The 27 worst film sequels of all time, from Titanic II to Jaws 2

Here are the biggest offenders in film follow-ups, picked by Annie Lord and Bessie Yuill

Friday 21 January 2022 09:08 EST

‘Little Fockers’, ‘Zoolander 2’ and ‘Son of the Mask’ are all among the worst casualties of Hollywood sequel fever (Paramount/Entertainment Films)

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If a film has a “2” on the end of it, chances are it’s two times as bad.

Films like The Godfather, Part II are the exceptions, not the rule. Sequels are too often the product of money-grabbing film execs, less concerned about making a good movie than trading off the success of the original.

Maybe we’d all be better off if studios focussed on making something new rather than trying to insert life back into what’s gone before. Let the detective stay dead. Leave the couple at the wedding altar. Let that airborne virus remain in remittance. Ignore the investors whispering in your ear: the monstrously big shark does not need to bite more tourists’ legs off.

From Jaws to Titanic, many of cinema’s greatest works have been followed with unceremoniously bad follow-ups.

Sometimes, these misguided sequels are tarred with widespread infamy – think of the reception the third Godfather received.

Other times, they simply fly under the radar of public consciousness entirely – how many people could even tell you they made a follow-up to Donnie Darko?

Here’s a list of 27 of the all-time worst film sequels, as chosen by The Independent.

Click through the gallery below to see the list.