The best sequels are those that breathe new life into the concept whilst also appealing to its original premise. Fairly often, sequels fail to live up to the original and fall flat. However, there are examples of second instalments that surpassed the original both critically and at the box office.
The issue is, when a sequel out-performs the original, the train often keeps rolling to keep the money flying in. With that, one movie has now turned into a franchise and become overblown and drawn out. Yet, there’s no denying the magnitude of that first sequel that blew everyone away. So, here’s our pick of the 5 best sequels that beat the original movie at the box office.
5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
The Indiana Jones franchise is easily one of the most cherished in cinematic history, spearheaded by the legendary Harrison Ford, one of the most revered movie stars of all time. The dazzling journey began in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark, which enthralled audiences across the globe, earning an impressive $389 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. As a result, the anticipation was high for the sequel, Temple of Doom, released in 1984. However, it fell slightly short of its predecessor, bringing in $333 million at the box office.
The series sprung back to full form and regained its momentum in 1989 with the release of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which saw the iconic Sean Connery join the adventure as Indy’s father, Professor Henry Jones. This instalment follows Indiana as he embarks on a perilous quest to locate the Holy Grail before the Nazis can harness its mystical powers. The father-son duo travels across Europe and the Middle East, facing challenges that test their intellect and personal relationship as they traverse the desert oasis. The film’s blend of adventure, family dynamics, and playful banter led to an outstanding box office haul of $474 million, cementing its place as an all-time classic.
4. Aliens (1986)
1979’s Alien was a big hit at the box office and also garnered a level of critical acclaim that sci-fi movies don’t often achieve. The classic monster horror flick made an A-list star out of Sigourney Weaver and kickstarted a prosperous career for the now titan filmmaker Ridley Scott. However, fans of the movie would have to wait seven years before a sequel would land.
In 1986, James Cameron took over the reigns as director, fresh off the success of The Terminator. Cameron took the movie in a different direction, focusing much more on action rather than slow-burn tension and dread. This marked the beginning of his impressive run of box office hits. Aliens grossed $183.3 million at the global box office, surpassing the original’s haul of $108,610,231. Aliens is ranked 1,004 on the all-time domestic box office list, 1,147 on the all-time international box office list, and 1,037 on the all-time worldwide box office list.
3. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Top Gun was released on May 16, 1986 and turned Tom Cruise into one of the biggest movie stars of all time. Not only that, Tony Scott‘s epic action classic was the highest-grossing movie of the year, earning a seismic $353.8 million at the global box office. The notion of a sequel was discussed off and on for many years but people gave up hope that it would ever happen. Then, in 2022, Top Gun: Maverick hit movie theaters and became the second-highest-grossing film of the year, pulling in $1.496 billion worldwide. Although Avatar: The Way of Water took the top spot with a monumental haul of $2,320,250,281 worldwide, Top Gun: Maverick was the more critically adored movie.
Serving as the highest-grossing movie of Cruise’s career, Top Gun: Maverick showcased they he still has what it takes to light up the screen with action. This legacy sequel breathed fresh new life into the world whilst also staying true to the original movie, which is evident in Joseph Kosinski‘s stylistic choices as a director. Kosinski called the movie a love letter to Tony Scott, opening the movie with the same song, “Danger Zone”, using the same opening text, and hiring Scott’s gaffer Claudio Miranda as cinematographer. This slice of revved up nostalgia garnered six Academy Award nominations in 2023 and won in the Best Sound category, truly standing out as one of the best sequels ever made.
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
Christopher Nolan began his journey into the Batman world in 2005 with Batman Begins, the first movie to deeply explore the origins of the famous caped crusader. Christian Bale stepped into the role of Bruce Wayne aka Batman and quickly became a favorite for many moviegoers. The film grossed an impressive $375,404,836 at the global box office against a budget of $150 million. So, the demand was well and truly there for another outing.
In 2008, Bale and Nolan re-teamed as Batman took on his biggest arch nemesis, Joker. The Dark Knight took the Batman universe into uncharted territories, treading more murky waters in the seedy underworld of Gotham. With its mesmerizing heist sequence, neo-noir crime feel, and Heath Ledger’s scene-stealing role as Joker, Nolan served up his biggest hit so far. Ledger won a post-humous Oscar for his role and cinematographer Wally Pfister also rose triumphant for his captivating visuals. The Dark Knight surpassed Batman Begins exponentially at the box office, grossing a staggering $1,007,695,772 at the worldwide box office. Today, it is widely considered to be one of the best films ever made, currently sitting at number 3 on IMDB’s 250 top-rated movies list.
1. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)
James Cameron is one of the most successful filmmakers of all time, with his movies grossing over $8 billion worldwide. He became known to the mainstream in 1984 with The Terminator, a sci-fi action classic that made a mega-star out of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Seeing as the Austrian oak featured as the terrifying cyborg villain in the movie, its rather bizarre that he would soon become one of the world’s most iconic action heroes soon after. So, when Cameron approached him to star in a second movie, he wasn’t initially interested. However, this is where the innovation lies. Cameron decided to see Schwarzenegger return as The Terminator, but a different model who is this time sent to protect John Connor from a more advanced cyborg sent to kill him.
Cameron’s flipping of the script was in part what made Terminator 2: Judgement Day so unique and therefore a smash hit. However, there are many other elements at play. This time around, the audience felt more connected to The Terminator as he began to bond with John Connor. Humour was also added to the mix and the special effects took a major upturn due to the much larger budget. Even to this day, Terminator 2: Judgement Day is still adored for its special effects as well as practical, and is seen as a trailblazing movie in action cinema, thanks to its dazzling action sequences. Terminator 2: Judgement Day grossed $515,344,899 worldwide, blowing the first movie’s $78.3 million right out of the water.
Read Next: Iconic Movies: The True Story Behind Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Follow Us
