If a movie is even remotely deemed a hit nowadays, you can bet your bottom dollar that film’s getting a sequel. Just look at the recent success of Venom, which already has its filmmakers talking about its sequel despite having pretty abysmal critical reception. The first sequel can be dated back 102 years with Thomas Dixon’s The Fall of a Nation following the tale of D.W. Griffiths controversial The Birth of a Nation; which is largely believed to be the first major feature film.

Sequels had a sort of boom in the mid-70s, in part thanks to one of the films you’ll be reading about later on the list. 18 of the top 25 films in terms of domestic gross are either sequels or films in a cinematic universe, showing not just how popular they are but also just how lucrative a sequel can be. That said, not every sequel to a bona fide hit is going to bring in the cash. Many sequels are given inflated budgets in comparison to the first, but then when they fail to connect with audiences it makes it just that much more crushing to the studio.

Just a few guidelines for the list: only true sequels will be looked at. No third films in a trilogy-- or seventh if you’re the Fast and the Furious or Saw franchises. Also, cinematic universes are looked at by individual characters or films; The Incredible Hulk is not a sequel to Iron Man and Kong: Skull Island is not a sequel to Godzilla.

Let’s take a look at 15 Sequels That Were Massive Hits (And 15 That Completely Flopped).

Hit: The Godfather Part II

Robert De Niro in The Godfather Part II

The Godfather: Part II’s $47,452,841 may not seem like much, but that amount is the same as $257,058,958 when adjusted for inflation and brought to 2018 dollars. Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 epic came just two years after The Godfather completely shattered all box office records at the time. The second didn’t even come close to the first’s take-home, but sequels were seen as gimmicky and juvenile up until the '80s.

The Godfather: Part II was the second film in a saga to ever win the Best Picture Oscar; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King went ahead and took the title for third films in a saga.

 Flopped: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver

Rise of the Silver Surfer

Despite the fact that very few people enjoyed it, Fantastic Four actually made quite a bit of money, enough so to warrant Fox green-lighting a sequel. That sequel would be the colossal mess that is Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver; a film that sunk nearly every career of the cast involved (excluding Chris Evans, who would have a renaissance as another superhero).

Who knows if their inclusion in MCU is coming with Disney’s acquisition of Fox?

Even Kevin Fiege isn’t sure as he’s "just sitting, waiting for a phone call to say yay or nay.”

 Hit: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 - Baby Groot and speakers

The second installment of James Gunn’s action-comedy is actually ranked seventh in the MCU; not a great-sounding accomplishment, but a great achievement when we consider just how successful those films are. Adding a higher profile villain in actor and character (Lee Pace v. Kurt Russell and Ronan the Accuser v. Ego, respectively) surely added to the $56 million uptake that Marvel saw from the first to the second.

The third film is currently in limbo, but one thing is certain: director James Gunn won’t return for a trilogy. Look for him at the writing desk (and perhaps the director’s chair) for Suicide Squad 2.

 Flopped: Independence Day: Resurgence

Charlotte Gainsbourg as Dr. Catherine Marceaux in Independence Day: Resurgence

Want to know how badly Independence Day: Resurgence performed? The sequel barely made a third of the original film's gross-- and back when that film was released a 2018 $1 was worth only 62¢. Will Smith turning his back on the sequel was the first in a long line of red flags.

A third film for the Independence Day franchise is highly unlikely.

However, the two-decade break between the first two means no one can say for sure.

 Hit: 22 Jump Street

Jonah Hill & Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street

Based on an '80 s teen-drama, 22 Jump Street's final take was nearly 400% it’s budget, a feat that many established shows from the era tried to capitalize on. Chips and Baywatch both were critical and financial catastrophes, further indication that the victory was because of directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord, and the hilarious pairing of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill.

After parting ways with the underperforming Solo: A Star Wars Story, the duo’s next film is titled Artemis, an adaptation of a novel written by The Martian novelist, Andy Weir.

