Top 20 Movies That Inspired Too Many Sequels
AMC Movie List

Top 20 Movies That Inspired Too Many Sequels

Some movies just never go away. Which franchise has gone on way too long?

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1 Saw
This surprise hit, the cinematic equivalent of TP'ing someone's house, spawned "torture porn," and a new sequel each Halloween. 305 633
2 Friday the 13th
Jason didn't actually kill anyone in the first installment of this slasher series, except the hopes of anyone who didn't want a dozen sequels. 201 559
3 Final Destination
Four movies later, the teen horror franchise may finally have been mercifully been killed off with 2009's The Final Destination. 188 552
4 American Pie
The original was embraced for its winsome take on teen sex, but two sequels and four direct-to-video movies later, things got stale. 161 555
5 The Fast and the Furious
The sequels came fast and furious: Three with increasingly confusing names, and the same plot, in only eight years. 153 559
6 The Karate Kid
Three Ralph Macchio versions and one Hilary Swank-led reboot weren't enough. Next up: A re-do with Jackie Chan and Will Smith's kid. 137 515
7 Rocky
This franchise provided a realistic every-man hero; its sequels had that hero ending the Cold War and boxing as a senior citizen. 136 582
8 Police Academy
This dumb cop comedy somehow yielded a video store's worth of mediocre movies, two TV series and a theme park attraction. 99 503
9 Shrek
Mike Myers green monster spawned a massive empire including three movies, games and a Broadway musical. Run for your lives! 92 556
10 Scream
How many times can a masked killer (or two) try to kill poor Neve Campbell? The answer, as of today, is three times, which is two too many. 88 516
11 Highlander
There can only be one? Think again! The '86 fantasy flick led to an entire universe of TV and crummy direct-to-DVD sequels. 66 446
12 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Based on a theme park ride with lusty robots, this series became an unstoppable juggernaut of plotless, confusing sequels. 57 591
13 Godzilla
The great green monster has starred in 29 movies so far, including the '98 American version which defines the phrase "massive failure." 28 490
14 Predator
Arnold's warrior nemesis has done well for himself: Teaming with Alien to create an entire new series bearing no relation to the original. 3 475
15 Major League
The threequel in this series reached so far into the minors, Scott Bakula replaced Charlie Sheen as the lead. -4 430
16 Alien
The Oscar-winning movie inspired successful sequels then mated with the Predator franchise for several more flicks. Oops. -12 524
17 Ocean's Eleven
The title doesn't refer to the number of convoluted, meandering sequels, though with three very bankable, star-studded sequels so far, who knows? -20 520
18 Lethal Weapon
Two L.A. cops reluctantly pair up to take on drug lords -- in four separate movies. By No. 4, the formula was as old as the actors. -25 485
19 The Naked Gun
The big-screen version of "Police Squad!" spawned two sequels and, in retrospect, some uncomfortable moments showcasing the comedy of O.J. Simpson. -25 469
20 Star Wars
This epic blockbuster's prequels sprung a variety of horrors on the world: Most notably Jar-Jar Binks and George Lucas's ego. -31 645