Franchise films are a favourite of the studios as they are almost always guaranteed to make a profit and will keep on being pumped out until they don’t. But there are perfect trilogies which should have stayed as a trilogy without a fourth, fifth sixth film and often more. So we take a look at those fourth film that ruined trilogies.
Matrix Resurrections (2021)
The Matrix was a game changer. Its combination of cutting edge ground breaking bullet time technology saw it copied and parodied in an endless number of films (even Shrek 2 included it). And it’s thought provoking sci-fi story combined with stylish costume design and eye popping set pieces was like nothing that came before and it was followed by Matrix Reloaded and Matrix Revolutions albeit to far less adulation. But it did round off the story arc and a fourth film was not needed. It gave the Wachowski’s the power to make whatever they wanted. Five years after the third film they made ‘Speed Racer’ a $120m budgeted film that made only $93m. So after that they made the ambitious and underrated ‘Cloud Atlas’, a $128m budgeted film that earned $120m. Three years later in 2015 they then made the $176m budgeted ‘Jupiter Ascending’ that earned $184m. Another flop but at least things were on the up even if only very slightly. But it was their third, very expensive flop and Warners were not going to be stumping up big lumps of cash for flop films from the duo and a fourth Matrix film seemed a sure bet. So 2021 saw the release of Matrix Resurrections that bought Keanu and the cast back in the real world or is it. Co-written but solely directed by Lana Wachowski expectation was high that soon plummeted after audiences saw it. The inventiveness of the first films had gone, the set pieces were underwhelming and at two and a half hours it was overlong. It didn’t help either that the world was still recovering from the pandemic and cinemas were still finding their way to lure audiences back into the communal experience. The previous three Matrix films had made $467m, $741m and $427m. Unfortunately ‘Matrix Resurrections’ crashed and burned costing $190m it only made $159m and at time of writing the Wachowksi’s have not made a film since. And yet despite this a fifth Matrix film is in the works albeit without the Wachowskis and no doubt doubling down on a ruined trilogy
Men in Black International (2019)
1997 was a good year for Will Smith. He’d established himself as a reliable A list star for those summer blockbusters that had seen him in Bad Boys and then hit pay dirt with ‘Independence Day’ and would secure his reputation with ‘Men In Black’ the following year in 1997. Teamed up with the dour Tommy Lee Jones, a quirky story line and immensely enjoyable alien creatures designed by multi Oscar winning make up effects genius Rick Baker along with other luminaries on the effects scene it was huge hit powering to $589m at the box office. A disappointing sequel followed in 2002 but still earned an impressive $445m but a reticent Tommy Lee Jones didn’t want to return though he was eventually persuaded but only because they agreed to massively reduce his role at his request that saw a retro storyline see his character played by Josh Brolin. It worked brilliantly earning a franchise high $654m. It rounded off the trilogy nicely especially as Jones was never going to return after all the trouble they had persuading him to appear in just a handful of scenes for a third film. Things had changed for Smith too with a series of flops with only his role as the genie in the live action Aladdin restoring his box office appeal….until he started slapping award ceremony hosts. But the success of the third MIB film had the studio wanting more and so they cast Chris Hemsworth ( who had proved his action & comedy chops) and …urm… Tessa Thompson who appeared with Hemsworth in Thor Ragnorok. Helming it all was journey man director F Gary Gray a reliable if uninspiring director who had helmed Fast & Furious 8 previously. Audiences were largely non plussed and for a summer blockbuster it earned a paltry $253m making it only the 34th most popular film of 2019 and adding to a list of ruined trilogies. It effectively killed the franchise. For now, anyway
Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
Mel Gibson was an A list star. He’d established his action chops with the Mad Max films. He established himself as a decent actor in Gallipoli. Lethal Weapon established him as a Hollywood star. The 1987 film had been a huge and critically acclaimed hit that saw a far more action orientated sequel appear two years later and a third film would appear in 1992. All were hits and the third film had begun developing the extended cast as cannon. So Joe Pesci’s Leo Getz returns ( but now more irritating than ever before with every line seeming to include the word, ‘OK?’) and Rene Russo was the new cast member and both would return for the fourth film in 1998. It was clear now that what had been a duo led film was now becoming something of an ensemble cast and the producers were determined to make rising comedian Chris Rock part of it all even incorporating part of his stand-up act into the script (in an era of mobile phones its dated badly being as it is, about using a circular dial on a landline phone). He was being lined up to expand the ‘Lethal’ family but this along with martial arts maestro Jet Li just pushed Gibson and Glover’s buddy –buddy act further into an anonymous casting blob to the films detriment. The films had been increasingly successful at the box office making $120m, $227m and $321m, and extremely rare thing for franchise films but Lethal Weapon 4 broke the run earning only $285m and ended the franchise although there have been rumours of a fifth film that had been in development for years with Gibson taking over the reins after the death of director Richard Donner. He’s p[roved himself a decent and Oscar winning director and hopefully this wont add further to ruined trilogies.
