23-02-2025
18 Sequels To Very Iconic Movies That You Probably Don't Even Know Exist
From timeless classics like The Godfather Part II and The Empire Strikes Back to modern hits like Paddington 2 and Inside Out 2, these films prove that sequels can sometimes be as good as their predecessors and recapture the magic of the original — and, in some cases, even surpass it.
However, in many cases, sequels to iconic movies are just plain bad and feel like a lazy cash grab. I think millennials everywhere remember the collective eye-roll we did when it was announced that Mean Girls 2 would be premiering on ABC Family. While there are a lot of bad sequels, there are also some sequels that are so bad or so forgettable that people don't even realize they were made.
So below, I rounded up 18 movie sequels that you might not even know existed:
1. My Summer Story/ It Runs in the Family (1994) is the sequel to A Christmas Story (1983)
My Summer Story (originally released as It Runs in the Family) was directed by Bob Clark (who directed A Christmas Story) and was written and narrated by Jean Shepherd (who co-wrote and narrated A Christmas Story). The film follows Ralphie Parker (played by Kieran Culkin) and his family during the summer of 1941 after the events of the original film.
2. The Sandlot 2 (2005) is the sequel to The Sandlot (1993)
The Sandlot isn't just a beloved '90s film but has also become a beloved movie among younger generations. The direct-to-DVD sequel is set in 1972, 10 years after the original. The story centers around Johnnie Smalls, the younger brother of Scott Smalls from the first movie, and a new team of misfit players who take over the legendary sandlot for their own baseball adventure. Like the original, the kids must face off against "The Great Fear," a monstrous dog guarding a neighbor's backyard.
3. American Psycho II: All American Girl (2002) is the sequel to American Psycho (2000)
The movie is a very loose direct-to-video sequel to American Psycho. The film starts in 1988 when a 12-year-old Rachael Newman accompanies her babysitter on a date. Unbeknownst to them is that the man she was on a date with was Patrick Bateman, who kills the babysitter — Rachel then kills Patrick with an ice pick, which sparks her own obsession with murder.
Five years later, Rachael (played by Mina Kunis) is now a college student competing for a coveted teaching assistant position under Professor Robert Starkman (William Shatner), a former FBI profiler. Rachael begins killing all the students competing for that spot.
4. Scarlett (1994) is the sequel to Gone with the Wind (1939)
For many decades following its release, there had been attempts to make a film sequel to Gone with the Wind. After the 1939 release of GWTW, the author of the book on which the film was based, Margaret Mitchell, refused to write a sequel or allow a movie one to be made. However, Mitchell died in 1949, and her husband a few years later in 1952. Without any children, her estate went to her brother, Stephens Mitchell, who honored her wishes and did not allow any sequels to be made.
By the '70s, control of the estate went to Stephens' children, who were open to having a sequel written — reportedly to protect the copyright, which would expire in 2011. Eventually, in the late '80s, the estate selected Alexandra Ripley, who had written many novels set in the Old South, to pen the sequel. With a sequel novel being written, the bidding then started for the movie rights to it.
Flash forward to 1994, and Scarlett premiered on CBS as a four-part miniseries that was poorly received (but hey, so was the book it was based on). The miniseries departed a lot from the Scarlett novel, featured more sex and rape, and gave an overall unsatisfactory conclusion to a story people had been waiting 55 years to see.
5. Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000) is the sequel to The Blair Witch Project (1999)
Unlike its found-footage predecessor, Book of Shadows took a traditional narrative approach and follows a group of obsessed The Blair Witch Project fans, who embark on a tour of the infamous Black Hills Forest in Burkittsville, Maryland, where the original film was set.
6. The Rage: Carrie 2 (1999) is the sequel to Carrie (1976)
Essentially, this was just a retelling of the original Carrie film. In this movie, Rachel Lang is a socially outcast high school student like Carrie White — who she doesn't know is her half-sister, as they both share the same father. Similar to Carrie, Rachel reaches her breaking point at a party meant to humiliate her. She lets her telekinetic rage explode and begins massacring her fellow students.
7. Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976) is the sequel to Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Paramount Television/ Everett Collection / Everett Collection
Rosemary's Baby is considered one of the greatest horror films of all time, and since its release, there has been a 2014 miniseries remake on NBC starring Zoe Saldaña, and a 2024 Paramount+ prequel series, Apartment 7A, starring Julia Garner. However, Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby is the only direct sequel to the original movie, and it also featured Ruth Gordon (the only original cast member to return) in her Oscar-winning role as Minnie Castevet.
The movie starts with Rosemary, now played by Patty Duke (replacing the great Mia Farrow), as she and her son Adrian run away from their NY apartment building to hide from the satanic cult led by husband-and-wife Roman and Minnie. Eventually, while they are fleeing, they are helped by Marjean (who is secretly a follower of Roman and Minnie), who kidnaps Adrian after getting Rosemary onto a possessed bus.
The film time jumps; Marjean has raised Adrian, telling him his parents died in a car crash. Later, we see Adrian's birthday party, where Roman, Minnie, and the coven drug Adrian and begin the satanic ritual that will turn him into the Anti-Christ. Things don't go as planned, and the rest gets even more campy. It ends with Roman and Minnie's granddaughter, Ellen, giving birth to Rosemary's grandchild (Adrian's child), and there was a whole amnesia plotline that got us here. Needless to say, this was a mess that was an unworthy sequel (and I mean, I don't know what you would expect from a TV movie made in 1976).
