7 Dead Movie Franchises Begging For Reboots

Many movie franchises rely on just one successful film, with sequels that don’t build on the original’s strengths. Sometimes these franchises are unfairly cut short, as there was still potential for good stories. Other times, a series with a fantastic sequel mysteriously stalls. And then there are franchises that have never quite hit their stride, but could be great with the right creative team.

Here’s a look at a few franchises that haven’t had a new movie or streaming release in over a decade. Despite the time passed, they all have potential for a comeback and deserve another chance.

7) Sinister

Scott Derrickson’s Sinister, released in 2012, was a big success, earning $87.7 million globally on a budget of only $3 million. While the 2015 sequel, Sinister 2, also turned a profit with $54.1 million against a $10 million budget, its return on investment wasn’t nearly as impressive as the first film. As a result, a third Sinister movie hasn’t been made yet.

The real shame is that if Sinister 2 had been a genuinely good movie – instead of relying on cheap jump scares and losing the creepy feeling of the first film – we might have seen more of the villain, Bughuul. However, the sequel was significantly worse (dropping from a 64% approval rating to just 14%), and it seems like that one poor follow-up movie was enough to ruin the positive reputation the original film had built.

Stream Sinister on Hulu and Sinister 2 on Netflix.

6) Hitman

As we touched on earlier, not all movie series find lasting success. Some fizzle out quickly, never really hitting their stride. The Hitman films are a good example – despite featuring talented actors like Timothy Olyphant and Rupert Friend as Agent 47, they weren’t particularly successful.

The first Hitman movie received a 16% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and Hitman: Agent 47 fared even worse at just 8%. While both films weren’t quite as bad as those scores suggest, it’s easy to understand the negative reviews. However, fans of the games know that Agent 47 has a surprisingly interesting backstory, and the more recent games even give him a satisfying character development. If the new adaptation can avoid being boring like the first movie or overly comedic like the reboot, it has the potential to be good.

Stream Hitman on Starz.

5) A Nightmare on Elm Street

Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street wasn’t just a standout slasher film in 1984—it really redefined the genre. Robert Englund brilliantly played the unforgettable Freddy Krueger across six sequels, a self-aware continuation, and even a team-up with Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th.

The 2010 remake of the film was a visually overdone attempt to bring the franchise back to life, with Jackie Earle Haley stepping into the role of Freddy Krueger. Unfortunately, it wasn’t successful, and we haven’t seen another Freddy film since. With Jason Voorhees getting a major reboot soon, it would be fantastic to have one last Freddy Krueger movie starring Robert Englund.

4) The LEGO Movie

Although The Lego Movie surprisingly wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award, it was a critical and commercial success, earning $470.7 million on a budget of around $65 million. This success launched a series of Lego films, but none have reached the same level of popularity or profit as the original 2014 movie. The Lego Batman Movie performed well in 2017, but The Lego Ninjago Movie was a financial failure. The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, released in 2019, did better than Ninjago, but still earned significantly less than the first film—$199 million compared to the original’s $470.7 million—and received a slightly lower Rotten Tomatoes score of 84% (compared to the original’s 96%).

The two Lego films released after The Lego Movie seemed to diminish the initial excitement, sadly limiting the main series to just two installments. We really missed out on potential sequels – both a Lego Movie 3 and a Lego Batman Movie 2. At the very least, it would have been great to see Will Arnett return as Batman in a TV show. Unfortunately, Pharrell’s Piece by Piece – while still a Lego project – appears to have ended any chance of those projects happening.

Stream The Lego Movie on Vix and The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part on Netflix.

3) 21 Jump Street

Both 21 Jump Street and 22 Jump Street were critical and commercial successes, earning roughly four times their production costs. Despite this, the series stopped after two films, which is likely a good decision. The first two movies are hilarious and surprisingly heartfelt, and a third film could damage their reputation. While a continuation might work with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller at the helm, it would probably be best for them to create a new project that showcases the fantastic on-screen chemistry between Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum.

Several attempts have been made to create another 22 Jump Street movie. Ideas included a simple sequel with Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum reprising their roles, and a spin-off focused on female leads. However, the most discussed plan involved combining the worlds of 22 Jump Street with the Men in Black franchise. Luckily, that idea was scrapped, because it would have turned the film’s funny final joke – a list of absurd potential sequels – into an actual, unbelievable reality.

Stream 21 Jump Street on Paramount+ and 22 Jump Street on YouTube TV.

2) Ride Along

The Ride Along movies weren’t popular with critics – the first received an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the second only 15%. However, despite the negative reviews, the first film was a huge financial success, earning over $150 million from a $25 million budget. The second movie also performed well, tripling its $40 million budget, though it wasn’t quite as profitable as the original.

With fewer and fewer comedies being made regularly, it’s odd that the Ride Along movies didn’t continue. Ice Cube and Kevin Hart had great on-screen chemistry in the first two films, and their characters didn’t have endings that ruled out a sequel. There were even early discussions about a third movie shortly after Ride Along 2 came out, but it never happened.

Stream Ride Along and Ride Along 2 on Peacock.

1) 300

The film 300 was a major success that launched Zack Snyder’s career. Following the cancellation of his Army of the Dead sequels and the early ending of his Rebel Moon series on Netflix, rumors suggest he may revisit the world of 300 with a new TV series. This series would act as a prequel, telling the story leading up to both 300 and its sequel, 300: Rise of an Empire.

It’s not surprising that 300 still has some life left. Although Rise of an Empire received a lower score on Rotten Tomatoes (45% compared to 61% for the original), it was still a reasonably well-received film. While it earned $337.6 million worldwide (with a $110 million budget) – less than the first film’s $456 million (from a $65 million budget) – it was still a profitable venture. Now, over a decade after its release, the big question is whether there’s still an audience interested in this action-packed historical series.

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2025-11-28 03:13