Terrible sequels to blockbuster films

In mind mind this list could be hundreds of films long because it isn't all that uncommon for a film to be very well received and then the studios decide to make a sequel not because there is actually a story in mind, but simply to try to cash in on the fame of the original. Some of these films were doomed from the start because the original was so amazing that they were not going to be able to top it, not matter what they did. Others were just poorly conceived from the start. However, most of them were still quite profitable so we can expect film studios, especially the ones in Hollywood, to continue to do this to us because we are apparently too stupid to see past the bullcrap.

Zoolander 2

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The original Zoolander film was just amazing to me. It was also a surprise hit with tons of one-liners that ended up becoming memes and to this day there are certain people that I can make quotes from this film to and they know exactly what I am talking about. I don't know if they had simply used all of the ideas in the first edition and just had nothing else stupid to do but while the first film is one of my favorite silly comedies, I barely laughed in the sequel. It was slow-paced and almost universally hated. For this one, I don't think it was a case of the world being sick of Hansel and Derrick, it was just a very poorly-written film that has around a 20% rating on most sites. It deserves this. This sequel was so bad that it actually made me mad.

Speed 2

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The original Speed film was inventive, action-packed, and had an interesting villain. Speed 2 was just dumb. For one thing, what are the chances of the same person being involved in this situation yet again except this time her experience from the first situation that involved a bus somehow makes her an expert on how to handle a cruise-liner.

When Keanu Reeves turned down the role that should have been the end of the discussion but Hollywood, fixated on profits decided to make another one anyway even though his absence begs the question of where did their intense romance go and of course Sandra just comes across as a floozy because she becomes romantically interested in her new co-hero almost immediately. There is one scene in the film where the boat crashes into an island and at the time it was the most expensive single scene in cinematic history. Basically hated by most critics not just because of Keanu's absence, this $160 million film lost a TON of money after advertising is figured in. I don't know if there is a Speed 3, but I certainly hope not.

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd

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When Jim Carry and Jeff Daniels shocked the world with their amazing portrayal of Harry and Lloyd in 1994 the studios immediately wanted to make a follow-up film. Both stars refused. 9 years later they would decide to do a prequel instead that featured 2 unknown lead actors. While the idea is decent, the actors were unable to pull off the reasonable facsimile of their grown up counterparts. Universally panned, this film managed to just break even after their intense marketing expenditures. If you ever find yourself thinking that you might want to see this one anyway... just don't. There are some films out there that are "so bad they're good" but this is not one of them. Go back and simply rewatch the original instead.

Conan the Destroyer

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Conan the Barbarian was extremely violent and graphic considering the time period and how hard you had to work to even get an "R" rating. Between the nudity and high level of gore, they had to work pretty hard in order to get it past the censors. They were also missing out on merchandising opportunities since the film was not designed for the consumption of children. This is also the main reason why it remains and epic adventure even today.

Conan the Destroyer was intentionally dulled down in order to obtain a PG rating in the hopes that it would expand the name and turn the series into something they could make a huge amount of sequels from. Instead, it ended up destroying the franchise altogether and the rest of the films, that were planned, were scrapped. Destroyer has a few interesting moments but for the most part it is just extremely dull compared to the first film. There are also certain parts of it where they really should have focused on increasing the realism of the baddies, most notably this guy.

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Honestly, if this is the best you can do with millions of dollars at your disposal, you might want to rethink the monsters in your films. I've seen costume shops with more realistic masks than this and it was just a horrible thing to have in a film.

I think the world would have really enjoyed seeing more of these films but because they turned it into a kid-friendly movie franchise, they not only didn't attract child fans, they totally destroyed the entire thing.

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These are the films that I can think of just off the top of my head but I am sure there are hundreds more. If you can think about some that really stand out in your mind, especially if the sequel destroyed the entire legacy, I'd love to discuss it in the comments.