One of the best things that can happen to a successful movie is the ability to have a sequel. When a movie does well in theaters, the opportunity for a second follow-up movie means more notoriety for the film and more money. Sadly, not every great movie needs a sequel and many end up tainting the original movie's stardom.
However, there are plenty of phenomenal films that have created sequels that didn't come anywhere close to the original. Whether it's due to the budget or who stars in the film, keep scrolling to see 10 sequels to big Blockbusters that went straight to DVD (but weren't that bad).
In 1994, Disney released The Lion King. The touching animated film took us on a journey through the Pride Lands as we got to know Simba and his potential kingdom. With Disney at the forefront of the film, it was a shoo-in to be a major success. Four years after the Lion King's success in theaters, Disney came out with The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. The movie went straight to video but starred Matthew Broderick as Simba and Moira Kelly as Nala, just like the original.
In this film, we see Simba as the patriarch of his family as he raises his daughter against a crooked lioness named Zira. According to IMDb, this animated film was given a 6.5!
The Matrix was released in 1999 and created a bit of a cult following. The film reached over $465 million in the box office and made Keanu Reeves an even bigger star than he already was.
The movie went on to have two more sequels but did you know it inspired a series of animated shorts called The Animatrix? Animation doesn't ring a bell when talking about The Matrix but this series is wonderfully done. In fact, fans say it does a better job of explaining the world of the Matrix than the actual movie does.
In 1989, Disney released its first underwater princess film, The Little Mermaid. Like many of its princess fils, The Little Mermaid was a sensation. The story of a mermaid who had dreams of life on land resonated with many of its viewers as kids everywhere wondered if mermaids existed. Fast forward to 2000, Disney released a sequel to the film: The Little Mermaid II: Return To The Sea.
In the film, Ariel's daughter is forbidden to go in the ocean because of the Sea Witch's evil vendetta against Ariel but leave it up to a child of Ariel's to live dangerously.
American Pie was a raging success in the late '90s. Fans of the film couldn't stop saying "One time at band camp" if their life depended on it. Due to the movie's success—and reaching over $230 million in the box office—a sequel was created.
American Pie Presents: Band Camp came out in 2005 and was about Stiffler's younger brother going to band camp to change his distasteful ways. Shockingly, Eugene Levy came back for the sequel to play Mr. Levenstein and got some good reviews for being a direct-to-DVD film.
The Hills Have Eyes was the horrifying adaptation to the 1977 classic created by Wes Craven. After a group of scientists are stranded in the desert, trouble ensues when they encounter Hill People.
However, if we take a step back in time and look at the original sequel to the movie, The Hills Have Eyes Part II released in 1984 with a budget under $1 million. The movie was harshly criticized and poorly made but there's something about those Hill People that freak viewers out, no matter what the budget is.
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves is the hilarious sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. In the original movie, a quirky inventor accidentally shrinks his kids when they're in his make-shift lab.
The kids spend the entire movie trying to get back to normal while coming face-to-face with life issues when you're the size of a grain of rice. The original is family-friendly and adorably made and the sequel follows suit with Wayne shrinking himself now that his kids are older.
The movie Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead is the sequel to the 2001 thriller, Joy Ride. The original was about a group of young adults on a road trip who encounter some deadly issues after their friend turns evil.
In Joy Ride 2, a similar scenario occurs when a group of friends become stranded in the desert and end up being chased by a psychopath. The film went straight to DVD but didn't do too badly, earning over $4 million in revenue!
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is the animated sequel to Justice League: War. Releasing in 2015, Aquaman is put in a tough position when he needs to choose between fighting for his home or the Justice League.
Fans have gone on to say that this animated sequel is incredibly underrated and was even given a 6.7 on IMDb. Thanks to the popularity of DC films, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis is one of those animated films that comes back to life when new fans stumble upon it.
Seven years after Beauty and the Beast released, Belle's Magical World came out and headed straight for the shelves. The animated film took Disney Fans into the Beast's castle and was organized into three segments.
The purpose of the film was to teach viewers lessons in love and forgiveness but it's one of those endearing sequels that pulls you in. It's completely different from the original movie but it's lighthearted and intriguing for Disney fans.
Just in case American Psycho fans didn't know, a sequel exists and it stars Mila Kunis and William Shatner! Kunis plays the new girl Rachel who apparently has a thirst for murder and tries her hardest to get close to her college professor.
Now, the film is nowhere near as successful as the original American Psycho but Kunis does a phenomenal job at being both beautiful and creepy.
