Top Gun: Maverick, and Avatar: The Way of Water, are both set to come out later this year - and both well over a decade since the original. The first Top Gun was released in 1986, while the original Avatar launched the 3D movie in 2009. Now, though, many elements have come together to allow for follow-ups to these hugely successful films to be made - although only time will tell if they are anywhere near as impressive as the originals.
The gaps in between the original and the sequel can be beneficial at times, but other times it just loses the audience. Sometimes the magic of the first film simply cannot be captured again - and IMDb is there to figure out just how fall these long-awaited sequels have fallen.
Avatar: The Way Of Water (2022) - N/A
In 2009, Avatar broke the box office records both domestically and worldwide. The film changed the game for movies, and the story was revolutionary. The world of Pandora and its Na'Vi people were shown in theaters both normally and in 3D. Seeing movies in 3D was something that, at the time, was rare outside of a few short educational films - and seeing a feature adventure in this format is what helped this movie excel, and launched 3D films as a standard.
Only recently, did the official trailer get released for the second film, Avatar: The Way of Water. While the movie has yet to come out, the commercial and the teasers look very promising. Director James Cameron and the 20th Century Studios are even promising that the third, fourth and fifth films will come all be out by 2027 if everything goes according to plan.
Top Gun: Maverick (2022) - N/A
Tom Cruise has become an incredibly well-known and appreciated actor since he first started in the early 80s. One of the movies he is most famous for is the 1986 film Top Gun, the best action movie on Netflix. Fighter pilot Maverick has to prove himself in the Top Gun Naval Fighter School. After a wild ride, and an ego check, he learns to become one of the best.
Fast forward over thirty years later, the sequel Top Gun: Maverick comes out. The sequel takes place over thirty years after the first film and still stars Tom Cruise. He is in charge of training some graduates and will embark on an adventure where he will be forced to face his past and learn the true meaning of sacrifice. The release date is coming up quickly and the movie looks like it'll live up to the original.
Zoolander No. 2 (2016) - 4.7
The film Zoolander was filled with a star-studded cast from Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson to Christine Taylor and Will Ferrell. Supermodel turned spy, Zoolander first strutted onto the screen in 2001. While there were some mixed reviews it overall did fairly well. The comedy mixed with the spy aspect helped it thrive.
Fifteen years later, when Zoolander 2 came out it was not received well. The movie seemed to lose its way as it made even more fun of the fashion industry. Penelope Cruz, Kristen Wiig, and even Benedict Cumberbatch had a role in Zoolander 2, but alas, the movie still flopped.
Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) - 4.9
The famous band the Blues Brothers changed the name of blues music in 1980. Jake and Elwood Blues work hard to get their band back together. The duo is iconic and they were perfectly on screen together in every way.
Almost twenty years later, in 1998, Blues Brothers 2000 came out and didn't nearly hold up as well as the first movie did. It might have been due to Elwood having to recreate the band without his brother, or it might have been due to the extra gags that were included in the film that pushed the silliness right over the edge. Regardless, the duo could've had a wonderful sequel, even so long after the first one, but this just didn't work out.
Dumb And Dumber To (2014) - 5.6
The classic buddy comedy film Dumb and Dumber (1994) tells the story of two best friends who take a trip across the country to return a briefcase full of money that was actually left for ransom. The film is one of the funniest movies of the 90s and did so well that it was followed by a show, a prequel and a sequel. The show came out a year after the movie but the two movies came out much later.
The prequel Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd came out in 2003, and the sequel Dumb and Dumber To didn't come out until almost twenty years later in 2014. The sequel didn't land as well as the original, but fans of the franchise still appreciated the follow-up movie as well as the origin story.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016) - 6.0
The 2002 film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding had a good balance of both romance and comedy and had plenty of moments that were all too relatable, especially for those who were close to their family.
When the second film My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 came out in 2016 it seemed to fall more into the family comedy as opposed to the romantic comedy genre. Exploring the couple's trials and tribulations as they raised kids and had a lull in their marriage still did well, but fans seemed to appreciate the original more.
Bambi II (2006) - 6.1
Disney has lots of classic films, and one of the most iconic is Bambi. The original film came out in 1942 and explored the story of a baby deer learning to grow up in a world that was filled with both danger and wonder. As with many of the classic Disney movies, it had an ending that made sense for a stand-alone film.
It came as a huge surprise in 2006 when Bambi II came out. As he found his father and both deer learned much from each other, fans got to see Bambi grow up even more. While his reunion with his father was nice, it wasn't a film fans asked for, and the first one stands superior to the sequel.
TRON: Legacy (2010) - 6.8
Advancements in technology and being able to escape into it has been a fever dream of humanity that has been portrayed in films for decades. Tron from 1982, was a great exploration of being able to jump into technology and live there in some way. The film was revolutionary for its time and was adored by fans.
With the large fan base, the first film acquired, the sequel Tron: Legacy, which came out twenty-eight years later had big shoes to fill. Of course with time the CGI was much better, as were the other visual effects and Tron: Legacy used de-aging technology on its characters. The overall storyline did a decent job connecting back to the original which made fans appreciate the sequel as much as the original.
Finding Dory (2016) - 7.3
One of Disney Pixar's most well-known movies Finding Nemo took over theaters in 2003. A story about a single Clownfish father traveling the ocean to find his son quickly became a fan favorite and received high ratings.
When the sequel, Finding Dory came out in 2016 fans were excited to see some of their favorite characters on the screen again. There was some speculation on how well another movie about finding a lost loved one would do, but with such loveable and dynamic characters, it worked well. Despite the time gap, fans still really enjoyed the sequel that they didn't expect.
The Incredibles 2 (2018) - 7.6
Before superhero movies were really taking off, The Incredibles saved the day in the year 2004. The Parrs were not only super but also relatable and that's what helped the Pixar movie excel. From the humor to the action, this movie had something for everyone.
When word spread fourteen years later that a sequel was coming out, fans were ecstatic. The sequel picked up right where the original left off and continued telling the story of the superfamily. It kept its flair and had jokes, moments that were relatable for everyone, and lots of action. Incredibles 2 had really big shoes to fill, and it surely lived up to all the expectations fans had. The ending was even left open for the possibility of a third film.