Famous film franchises in which the sequels are better than the first part (8 photos)

It is generally accepted that any sequels are bad. Every movie with a "2" or "3" at the end of the title doesn't bode well for us. Well, or at most you can count on a pass. In any case, they cannot compare with the original first part. Yes, this opinion does not arise out of nowhere. However, there are many exceptions to this rule. Let us immediately note that cinema is a subjective and personal matter. Some people like it, some don't like it. Therefore, we will turn to the audience ratings on IMDb. As they say, most know best! (although this is not certain).

Dollar Trilogy by Sergio Leone





The trilogy can be called the “Lord of the Rings” of Westerns, since here, too, from the very first film a high standard of quality was set, which with each new part miraculously rose higher and by the third film reached outer space.

1. A Fistful of Dollars (1964) - IMDb 7.9

2. For a Few Dollars More (1965) - IMDb 8.2

3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966) - IMDb 8.8

"Spider-Man" with Tom Holland



This is the third reboot of Peter Parker's story in just 15 years and has been warmly received. The first part had its advantages, the second certainly did not miss them, and the third probably became the main film of 2021, precisely because of the return to the screen of the characters from the two previous versions of the story. This crossing of universes brought the threequel a huge amount at the box office and the highest (though not necessarily deserved) ratings.

1. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) - IMDb 7.4

2. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) - IMDb 7.4

3. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) - IMDb 8.2

Fifty Shades of Gray





After two good franchises, you can look at a failure, which also fits the concept of a selection. Both here and in the west, all units were destroyed, but it was the first that received the most blows.

1. Fifty Shades of Gray (2015) - IMDb 4.2

2. Fifty Shades Darker (2017) - IMDb 4.6

3. Fifty Shades Freed (2018) - IMDb 4.5

Evil Dead



The experimental low-budget horror film suddenly became a cult film, and it was followed by sequels that became noticeably more expensive to produce and did not lose any quality, even sending the main character to the year 1300. “Halloween” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street” never dreamed of such stability.

1. The Evil Dead (1981) - IMDb 7.4

2. Evil Dead 2 (1987) - IMDb 7.7

3. Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness (1992) - IMDb 7.4

Solo films about Captain America



The story of Steve Rogers' transformation into the main Avenger was not as entertaining as similar stories about Batman and Spider-Man shown before him. But when Cap unfroze and found himself in the present, the audience received a spectacle on the level of the Avengers. The threequel can easily be called “Avengers 2.5”, since almost all Marvel superheroes participated in it.

1. The First Avenger (2011) - IMDb 6.9

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - IMDb 7.7

3. Captain America: Civil War (2016) - IMDb 7.8

Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy



Another trilogy, where the very first part can be called “worst” only in quotation marks and purely formally, if you compare its numbers with the sequel and threequel. Since the two sequels, especially the second part, are in deep space. This is where the history of formation is shown as it should!

1. Batman Begins (2005) - IMDb 8.2

2. The Dark Knight (2008) - IMDb 9.0

3. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - IMDb 8.4

Star Wars Prequel Trilogy



At home, the first two films of the trilogy about the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader were rated extremely coolly (“The Phantom Menace” is a little colder), but the dramatic and harsh “Revenge of the Sith” is considered one of the best parts not only in the trilogy, but in the entire saga.

1. Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999) - IMDb 6.5

2. Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones (2002) - IMDb 6.6

3. Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith (2005) - IMDb 7.6

John Wick



1. John Wick (2014) - IMDb 7.4 (Rotten Tomatoes 81%)

2. John Wick 2 (2017) - IMDb 7.4

3. John Wick 3 (2019) - IMDb 7.4 (Rotten Tomatoes 86%)

4. John Wick 4 (2023) - IMDb 7.7

Kivnu Reeves is so great that his case is more unique than others, since there are not three films, but four. That is, three sequels turned out to be better than the first part, which in itself was quite good. The ratings for the first and third parts on most aggregators are the same, so we included the Rotten Tomatoes audience ratings, which brought the third part ahead.

Well, there are already legends about the fourth! It turned out like with “Spider-Man” - the first parts are good and smooth, and the last one makes a sharp breakthrough upward, making the audience admire it like never before. And leaving the nagging question: what is the fate of the hero in the very end?