor, 2019 Captain Marvelwas one of the most critically successful movies of the Infinity Saga, making the character’s solo follow-up an important affair. The film also followed on from the MCU TV shows Ms. Marvel And WandaVisionBoth of which earned relative success.

The Marvels Did not perform at all as expected, underachieving in almost every possible metric. It failed to break even at the box office, grossing just $206 million worldwide against a production budget of $274.8 million. Mixed reviews from critics have praised some elements of the film, but as the lowest grossing movie in the MCU, it’s safe to say that The Marvels Was a complete disaster of a sequel.

1

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)

Sequel to: Aquaman (2018)

As the last movie of the DCEU, there was considerable interest in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom ahead of its release. Its predecessor, 2018 Aquamanhas proven to be one of the DCEU’s best movies from a critical and financial standpoint, and considering the DCU reboot, many are keen to see how the franchise would come to its conclusion. unfortunately, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was a disastrous sequel, especially in comparison to its predecessor.

The DCEU ending with Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Didn’t help boost the movie’s performance, but rather worked against the sequel. With no real stakes at stake due to the impending reboot, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom Didn’t do particularly well at the box office, and even worse with critics. As a result, it stands out as another example of the comic book movies of the MCUThe DCUAnd further from a continuation that turned out to be a total disaster.

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