After the underperformance at the box office, Warner Bros. might not continue the Fantastic Beasts series, and it's an unfortunate situation that happens all too often. Studios have grand plans for sequels, but they sometimes never end up happening. But what's stranger is when hugely popular movies and massive box office hits don't get sequels, even though the story lends itself to a franchise.
Redditors have pointed to some of the best examples of this. And between an increasingly popular comic book movie, a tentpole festive film, and a $700 million-grossing dramedy, these movies didn't get sequels despite their box office successes.
Constantine (2005)
"guilty pleasure" that's actually great, and Tastewell is clearly a part of that cult following, arguing that "that one deserves a remake."
The film is based on the comic book of the same name, so there's so much source material that can be adapted, making it a surprise that the studio hasn't tried to expand the cinematic world. However, though Warner Bros. hasn't bothered with the property, Keanu Reeves himself tried to kickstart development on Constantine 2.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Sequels to dramas don't come along that often, especially not sequels to Academy Award Best Picture winners, and while Forrest Gump seems like a perfect movie that doesn't need a follow-up, it has so much potential. Perpetualmotionmachi notes that "the book had a sequel, but they decided not to make a movie out of that one."
Given that Forrest Gump was a phenomenal success, making close to $700 million at the worldwide box office according to Box Office Mojo, Paramount undoubtedly wanted Tom Hanks back for a victory lap. According to Slash Film, a screenplay was actually written, but they felt that it was no longer relevant after the 9/11 attacks.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
Of all the coming-of-age teen comedies of the 1980s, Ferris Bueller's Day Off is by far the most popular and easily the funniest too. 4DimensionalToilet thinks the studio missed out on millions so much, as they even have their own sequel idea.
The Redditor describes "Ferris and Cameron's 40th High School reunion (2026), and in an attempt to feel young again, the long-since peaked Ferris takes Cameron out for a night on the town." While it sounds like a lot of reunion movies where the main characters try to recapture the magic of their youth, as Ferris is such a beloved character and the original is surprisingly deep, it could have been unique in the way it told a story about a midlife crisis.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
1994 was a huge year for box office phenomena. Along with Forrest Gump, Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece Pulp Fiction made over $200 million according to Box Office Mojo, and compared to its micro-budget of $8 million, that success is almost unheard of. Wrencherspinner posits, "the characters had so much crazy stuff going on, there could have easily been a sequel. None of the players led boring lives."
Though the celebrated director generally takes three to four years between movies, Reservoir Dogs. The movie was called The Vega Brothers, and it was a planned prequel that followed Vic and Vincent Vega.
Scarface (1983)
Scarface is a gangster classic, and though it was a huge hit at the box office, and has only grown in popularity in the 40 years since its release, it isn't surprising that there's no sequel. But Farhanchw thinks otherwise, claiming that "I was hoping for a sequel but now I am upset."
Knowing how the original movie ends, with Tony Montana (Al Pacino) getting massacred and falling into a water feature that ironically states "the world is yours," a sequel would be pretty hard to pull off. Without Pacino's iconic performance of the drug lord, there'd be something missing. However, Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino is at the helm.
Elf (2003)
With a budget of just $33 million, the festive comedy Elf far sured what New Line Cinema expected in of its box office performance. The movie made over $220 million (per Box Office Mojo) and has since become a tentpole Christmas movie, so it comes as a shock that a sequel never arrived. CassCat952 explains that it's "mostly because Will Ferrell thought the sequel didn't have as good of a story and didn't the project!"
It isn't as if New Line hasn't tried to get a sequel off the ground in the past, and there's so much history surrounding Elf 2. A screenplay was written and Ferrell was even offered a huge $29 million to reprise his iconic role of Buddy the elf. But whether it's because of the actor's feud with Jon Favreau or other reasons, the follow-up will unfortunately never see the light of day.
Joker (2019)
Joker is one of the biggest success stories when it comes to box office intake ever, as the film made well over a billion dollars as reported by Box Office Mojo. And as the project had a relatively small budget for this kind of film, $55 million, it achieved a net profit higher than Avengers: Infinity War despite the latter movie making over $2 billion. FaithlessnessOk1530 thinks a sequel is yet to be announced because "Phoenix is a bit hesitant on a sequel. But I've heard recently there's a big chance of it happening."
Joker is the most recent example of a successful movie that shockingly doesn't have a sequel. But while the film is only three years old and there's still time, it's looking more unlikely by the day. Todd Philips is writing a sequel, but given how Joaquin Phoenix seemingly dislikes the idea of sequels, it'll be hard to get him on board regardless of how much money Warner Bros. throws down.
Team America: World Police (2004)
Matt Stone and Trey Parker's Team America: World Police wasn't actually a huge box office success, and it in fact underperformed, making just $50 million and having a budget of $32 million (per Box Office Mojo). However, it has become a massive cult hit, is endlessly rewatchable, and was even nominated for an Academy Award.
The movie reflected the politics and society and the time, and as the US has only become more divided since then, it's surprising that Stone and Parker haven't attempted to make a sequel given the pranksters that they are. But Hydra_Master, unfortunately, explains that "Trey Parker and Matt Stone said the puppetry was such a pain in the ass that they wouldn't make a sequel."
Dr. Strangelove (1964)
Dr. Strangelove, noting that it "coulda had a post-nuclear war skit as a sequel." The movie made $10 million worldwide (per Box Office Mojo), and though that doesn't sound like much by today's standards, it was one of the highest-grossing films in 1964.
Dr. Strangelove might not be the first comedy audiences would expect a sequel to. But strangely enough, though Kubrick is another creative who generally has no interest in sequels, the elusive director had speculated about a follow-up to the 1964 comedy classic. At one point, according to Slash Film, he had even enlisted a writer to pen the screenplay and wanted Terry Gilliam to direct it. The movie had a surprisingly on-the-nose title that most direct-to-DVD comedies have, Son of Strangelove.
The Room (2003)
The Disaster Artist. Out of every movie listed by Redditors, the lack of a The Room sequel is possibly the most surprising.
When it was first released in 2003, the movie was a bomb, but it constantly has special fan screenings in theatres and has made millions in the years since. The original was a vanity project of Tommy Wiseau, and as the film inadvertently became a cult hit and as The Disaster Artist once again put the spotlight on Wiseau, it's shocking that he didn't try to capitalize on that.
