Some cinephiles are purists and will go to their grave defending the original incarnation of their favorite fandom. Others thrive on the overflow of content that sequels and prequels provide. What speaks the loudest, however, is the box office turnout.Be the first a flop or set up for a magnificent follow-up, these movies dominated their predecessors in earnings. Some almost wiped the original out completely (Manhunter who?). One thing is for certain - we're suckers for sequels.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Westerns; you either love 'em, or hate 'em, but there's no denying, Clint Eastwood makes one fantastic cowboy. This may seem like a small number compared to modern releases, but The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has made $25.1 million worldwide.
The first film in the Dollars Trilogy, Fistful of Dollars grossed $4.5 million for the year. In 1969, it was re-released, earning an additional $1.2 million. It eventually grossed $14.5 million total. The sequel, For a Few Dollars More, earned $15 million. Something interesting to note is that all three films were released in the US in 1967. That's a lot of Western for one year, but this was during the boom in popularity the genre enjoyed between the 40s and 60s. It's safe to say The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the stand out of the trilogy, and a classic treasured by many.
Shrek 2
There's no denying that Shrek was a masterpiece. The all-star cast melted into their characters, avoiding the big-name big-flop trend of many animated films these days. Audiences got a strong, badass princess, a killer soundtrack, and the nostalgia hit of every fairytale of their youth thrown into one. But then, somehow, DreamWorks went one better and made Shrek 2, the highest-grossing film of both 2004 and the franchise, earning a whopping $928.7 million worldwide.
Family movies are a big market, but Shrek 2 transcends the ages. As a throwback to 90s cartoons, there are innuendoes sprinkled throughout. Prince Charming as an insufferable mummy's boy was a great touch. In fact, every character in Shrek 2 is fleshed out and flawed. The audience's empathy for those relatable characters has ensured the Shrek franchise will stand the test of time.
22 Jump Street
Where the teen movies of the early aughts taught us to laugh at other people, comedies like Jump Street have mastered the art of laughing at ourselves. When Eminem wannabe Jonah Hill and puka shell necklace-wearing Channing Tatum strolled on-screen, millennials everywhere inwardly cringed at the memories of their own high school personas. It was clear from the get-go, these losers were us, and we loved it. 21 Jump Street made a worldwide total of $201.6 million; it is also the top-grossing high school comedy film of all time.
When 22 was set up at the end of 21, audiences had an idea of what they were in for, but the self-aware absurdity of the plot mixed with genuinely genius one-liners made 22 the stand-out follow-up we hoped for. It made $331.3 million worldwide, well and truly eclipsing its predecessor. As Deputy Chief Hardy would say, "Do the same thing as last time. Everyone's happy."
The Dark Knight
Where to even begin with The Dark Knight? Still considered one of the greatest superhero movies of all time, it has grossed $1 billion globally since its release. Batman Begins only managed $372 million, by comparison.
The Dark Knight Trilogy is a masterclass in what the DCU should have been. The darkness and depth of Heath Ledger's Joker are unparalleled. DC has incredible villains, and whether you're a Christian Bale Batman fan or not, there's no denying this film is the greatest in Batman history. Thank you, Christopher Nolan and p.s. please come back.
The Silence of the Lambs
Sir Anthony Hopkins' 1991 performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter is pop culture lore. People who haven't seen the film can real off quotes by heart. The Silence of the Lambs is the third film in history to sweep the 5 major Academy Award categories: Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. It earned $272.7 million globally. But, did you know that it's a sequel?
Manhunter, quietly released in 1986 and earning a meager $6.8 million, is the first and often overlooked installment of the Hannibal Lecter franchise. It has garnered a cult appreciation of late, but the stylistic choices of director Michael Mann were criticized heavily at the time. Manhunter is based on the novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris, whose series is the source material for the Hannibal franchise. In 2002, Hopkins and director Brett Ratner teamed up to create another version of the prequel, this time titled Red Dragon. Both are worthy versions of a great novel.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Ten years in the making, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II saw Harry finally take on Voldemort in the infamous Battle of Hogwarts. The dramatic finale of the Harry Potter franchise topped the pile earning $381 million worldwide.
Interestingly, the first installment of the series Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is the next highest, with $317 million. The lowest-performing film is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban with $249.5 million. Certainly not a bad effort for the Boy Wizard. Although many fans were initially frustrated that Deathly Hallows was broken into two films released 6 months apart, ultimately it gave director David Yates the ability to delve into the humanity of each character as they headed to war. He included many details often skipped over by the other books' adaptations, although that awkward hug between Voldemort and Draco could probably have been left out.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Don't get us wrong, we aren't saying The Force Awakens is better than the other Star Wars films. Absolutely not. But it is true that it had the 4th biggest opening weekend of all time (Avengers: Endgame taking the title) and has earned a cool $2 billion worldwide.
By comparison, fan-favorite Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back lags behind with $535 million total global earnings. That's a pretty incredible number for a film released in 1980. It's clear that modern-day cinema-goers are spending a lot more than we did previously. Fun fact: In 1980, movie-ticket prices were about $2.69–$5.46, where they stayed until 1990. These days the average ticket price in the USA is just under $10. Not too bad for inflation, really. This does explain the large jump in profits between the older and newer films though. It's definitely not the quality.
Avengers: End Game
The MCU has earned over $25 billion worldwide, making it the biggest movie franchise of all time. With 27 films so far (as of March 2022) the $2.8 billion Avengers: Endgame pulled in is almost 9% of those earnings; mighty impressive for just one film.
It's true that the MCU has done what no other franchise had done before, which is brought an enduring multiverse to life on screen (Come on DC, you can do it!). End Game also blew a lot of minds with an all-powerful villain that kept even seasoned comic book fans on the edge of their seats until the end. No spoilers here, but audiences have shown how much they love an unpredictable story (just look at Game of Thrones), and Marvel has been producing those by the bucket load.
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
The Terminator, a 1980s action classic in its own right, earned a modest $4 million worldwide. Audiences love Arnold Schwarzenegger, but they didn't know just how much... yet. Fresh from starring in Conan, the inaugural Terminator was good. In 1991, riding the high of hit after hit, Arnie returned, bringing well-developed leading man charisma to the much-anticipated T2 - and it was great.
Earning $515.4 million worldwide (with the 2017 rerelease garnering an additional $1 million), T2 is Arnie's highest-grossing film, the only Terminator film to be Oscar-nominated (winning 4 of the 6 categories) and, with the film's domestic box-office adjusted for inflation, it is the top-grossing R-rated action film of all time. "Hasta la vista, baby".