 Flopped: The Ring Two

US remakes of renowned Japanese horror flicks were all the rage in the early 2000s, but their sequels nearly always came up short at the box office.

The 2002 US version of The Ring was undeniably a hit, while its sequel can’t be branded as anything but a flop.

As abysmal the return may have been for The Ring Two, it’s nowhere near as bad as the 2017 reboot Rings which almost certainly exterminated the myth of Samara and the tape from American theatres.

 Hit: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Caesar Dawn of the Planet of the Apes war paint

Rupert Wyatt’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a surprise hit, especially when the last reboot of the classic franchise was a universally panned Tim Burton film. Cloverfield director Matt Reeves came aboard for the sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the second film in the trilogy and was also the highest grossing of the three by over $30 million.

War for the Planet of the Apes actually took home the least money in the trilogy, despite receiving the highest praise.

 Flopped: Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

Derek Richardson and Eric Christian Olsen

Prequels are always a risky business, especially when you don’t bring back the main two actors who truly made the first film special in the first place. Not only did the film not bring back Jim Carrey nor Jeff Daniels, they also replaced directing duet Peter and Bobby Farrelly, two of the most distinguished comedy directors working today.

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd was a monumental failure, not even raking in a 5th of the first movie's take.

The two actors and two directors would have a reunion 20 years after the original’s release, but their film would also have a poor reception.

 Hit: The Matrix Reloaded

Four years of anticipation helped build excitement for the follow up to one of 1999’s greatest films, thus garnering a huge payday for The Matrix Reloaded’s release. In an unprecedented move, the producers released The Matrix Reloaded on May 15, 2003 and then released The Matrix Revolutions less than six months afterward.

The huge box office results for was followed by a bomb in Revolutions, thus making the quick release for sequels a thing of the past. Just look at Solo: A Star Wars Story’s poor box office as evidence, since many people felt like they were having Star Wars “fatigue” so soon after Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

 Flopped: AVP: Requiem

Alien Vs Predator Requiem AVP

The fact that Alien v. Predator even got a sequel is a mystery in the first place.

The first film wasn’t necessarily regarded as “good” and its box office results were average to say the least.

The sequel’s $40 million budget was met with a $41 million return; this wouldn’t be horrible if production costs were the only expense but sadly most film’s marketing costs usually match the initial price tag. We’ve had two Predator films and two Alien films since, but don’t hold your breath for a get-together of the two again, since history’s showed it doesn’t work as well on film as it does on paper.

 Hit: The Empire Strikes Back

Darth Vader Reveals The Truth in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’

The second Star Wars flick pulled in $209,398,025, not counting the other $80 million it took in from re-releases. When adjusted for inflation, The Empire Strikes Back garnered a ridiculous $897,371,000, making the film the highest-grossing sequel ever, even counting any film in a saga after the first.

Empire is just about $40 million shy of reaching the same box office as The Force Awakens when adjusted. The crazier stat: the return for The Force Awakens is 382% ($936 million return on a $245 million budget) while The Empire Strikes Back’s return is 1,161% ($209 million on a $18 million budget).

 Flopped: Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

Shia LaBeouf on the phone in Wall Street Money Never Sleeps

Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps took in $52,474,616; a sizable amount and could be deemed a success till you learn of the film's $70 million budget.

Releasing a film about the elite's ability to maintain financial success during a financial crisis may not have been the smartest move.

The movie industry didn’t suffer as much as other trades did, as many people used cinemas to escape from the hardships that they had at home. That escape wasn’t so easy when the film showed you people who were reaping the benefits of your struggle.

 Hit: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a hit, no doubt about it, but it wasn’t the hit that Marvel actually anticipated it to be. It opened less than Marvel’s The Avengers did and ended up making about $140 million less than the first. This could be because of poor word of mouth (17% less than the first Avengers film on Rotten Tomatoes) but many experts blame it on something else entirely.

