After James Cameron‘s Titanic (1998) became the first billion-dollar movie during a theatrical run, a new film-earning milestone was set at the Box Office. Since then, 52 other films have joined the exclusive list of billion-dollar movies. Over the years, studios and filmmakers have been under pressure to join this exclusive list.
However, with the growing need for sequels and prequels, there’s more pressure to have films outperform its predecessor. While several franchises have succeeded with their sequels, others have struggled to measure up or were outright disappointments at the box office. Here are 5 billion-dollar movies with disappointing sequels.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) – $653.8 Million
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) is the direct sequel to George Lucas‘ epic space opera Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). However, Attack of the Clones is the fifth film in the Star Wars film series. It is also the second installment in the prequel trilogy and the first chronological chapter of the “Skywalker Saga.” The Phantom Menace had grossed $1.027 billion at the Box Office.
Although Attack of the Clones wasn’t a financial loss in any sense, it underperformed as a sequel, grossing $653.8 million. With its Box Office earnings, it became the first Star Wars film outgrossed by other movies in the year of release. Similarly, Attack of the Clones‘ sequel, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), failed to reach the billion-dollar Box Office milestone. However, it outgrossed Attack of the Clones at the Box Office with about $200 million.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) – $618.6 Million
The Steven Spielberg-directed science fiction action film Jurassic Park (1993) was an instant success. It grossed over $900 million in its original theatrical run before crossing the billion-dollar film mark with a 2013 re-release. Spielberg returned in 1997 with a sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Although it was one of the most anticipated films of 1997, The Lost World failed to compete with the success of its predecessor. Interestingly, after its release, it held much promise for financial speculators. The Lost World became the fastest film to achieve a $100 million gross at the Box Office. It took only six days from its release on May 23, 1997, to cross the mark. With its predecessor grossing $1.057 billion at the Box Office, though sitting at $914 million at the time of The Lost World‘s release, the sequel’s earnings were a disappointment, falling $400 million from the set mark.
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) – $605.4 Million
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017) had a lot of expectations from the studio and stakeholders. Its predecessor, Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014), was the highest-grossing film of 2014, with earnings of $1.104 billion on a production budget of $210 million. The Last Knight is the fifth installment in the Transformers film franchise. It is also the last of two films in the franchise to feature Mark Wahlberg as the cast lead. The Last Knight (2017) was produced with a $217–260 million budget. Accounting for marketing and distribution costs, The Last Knight was considered a Box Office flop after losing Paramount Pictures an estimated $100 million.
Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) – $299.5 Million
The Johnny Depp-led cast of Alice in Wonderland (2010) was the first live-action adaptation of Lewis Carroll‘s Alice novels. The film was also produced by re-imagining the 1951 Walt Disney film. Although critical reviews were mixed, Alice in Wonderland (2010) was a commercial success. It grossed $1.025 billion during its theatrical run on a $150–$200 million production budget and joined the billion-dollar film list. With its Box Office earnings, Alice in Wonderland was the second-highest-grossing film of 2010.
With its success, a sequel was inevitable, leading to the release of Alice Through the Looking Glass on May 27, 2016. Alice Through the Looking Glass had the top cast of its predecessor reprising their roles and was produced on a $170 million budget. However, Alice Through the Looking Glass was a Box Office bomb and a huge disappointment. Not only did it lose the studio millions of dollars, but it also fell short of its predecessor’s billion-dollar Box Office earnings.
The Marvels (2023) – $188.2 Million
Before the release of The Marvels on November 10, 2023, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) had been plagued with several Box Office disappointments. However, The Marvels set a new record as the lowest-grossing film in the MCU. Its predecessor, Captain Marvel (2019), was a critical and commercial success. Captain Marvel made a whopping $1.131 billion at the Box Office. The difference in box-office earnings between Captain Marvel and its sequel, The Marvels, makes it the lowest performer on the list of billion-dollar films whose sequels were box office disappointments. It is important to note that movie is still in theaters at the time of this writing, it will be interesting to see the movie’s final box office haul when it bows out of theaters.
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