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'Zoolander 2' and the Curse of the Comedy Sequel

  • <p>After his original film grew into a cult hit following a lukewarm initial release, Ben Stiller waited 15 long years to revive his model idiot for a much dumber (and less funny) adventure. It earned a disappointing $16 million in its opening weekend despite a massive marketing blitz. <br></p><p>(Photo: Paramount)</p>
    1/10

    ‘Zoolander 2′ (2016)

    After his original film grew into a cult hit following a lukewarm initial release, Ben Stiller waited 15 long years to revive his model idiot for a much dumber (and less funny) adventure. It earned a disappointing $16 million in its opening weekend despite a massive marketing blitz.

    (Photo: Paramount)

  • <p>Not so much a failure as a disappointment, considering the long wait and endless promo tour that star Will Ferrell — as clueless newsman Ron Burgundy — embarked on pre-release. The original film crackled with moronic genius, while the sequel was unable to thread the same needle. And while it went hard for satire, skewering cable news, that aspect was often overlooked amid the flat rehash of old jokes.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    2/10

    ‘Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues’ (2013)

    Not so much a failure as a disappointment, considering the long wait and endless promo tour that star Will Ferrell — as clueless newsman Ron Burgundy — embarked on pre-release. The original film crackled with moronic genius, while the sequel was unable to thread the same needle. And while it went hard for satire, skewering cable news, that aspect was often overlooked amid the flat rehash of old jokes.

    (Photo: Everett)

  • <p>Released a full eight years after the original hit, the ill-conceived sequel brought back Chevy Chase but lost Rodney Dangerfield after he had a dispute with the studio (Jackie Mason stepped in). Original writer Harold Ramis reluctantly began writing a script but then pulled out; when the studio continued on with the movie, he <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/harold-ramis-13583" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:considered trying to have his name removed from the credits;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">considered trying to have his name removed from the credits</a>.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    3/10

    ‘Caddyshack II’ (1988)

    Released a full eight years after the original hit, the ill-conceived sequel brought back Chevy Chase but lost Rodney Dangerfield after he had a dispute with the studio (Jackie Mason stepped in). Original writer Harold Ramis reluctantly began writing a script but then pulled out; when the studio continued on with the movie, he considered trying to have his name removed from the credits.

    (Photo: Everett)

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  • <p>After one big screen sequel and a slew of direct-to-DVD spinoffs, the gang got back together one more time for Jim and Michelle’s wedding. It had some nice sentimental moments, but without pie sex, what’s the point?<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    4/10

    ‘American Wedding’ (2003)

    After one big screen sequel and a slew of direct-to-DVD spinoffs, the gang got back together one more time for Jim and Michelle’s wedding. It had some nice sentimental moments, but without pie sex, what’s the point?

    (Photo: Everett)

  • <p>It could be argued that <i>Dumb and Dumber </i>helped launch a new era of delightfully stupid comedy, but two decades after the original became a smash hit and took Jim Carrey to comedy’s top tier, a return to the same schtick felt old and outdated.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    5/10

    ‘Dumb and Dumber To’

    It could be argued that Dumb and Dumber helped launch a new era of delightfully stupid comedy, but two decades after the original became a smash hit and took Jim Carrey to comedy’s top tier, a return to the same schtick felt old and outdated.

    (Photo: Everett)

  • <p>A movie that never should have been made; you can’t get the band back together when its key member is gone. John Goodman replaced the late John Belushi, and despite returning costar Dan Aykroyd and director John Landis (as well as basically the same plot as the original), there was nothing divine about this second “mission from God.”<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    6/10

    ‘Blues Brothers 2000′ (1997)

    A movie that never should have been made; you can’t get the band back together when its key member is gone. John Goodman replaced the late John Belushi, and despite returning costar Dan Aykroyd and director John Landis (as well as basically the same plot as the original), there was nothing divine about this second “mission from God.”

    (Photo: Everett)

  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

    Yahoo News is better in the app

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  • <p>Eddie Murphy was the biggest star in the world when he first took Axel Foley to the Golden State’s ritzy enclave, but the street smart cop had clearly overstayed his welcome by the time the sequel hit in 1987. In 1994, when the third film came out, it was just depressing.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    7/10

    ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’ (1987) and ‘III’ (1994)

    Eddie Murphy was the biggest star in the world when he first took Axel Foley to the Golden State’s ritzy enclave, but the street smart cop had clearly overstayed his welcome by the time the sequel hit in 1987. In 1994, when the third film came out, it was just depressing.

    (Photo: Everett)

  • <p>After the original became a surprise box office smash that made stars of Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis, Warner Bros. quickly commissioned a sequel for Todd Phillips’ R-rated Las Vegas comedy. The encore basically told the same exact story, except set in Thailand; the third film, which came out two years later, returned the boys to Vegas and retraced old ground yet again.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    8/10

    ‘The Hangover Part II’ (2011) and ‘Part III’ (2013)

    After the original became a surprise box office smash that made stars of Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis, Warner Bros. quickly commissioned a sequel for Todd Phillips’ R-rated Las Vegas comedy. The encore basically told the same exact story, except set in Thailand; the third film, which came out two years later, returned the boys to Vegas and retraced old ground yet again.