8. Cruel Intentions 2 (2000) is the prequel to Cruel Intentions (1999)
Cruel Intentions is a classic, stylish, campy, and extremely horny late '90s teen movie, and if you've seen it, you know there isn't much room for a sequel based on how it ends. So, instead, Fox ordered a prequel series called Manchester Prep, starring Amy Adams as Kathryn Merteuil and Robin Dunne as Sebastian Valmont. Only the pilot and one episode were made as it was canceled before airing, and the footage was re-edited into this direct-to-video prequel.
9. Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction (2006) is the sequel to Basic Instinct (1992)
Mgm / ©MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection
For years, there were talks of making a sequel to Basic Instinct, but nothing came of it. In 2006, we finally got one, and the film followed the seductive and manipulative crime novelist Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone reprising the role) as she becomes embroiled in another murder investigation — this time in London instead of San Francisco. The movie failed to live up to its iconic predecessor and has a score of 6% on Rotten Tomatoes.
10. Son of Mask (2005) is the sequel to The Mask (1994)
New Line Cinema / ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
The movie follows Tim Avery (Jamie Kennedy), a struggling cartoonist who unknowingly comes into possession of the magical mask created by Loki, the God of Mischief. And, by just looking at the photo, I know that it was NOT a good movie.
11. The Legend of Zorro (2005) is the sequel to The Mask of Zorro (1998)
Unlike most of the sequels on this list, both stars of the original film (Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones) reprised their roles in this sequel. Alejandro de la Vega (Banderas) struggles to balance his life as Zorro and his role as a husband and father, causing problems in his marriage with Elena (Zeta-Jones). After being forced to separate from his family, he discovers a sinister plot by a secret society to use a powerful explosive to sabotage California's statehood — with Elena being coerced into spying for them. Eventually, he defeats the villains and reunites with his family.
Now, I put this movie on this list because I have ZERO memory of this coming out, but I do remember how wildly popular and big the first Zorro film was. So, am I the only one who has no memory of this?
12. The Jungle Book 2 (2003) is the sequel to The Jungle Book (1967)
Now, as any millennial will tell you, Disney went ham in the '90s and '00s and released so many direct-to-video prequel/sequels that it was sorta the joke that you knew they were going to be bad. While there were A LOT of sequels, The Jungle Book 2 is one that I truly don't remember, and it actually got released in theaters. The movie follows Mowgli (voiced by Haley Joel Osment), who tries to adjust to living in the Man-Village and eventually decides to move back into the jungle to be with Baloo (voiced by John Goodman). However, Shere Khan, who is still alive, looks to get his revenge on Mowgli and kill him. Eventually, with the help of Baloo, Mowgli kills Shere Khan and realizes his life is in the Man-Village (and I bet you guessed that entire plot when you looked at the title of the movie).
13. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016) is the sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
Weinstein Company / ©Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Collection
The Netflix sequel follows legendary warrior Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), who emerges from seclusion to protect the powerful Green Destiny Sword from falling into the wrong hands.
The movie holds a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has this blistering review in Critics Consensus: Sword of Destiny is a lazy sequel that never justifies its own cynical existence.
14. Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997) is the sequel to Speed (1994)
/ ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
The first Speed film was a huge and unexpected hit, so a sequel being green-lit was a no-brainer. Famously, Keanu Reeves turned down reprising his role in a sequel, later saying he did not like the script, and by all accounts, this was the right call. The film follows Annie (Sandra Bullock reprising her role) and her new boyfriend, Alex (Jason Patric), aboard a luxury cruise on a romantic getaway, unaware that a vengeful cyber-terrorist, Geiger, has hijacked the ship's computer systems. Basically, this was Speed, but instead of a bus, it was a cruise ship. Many consider it one of the worst sequels ever made, and I think we have mostly forgotten that it even exists.
15. U.S. Marshals (1998) is the sequel to The Fugitive (1993)
Nowadays, we don't talk much about Harrison Ford in The Fugitive, which is truly one of his BEST films and just a fantastic movie overall. Part of the reason the movie was so great is because of Tommy Lee Jones's performance as Deputy US Marshal Sam Gerard (he would go on to win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for it). However, this sequel muddies that performance as it follows Gerard as he hunts down another innocent man, this time played by Wesley Snipes.
16. Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd (2003) is the prequel to Dumb and Dumber (2004)
New Line Cinema / ©New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Collection
Surprisingly, this was not a direct-to-DVD prequel. The film followed the teenage versions of Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas as they meet in high school.
The movie was nominated for three Razzie Awards: Worst Remake or Sequel, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Screen Couple.
17. Staying Alive (1983) is the sequel to Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Paramount / ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Yes, one of the most iconic and defining movies of the '70s has a sequel! And it was directed by Sylvester Stallone, who also co-wrote the screenplay!!! The movie was set six years after Saturday Night Fever, and it was about Tony Manero as he struggled to make it as a professional dancer in Manhattan.
Now, this was a hit movie — grossing over $64 million (that was a lot of money for a movie in 1983) at the box office — despite the fact that it was a stinker that holds a 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
18. And lastly, Shock Treatment (1981) is the sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
20thcentfox / ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
TBH, I had no idea that Rocky Horror had a sequel, and apparently, fans of the film disown the sequel. Now, you're probably asking yourself, "Why would they make a sequel?" Well, after Rocky Horror became a cult classic that was shown at midnight screenings all across the country, its creator, Richard O'Brien, decided to write a sequel. However, Tim Curry had no interest in returning as Frank N. Furter (who would also have to be brought back from the dead), so O'Brien then decided to focus on Brad and Janet.
Most of the original characters returned, including Brad and Janet, but they were all played by different actors. The movie was set in a small town in the US, where Brad and Janet now live. The town is owned by a fast-food magnate, which also converted into a giant reality TV show. The rest of the plot I can't seem to figure out because it sounds weird and confusing even by camp movie standards.
