The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mortal Kombat II, Minions & Monsters, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Godzilla Minus Zero, Violent Night 2, the third Dwayne Johnson-led Jumanji installment, these are all 2026 sequels that could rival or even exceed the quality of the first movie in their respective franchises. Even Scary Movie has some people believing it could be just as funny if not funnier than the 2000 original movie. Jackass: Best and Last is another one, though it comes down to just how dependent it is on its rumored usage of older footage (usually, when old footage hasn’t been seen before, that’s for a reason).
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But then there are those that are highly unlikely to measure up, at least to the original film of the saga. Mostly, that’s because the original is so good, but that’s not exactly the only reason. We left off live-action remakes (like Moana) and in-universe movies that aren’t exactly sequels (like Evil Dead Burn), though. The same goes for reboots, such as Resident Evil.
3) Toy Story 5
Only one Toy Story sequel managed to beat the original film, and that’s Toy Story 3. And, even still, there are plenty of people who still prefer the original, or see those two as tied.
Point being, if a film as beautiful and emotional as Toy Story 3 isn’t universally seen as the best of the bunch the fifth installment doesn’t really have much hope of doing so. The third film was a natural end to the franchise and the subsequent Toy Story 4 felt like a cash grab. A pretty good cash grab, but a cash grab. What are the chances Toy Story 5 is any different? Though, admittedly, the addition of Conan O’Brien is extremely exciting.
2) Avengers: Doomsday
Maybe Avengers: Doomsday will be the course correction the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs (though Daredevil: Born Again is doing a fine job serving as that on the small screen). Then again, maybe it will be a bloated mess that relies too much on fan service. There’s just no way to tell at this point. Even after a handful of teasers there’s next to nothing known about the movie.
But the simple fact is the original The Avengers was the MCU when it was at its youthful, energetic best. These days, it’s a little old hat. That said, Doomsday comes from the Russos, and their one-two punch of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame is viewed by many as superior to Joss Whedon’s first team-up movie. The fact remains, Doomsday comes at a point when the MCU is floundering, and if anything it reeks of Disney looking for a safe bet for this once very lucrative IP.
1) Super Troopers 3
Super Troopers 2 being a worthy sequel to the original is a hill worth dying on. It really is better than its somewhat sour reputation would serve to indicate. The litany of anti-Canada jokes feel like it trying to poke fun at the last group of people who can still be made fun of, and that doesn’t quite work, but for the most part it’s a sequel that recaptures the original’s energy.
But in that also lies the problem for both the second and upcoming third film. The original is such an early aughts charmer that the best hope is really to just recapture its magic. Even if you manage that you’re subject to diminishing returns. That said, if Super Troopers 3 manages to be the best Super Troopers sequel we’ll be happy to eat our words.
Do you think any of these three movies will beat the original? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
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