Variety report states that in a poll, 52% of people questioned said that they skipped the opening weekend in order to watch the Floyd Mayweather Jr. v. Manny Pacquiao boxing bout; a sporting event many called “The Match of the Century.”

 Flopped: The Rage: Carrie 2

Many people probably didn’t know there was a sequel to Carrie-- that’s because almost no one saw it. The original horror flick came out a whopping 23 years prior and still put up nearly double what The Rage: Carrie 2 did in domestic box office gross.

Not only did the film make less, but it was made for considerably more, to the tune of $19 million.

The 2013 remake didn’t fare too well either, but not many Steven King adaptations were as big of a box office disappointment as The Rage: Carrie 2.

 Hit: Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man 2 was one of the first films (along with the X-Men trilogy) to prove that when created maturely, artistically, and passionately, a superhero film can be much more than just guys in costumes fighting other guys in costumes. The film’s $200 million budget was one of the most expensive of the time, and was proven worth it, since the film nearly doubled that in profit, just in the States.

The film was almost very different, with Jake Gyllenhaal coming close to replacing Toby Maguire. Luckily Spidey stayed the same and Spider-Man 2 is still regarded as one of the most complete superhero flicks ever to be put to film.

 Flopped: Grease 2

Michelle Pfeiffer in Grease 2

Grease remains a classic with audiences of all generations. Its sequel, on the other hand, didn’t fare so well. The '50s was extremely nostalgic for the baby boomers of the '70s, though it didn’t seem like they were necessarily clamoring for a sequel. Grease 2’s budget doubled that of the first film.

Too bad its return was awful in comparison to the original.

Grease 2 did bring something for the world, and that was the introduction of actress Michelle Pfeiffer.

 Hit: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Bumblebee in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Michael Bay films are an acquired taste that not every moviegoer relishes, but it's hard to dispute their value when one of his films reaches $402,111,870 domestically. Revenge of the Fallen is the highest grossing Transformers film to date. The last film in the current tagline, Transformers: The Last Knight, took in an incredibly underwhelming $130 million. We shall see how prequel Bumblebee performs in December.

Since the second film's release, the next three have each dropped in domestic box office success by over $100 million. Since Transformers: Age of Extinction, the films have stopped turning a profit in the US.

 Flopped: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Nicolas Cage in Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance

How do you follow up one of the worst reviewed superhero films of all time? You make an even worse reviewed sequel. That’s the strategy Colombia took when it green-lit the sequel to Nicolas Cage’s 2007 “so bad it’s good” anti-hero flick Ghost Rider.

The returns for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance were depressing and began a downward spiral for Cage's career.

If you’ve enjoyed recent films such as Mandy or Mom and Dad, maybe give Spirit of Vengeance a try for the classic Nic Cage performance, but don’t expect much else to be particularly enjoyable from the movie-- especially not the CGI.

 Hit: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest - Will (Orlando Bloom)

Much like the Transformers series above, the Pirates of the Caribbean series has five films in its arsenal and shows a steady decline after reaching its zenith with its second entry, Dead Man's Chest.

Don’t expect Johnny Depp (or any of the rest of the cast, for that matter) to return any time soon since the last film's disappointing box office probably wasn’t enough for Disney to assuredly give the franchise a sixth film. However, a reboot is now rumored.

 Flopped: T2: Trainspotting

The cast of T2: Trainspotting

21 years is a very long time. Many of the fans of the original film may be a bit too old for its anarchist themes while its target audience wasn’t even alive during the first’s release. The 1996 Trainspotting didn’t do terribly in theatres, but it is usually still deemed a cult film with its popularity after debuting.

Danny Boyle returned with all four of his stars for T2, but audiences weren’t exactly proclaiming their need for a sequel.

The first film stands alone as an intricate and raw look at addiction and youth; something the sequel failed to recapture.