5 Sci-Fi Movies That Were Huge in the 1980s (And Then Disappeared Without a Sequel)

The ‘80s were a great time for sci-fi fans. With movies like The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi continuing franchises and movies like Back to the Future kicking them off while smaller films like Starman and Enemy Mine gave audiences more ambitious standalone offerings, there really was something for everyone who both loved the genre and the cinema. Genuinely, if you’re looking for some of the most interesting sci-fi movies ever made, look no further than the ‘80s.

But while there were some big movies in that decade that hit it big and spawned sequels and even entire franchises, there were also plenty of movies that hit the right notes with fans that never really went anywhere. We’re not talking about forgotten movies or niche offerings. These are films that came from major studios, featured major stars, and in some cases were box office hits, but instead of getting the sequel treatment, they were simply one and done, for better or for worse. Here are five sci-fi movies that were a big deal in the ‘80s but disappeared leaving no sequel in their wake.

5) Flight of the Navigator

Released in 1986, Flight of the Navigator was a moderate box office success for Disney, but it was a critical hit, with strong reviews praising the film for being a solid family sci-fi movie that the whole family could enjoy as well as getting praise for its groundbreaking special effects. The film followed 12-year-old David Freeman who is abducted by aliens in 1978 after being knocked unconscious in a fall. When he wakes up, eight years have passed, but he’s not aged. After being reunited with his family, it’s discovered that his brainwaves match a recently crashed spaceship in NASA custody and David ends up being the key to get that ship back to its home. The film was loved by fans and was especially fascinating for being one of the first films to extensively use CGI, and it’s since become a cult classic. However, despite its success and popularity upon release, a sequel was never pursued. A remake was announced in 2021 but hasn’t yet materialized.

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4) Cocoon

Released in 1985, Cocoon is a sci-fi film with a plenty of heart, drama, and even comedy. Directed by Ron Howard, the film follows a group of elderly people who end up rejuvenated by aliens, who are renting a house with a swimming pool next to a retirement home in order to prepare for a return to their home planet. It’s a touching story about life, love, and belonging and it was a solid box office hit as the sixth highest-grossing film of 1985. The film even won two Academy Awards — Best Supporting Actor for Don Ameche and Best Visual Effects. However, while the film was successful and has even had lasting impact on popular culture, what likely kept Cocoon from getting a sequel is simply the story itself. It’s ending is pretty perfect and definitive. It doesn’t need more.

3) The Last Starfighter

One of the earliest movies to make major use of extensive “real-life” CGI, 1984’s The Last Starfighter isn’t just a sci-fi movie. It’s a whole space opera. The film follows Alex Rogan, a teen who wins the high score in an arcade game that turns out to be a simulation test. This results in him being recruited by an alien defense force to fight an interstellar war. The film got positive reviews and did well at the box office and to this day remains popular with plenty of adaptations across books, comics, games, and more, but the one thing it never got was a sequel. It was just a one and done sci-fi classic though this one, like Flight of the Navigator, might not be in the “no sequel” club forever. A sequel has been talked about since 2008 with the last major update coming in 2020 where it was noted that a script was being written and rights to the original film had been acquired.

2) Weird Science

There is no questioning how big of a hit Weird Science was in 1985. Directed by the legendary John Hughes and starring Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, and Kelly LeBrock, the movie saw two nerdy teens using computer power to design a perfect woman but also use a little hacking to create a power surge that lets them bring her to life. It’s not only a fun sci-fi film, but it’s also a great ‘80s teen comedy and was a box office hit and looking back, it’s just a fun, nostalgic watch. Future Marvel star Robert Downey Jr. even appears in the film as a bully. But despite being very much a movie of its moment and arguably having an ending that was open for more stories, it didn’t get a sequel. It did get a television series that was based on the film, but that didn’t show up until the ‘90s.

1) E.T.

Okay, so this one might be cheating a little, but bear with us. One of the biggest sci-fi films of the ‘80s, E.T. was a massive hit and was one of Universal’s top three highest-grossing films of all time in North America until Wicked came along in 2024. Released in 1982, the story of a little boy named Elliott who befriends an extraterrestrial (E.T.) and helps him find his way home was huge and it’s still huge over 40 years later so it didn’t exactly “disappear” but it also didn’t leave behind a sequel, at least not in the traditional sense. Shortly after the film’s release, Steven Spielberg and Melissa Mathison actually wrote a treatment for a sequel that would have seen Elliott and his friends kidnapped by evil aliens and needing E.T.’s help, but Spielberg decided it would actually tarnish the original film so no true, theatrical sequel was ever made. The film did get a short film sequel in 2019, however, with a four-minute commercial for Xfinity that brought back the now-adult Henry Thomas as Elliott and saw E.T. return to Earth for Christmas.

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