Columbia Pictures
In contemporary Hollywood, the franchise is king.
It’s no surprise then that almost every blockbuster of the past four decades has spawned at least one sequel. But the concept itself isn’t solely a modern one. In fact, one of the earliest examples dates back to 1916 with “The Fall of a Nation,” a sequel to D.W. Griffith’s controversial “The Birth of a Nation.”
With studios like Disney continuing to make boatloads of money on various franchises, one can safely assume sequels won’t be going away anytime soon. The good news is that the practice has become far more than a mere formulaic retread; many modern-day sequels expand upon their established foundations, exploring new thematic and stylistic terrain.
But what are the top sequels to outperform their predecessors at the box office? For the answer, Stacker went straight to Box Office Mojo. Sequels were ranked by their relative increase in domestic gross, as represented by a percentage. In the case of a tie, the sequel that made more money overall ranked higher on the list (i.e. closer to the #1 spot). Stacker did not consider any later installments beyond the first sequel, and only domestic U.S. box office numbers were tallied. For superhero films, an “original” was the first film in which the hero was played by a new person (e.g. “Batman Begins” is the first film in the series as it marks Christian Bale’s debut as Batman). Please also note that box office gross numbers have been adjusted for inflation. Here are the top 50 sequels that outperformed the originals at the box office.
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#50. Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)
Touchstone Pictures
Sequel domestic box office gross: $59.7 million
Original: Ernest Goes to Camp (1987)
Original domestic box office gross: $51.8 million
Sequel vs. original box office increase: 15%
After going to camp in 1987, Ernest (Jim Varney) saved Christmas the following year. In the film, the lovable goof helps Santa Claus find a successor. This was the most financially successful movie of the Ernest franchise, capitalizing on the character’s popularity as it was peaking.[/nextpage][nextpage]
Pixar Animation Studios
Sequel domestic box office gross: $369.6 million
Original: Toy Story (1995)
Original domestic box office gross: $315.3 million
Sequel vs. original box office increase: 17%
A smash hit right out of the gate, 1995’s “Toy Story” redefined the possibilities of computer animation while introducing a slew of timeless characters. It’s no surprise that the sequel generated even more money at the domestic box office, and further cemented Pixar’s status as a champion of family fare. In 2010, a third installmentmade over $1 billion worldwide.
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Columbia Pictures
Sequel domestic box office gross: $263.1 million
Original: The Karate Kid (1984)
Original domestic box office gross: $219.0 million
Sequel vs. original box office increase: 20%
The original “The Karate Kid” paved the way for a video game, a short-lived TV series, merchandise, numerous sequels, and a 2010 remake. In the second installment, Daniel (Ralph Macchio) finds romance and rivalry in Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita)’s childhood home of Okinawa, Japan. Like many sequels of its time, this one sticks closely to the original’s winning formula.
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My.Te.Pe. Productions
Sequel domestic box office gross: $78.6 million
Original: Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
Original domestic box office gross: $64.9 million
Sequel vs. original box office increase: 21%
Tyler Perry’s film career kicked off in 2005 with “Diary of a Mad Black Woman,” in which he played a tough and sassy grandma named Mabel “Madea” Simmons. The character was so popular that Perry put her at the center of this 2006 sequel about a family reunion. The proof was in the domestic box office receipts, and numerous Madea films would follow.
(Excerpt) Read More at: Stacker.com
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