    (Photo: Everett)

  • <p>A perfect example of a sequel that lost all of its wit and satire (not to mention its mojo) the second time around. The first film, which became a surprise hit in 1997, was a wonderful spoof of the James Bond spy genre; the other two were mere vehicles for sex jokes.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    9/10

    ‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me’ (1999) and ‘Goldmember’ (2002)

    A perfect example of a sequel that lost all of its wit and satire (not to mention its mojo) the second time around. The first film, which became a surprise hit in 1997, was a wonderful spoof of the James Bond spy genre; the other two were mere vehicles for sex jokes.

    (Photo: Everett)

  • Stay in the know at a glance with the Top 10 daily stories

    Yahoo News is better in the app

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  • <p>Another example of a studio pressuring Harold Ramis into making a sequel to a beloved classic, and ending up with a bad facsimile of the original. It didn‘t even get its <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/movies/ghostbusters-ii-predicted-the-end-of-the-world-154953471.html" data-ylk="slk:prediction about the end of the world;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;" class="link yahoo-link">prediction about the end of the world</a> right.<b><br></b></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
    10/10

    ‘Ghostbusters II’ (1989)

    Another example of a studio pressuring Harold Ramis into making a sequel to a beloved classic, and ending up with a bad facsimile of the original. It didn‘t even get its prediction about the end of the world right.

    (Photo: Everett)

<p>After his original film grew into a cult hit following a lukewarm initial release, Ben Stiller waited 15 long years to revive his model idiot for a much dumber (and less funny) adventure. It earned a disappointing $16 million in its opening weekend despite a massive marketing blitz. <br></p><p>(Photo: Paramount)</p>
<p>Not so much a failure as a disappointment, considering the long wait and endless promo tour that star Will Ferrell — as clueless newsman Ron Burgundy — embarked on pre-release. The original film crackled with moronic genius, while the sequel was unable to thread the same needle. And while it went hard for satire, skewering cable news, that aspect was often overlooked amid the flat rehash of old jokes.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
<p>Released a full eight years after the original hit, the ill-conceived sequel brought back Chevy Chase but lost Rodney Dangerfield after he had a dispute with the studio (Jackie Mason stepped in). Original writer Harold Ramis reluctantly began writing a script but then pulled out; when the studio continued on with the movie, he <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/harold-ramis-13583" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:considered trying to have his name removed from the credits;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">considered trying to have his name removed from the credits</a>.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
<p>After one big screen sequel and a slew of direct-to-DVD spinoffs, the gang got back together one more time for Jim and Michelle’s wedding. It had some nice sentimental moments, but without pie sex, what’s the point?<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
<p>It could be argued that <i>Dumb and Dumber </i>helped launch a new era of delightfully stupid comedy, but two decades after the original became a smash hit and took Jim Carrey to comedy’s top tier, a return to the same schtick felt old and outdated.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
<p>A movie that never should have been made; you can’t get the band back together when its key member is gone. John Goodman replaced the late John Belushi, and despite returning costar Dan Aykroyd and director John Landis (as well as basically the same plot as the original), there was nothing divine about this second “mission from God.”<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
<p>Eddie Murphy was the biggest star in the world when he first took Axel Foley to the Golden State’s ritzy enclave, but the street smart cop had clearly overstayed his welcome by the time the sequel hit in 1987. In 1994, when the third film came out, it was just depressing.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
<p>After the original became a surprise box office smash that made stars of Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis, Warner Bros. quickly commissioned a sequel for Todd Phillips’ R-rated Las Vegas comedy. The encore basically told the same exact story, except set in Thailand; the third film, which came out two years later, returned the boys to Vegas and retraced old ground yet again.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
<p>A perfect example of a sequel that lost all of its wit and satire (not to mention its mojo) the second time around. The first film, which became a surprise hit in 1997, was a wonderful spoof of the James Bond spy genre; the other two were mere vehicles for sex jokes.<br></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
<p>Another example of a studio pressuring Harold Ramis into making a sequel to a beloved classic, and ending up with a bad facsimile of the original. It didn‘t even get its <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/movies/ghostbusters-ii-predicted-the-end-of-the-world-154953471.html" data-ylk="slk:prediction about the end of the world;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;" class="link yahoo-link">prediction about the end of the world</a> right.<b><br></b></p><p>(Photo: Everett)</p>
Jordan Zakarin
·Writer

When loud and powerful fandoms demand the revival of old favorite movie and TV shows, studios listen, which has led to a glut of sequels, prequels, and cast reunions. Some work quite well — Star Wars: The Force Awakens did OK business, after all — but as the all-around dismal performance of the long-awaited (and much-hyped) Zoolander 2 reminds us, we need to be careful what we wish for.

That applies especially to comedy sequels, which over the years typically have struggled to even approach the bar set by the originals. For the most part, the sequels have doubled down on the broadest gags of the first movie and ignored the subtle satire that made their respective predecessors feel fresh.

Here’s a list of some of the most disappointing comedy sequels of the past three decades. Good luck to Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday and Kindergarten Cop 2, which come to us later this year.