Superman 4 : The Quest for Peace (1987)
1978’s Superman had been a game changer. The effects team had made a man fly in a credible style unseen before, had cast brilliantly with Christopher Reeve and was arguably the very first modern day Superhero film that would prompt Batman to be developed for Tim Burton. The first film had been the obligatory origin story, the second film, that had been mostly shot at the same time by director Richard Donner (though he was fired and replaced by Richard Lester for reshoots) , was even better with General Zod as the villain of the piece. And the third film was slightly weakened by going for laughs having inexplicably cast Richard Pryor and the UK’s Pamela Stephenson. It was admittedly the weakest of the three films but what would kill the franchise certainly as far as Christopher Reeve ever playing the role again was the fourth film the truly execrable ‘Superman 4 : The Quest for Peace’. Co-written by Reeve who has to take some of the blame it saw Gene Hackman return along with Margot Kidder and the ‘never acted in a film before’ Mark Pillow, in his film debut as…um….Nuclear Man. Yes, really. Helming this was director Sidney J Furie whose films had included ‘The Ipcress File’, ‘Lady Sings the Blues’ and ‘The Entity’ all different genres none of which suggested he was the right man to helm a superhero project. The franchise had been bought by the Cannon Group who had bought a string of cinemas in the UK to show their self financed films as well as financing a load of hoped for blockbusters that never arrived. It quickly impacted on their Superman film whose $36m budget was slashed to $17m. Their cost cutting continued reusing special effects shots, using cheap locations (the finale was shot in a scrap yard in Milton Keynes) and cutting the film down to ninety minutes so they could get more showings in the cinemas. It was an absolute disaster laughably so and in his autobiography Reeve wrote, “The less said about Superman IV the better.” Reeve never made another Superman film. Mark Pillow’s career having started with the film pretty much ended there too. It remains one of the worst big name superhero films ever made ad certainly was another on our ruined trilogies list.
Batman & Robin (1997)
For Warner Brothers, ‘Batman’ has been a good earner when they launched the modern day version back in 1989 that saw Tim Burton, Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson rule and going on to make an even better sequel with ‘Batman Returns’. Before director and star left for the late Val Kilmer and Jim Carrey who had burst onto the scene and appeared as The Riddler opposite Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent and reputedly loathed Carrey’ scene stealing. But it would be all change again for a fourth film that saw Batman recast with George Clooney as the Dark Knight in a costume that drew much ribbing for having nipples. But that was only the beginning of its problems – Its campy tone, neon sugar sweet lighting was a world away from Tim Burton’s brooding gothic. Add to that Schwarzenegger in what would be the beginning of the decline in his own career, covered in silver paint and delivering weak puns that would put a Christmas cracker to shame it was little wonder that at the first preview screening an audience member leapt up and shouted, ‘Death to Joel Schumacher’ who had landed the directing gig for the fourth film. And audiences agreed with the $125m budgeted film barely breaking even and it saw the franchise shelved for eight years until 2005 and given a huge overhaul by Christopher Nolan who would go on to make what would become THE Batman trilogy by which many others superhero films would be judged. In fairness Nolan’s films were not one of the ruined trilogies wisely walking away from it after the third film
….and those we suggest are the fourth films that ruined trilogies! And yes we know we’ve missed out films like Alien Resurrection , and Indiana Jones 4 but let us know what you think is a fourth film that ruined trilogies
related feature : Superman The Christopher Reeve story – directors Ian Bonhote & Peter Ettedgui takes us BTS
related feature : Richard Donner – OBITUARY
related feature : Margot Kidder – Obituary
related feature : Joel Schumacher – OBITUARY
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