Legacy sequels are getting more and more popular, and with the upcoming release of Jurassic World: Dominion, which brings the original Jurassic Park cast back together, it should shatter box office records. But as it stands, outside of one billion-dollar-grossing movie, legacy sequels have had varying degrees of success at the box office.
Some studios have delusions of grandeur, thinking that certain decades-old franchises are more beloved than they are and have larger fanbases than they do. That leads to box office bombs due to inflated budgets and low box office grosses. However, other legacy sequels hit it out of the park with the perfect amount of nostalgia combined with fresh new takes on the material.
Halloween (2018) - $255.6 Million
The Halloween franchise had countless sequels and reboots before the 2018 movie, but none of them had half of the success or praise of the direct sequel. Halloween featured a concise and engaging narrative compared to the increasingly convoluted plots of the other sequels, and it saw the return of fan-favorite character Laurie Strode. On top of that, despite being a direct sequel to the original movie, it was still a great entry point for new audiences.
The movie was a return to form and all of those points led to the highest box-office result the franchise has ever seen, and it isn't even close. Unfortunately, the poorly received follow-up, Halloween Kills, undid all of that. But there's still a chance the series can be redeemed with the upcoming Halloween Ends.
Blade Runner 2049 (2017) - $259.3 Million
While a box office intake of $259 million might look great without any context, in reality, it's a devastating result, and Blade Runner 2049 was bombed at the box office. Nobody in their right mind should have ever greenlit a Blade Runner sequel, and while Blade Runner 2049 turned out great, it was always going to be a financially catastrophic choice.
The original Blade Runner might have become a cult classic, but it still bombed when it was first released. And as if making a sequel to a box office bomb wasn't risky enough, giving that sequel an inflated budget of $185 million and limiting its audience by making it R-rated were the final nails in the coffin.
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) - $261.1 Million
Though Arnold Schwarzenegger returned for Terminator: Dark Fate, he's returned for most movies in the series. And even though he wasn't physically in Terminator Salvation, a digital version of him showed up in the final act. What truly makes Dark Fate a legacy sequel is the return of Sarah Connor and the fact that it's a direct sequel to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, ignoring the other movies released in the interim.
Unfortunately, the return of one of the most badass heroines in cinema history wasn't enough to salvage the franchise. Just like Blade Runner 2049, $261 million might look great, but it massively underperformed for the studio. Even despite being the franchise's best reviews since the second movie, it's the lowest-grossing film in the series outside of the original.
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - $375.7 Million
Mad Max: Fury Road arrived 30 years after Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, but it could be argued that Fury Road doesn't fit within all the parameters of a legacy sequel. Mel Gibson doesn't return to the role, the same amount of time hasn't passed in the movie as it has in real life, and Max is seemingly the same age as he was when audiences last saw him.
However, it still qualifies, as the Mad Max series has a distinct look and aesthetic, which is why most fans enjoy the movies, and it expands on the whole myth of the character. Considering how so much went wrong during the production of Fury Road, it's lucky that fans got the movie at all, and after 30 years, it's better late than never. The 2015 movie's incredible box office success proves that studios don't always need to strike when the iron's hot.
Star Trek (2009) - $385.6 Million
Many believe that 2009's Star Trek is a reboot of the original series, but Leonard Nimoy's Spock showed up two-thirds of the way into the movie, cementing the J.J. Abrams-directed movie as a legacy sequel. The Star Trek movie series had been dormant for seven years beforehand, as each consecutive release was a bigger failure than the last at the box office, but Abrams took a fresh approach to the series by turning it into a high-octane and exciting blockbuster movie.
While the new action-oriented direction was polarizing, as some longtime Trekkies didn't watch the series for its huge set pieces and high octane sequences, it introduced new fans to the franchise. If it wasn't for Abrams at the helm and changing the course of the sci-fi series, it certainly wouldn't have earned as much as it did worldwide.
Independence Day: Resurgence (2016) - $389.6 Million
The amount of money that goes into making and marketing a movie is ridiculous, and Independence Day: Resurgence is exhibit A. After the budget, the marketing costs, and the movie theatres' cut, Resurgence was still in the red when it left cinemas. In the studio's eyes, the movie bombed, especially considering that its predecessor made over $800 million.
It just goes to show that, though Jeff Goldblum was a bankable star in the 90s and is still a great actor, he doesn't have quite the pull that Will Smith does, who was the one non-returning actor from the original movie. If Smith had starred in Resurgence, there's no knowing how much more money the movie would have made, but it would have almost certainly hit $500 million at least.
Tron: Legacy (2010) - $400 Million
Tron: Legacy is one of the coolest-looking legacy movies, every frame is visually stunning, and along with Daft Punk's incredible electronic soundtrack, it's more of a very expensive art project than a Hollywood movie. And despite having a convoluted narrative, the audio/visual experience was hugely profitable.
But though $400 million is a fine box office gross for the movie, it's pennies compared to what Disney is usually used to. And while that figure usually means a sequel would be immediately greenlit by any other studio, Disney's resources would be better put towards other more profitable properties. The movie is even considered a cult classic despite making way more than most other films, but in Disney's eyes, that's exactly what it is.
Bad Boys For Life (2020) - $426.5 Million
Coming 17 years after the original movie, few people would have thought that Bad Boys For Life would be as successful as it was. But Martin Lawrence and Smith's chemistry is just too funny and the comedy action sequences are too entertaining. Interesting, the third movie in the series earned way more than any of the others.
Bad Boys For Life got lucky, as it was released right before COVID-19 hit and forced the closure of movie theatres. The movie became the fourth highest-grossing film of 2020, and there hadn't been a movie that low-grossing in the year's top 10 list since 2008. And, given the movie's huge success, there'll undoubtedly be a Bad Boys 4.
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2009) - $790.6 Million
There's no bigger difference between a movie's box office success and its reception from fans and critics, at least not when it comes to legacy sequels than Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It just goes to show how bankable of a star Harrison Ford is and how bankable of a character Indy is, as the movie still had audiences showing up to movie theatres in droves despite being universally hated.
However, while Crystal Skull is underrated, the Indy series may redeem itself with the upcoming fifth movie in the series. Not only might it be the swan song that the character deserves, but it has the chance of grossing even more than the fourth movie worldwide too, even without Steven Spielberg in the director's chair.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) - $2 Billion
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the ultimate legacy sequel. The movie sees the return of all the fan-favorite characters, introduces new, just as beloved characters, is full of fan service, and it doesn't leave new fans confused.
The film was criticized for being too much of a retread of the original movie and being almost too full of fan service. But there was nothing more exciting in the 2010s than the Millenium Falcon reveal or the moment Han and Chewie reunited with the iconic ship. The movie made a whole $2 billion worldwide and is the fourth highest-grossing movie of all time.