5 Film Franchises That Released 2 Installments in the Same Year

Typically, you have to wait a few years for a franchise to churn out another installment. Productions are pretty grandiose. Millions are being spent building sets, putting up green screens, and getting equipment. Then there are the actors’ busy schedules you have to work around. Even when there’s a quick turnaround, like with the Friday the 13th franchise during its 1980s heyday, you’re waiting a full year for a new movie. But the following franchises went against the grain. They released two different installments in one calendar year. Some of them were surprises. Others were direct to video movies that didn’t take a particularly large time to shoot.

In both cases, it’s not unusual for the two films to have been shot back-to-back. The question is, how did they turn out?

5) The Matrix

When The Matrix closed out the ’90s as a genuine phenomenon, it was inevitable that it would receive at least one sequel. However, in 2003, the same year that saw The Lord of the Rings trilogy close out, the Wachowskis turned a single sci-fi action masterpiece into just the start of a whole trilogy.

The Matrix Reloaded came out in May and, while it quintupled its budget, it was considered a major step down from the original film by fans and critics alike. Then, when The Matrix Revolutions came out in November, the reception from critics and fans only got worse. But that wasn’t as disappointing as its worldwide haul, which was $427.3 million, a far cry from Reloaded‘s $741.8 million.

4) The Toxic Avenger

In 1984, The Toxic Avenger showed that knowingly trashy cinema could actually go over quite well with critics. Not perfectly, but better than one might expect. And, while not an immediate hit on the big screen, it did do extremely well on home video.

Because it built such a following throughout the mid ’80s, fans got not one but two sequels in 1989. The disappointing The Toxic Avenger Part II hit theaters towards the end of February and, less than nine months later, the gonzo The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie wrapped up the trilogy in style. It wasn’t until 2000 that fans got the fourth film, Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV. That one didn’t work, but the reboot, which finally made its way to theaters in 2025, very much did.

3) Ginger Snaps

Ginger Snaps, released in 2000, was essentially Jennifer’s Body before Jennifer’s Body. It was a genre film that didn’t do particularly well financially but very swiftly developed a cult following and has since come to be appreciated for its feminist themes.

In 2004 its fans received not just a sequel, the surprisingly solid Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed, but a prequel, as well, both of which featured the original film’s Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle. Unleashed was released on January 30th while Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning hit shelves on July 10th.

2) X

X was released on March 18th, 2022. Less than six months later, its surprise prequel, Pearl, hit theaters on September 16th. Fans did have to wait until July of 2024 for the sequel, MaXXXine, though.

Pearl was announced right around the time X came out. People were already expecting X, but they had no idea that it was already just the first part of a franchise. And, to boot, the second installment of said franchise had already been shot.

1) The Millennium Trilogy

The Millennium series, based on Stieg Larsson’s trilogy, came out in quick succession, just like his books (all of which were released posthumously). Though, in the case of the books, they were released over the course of three years while the Swedish films all came out in a single year.

However, it may have been too much in too little time. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was released on February 27th, 2009 (in Sweden and Denmark) and made over $104 million worldwide against just $13 million. Then, The Girl Who Played with Fire came out on September 18th, and the worldwide haul dropped to $67.1 million. Lastly, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest made its way to viewers on November 27th to the tune of $43.5 million all told.

Which franchise would you most want to release two films in one year? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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