If any genre is known for shoving sequels the audience’s way, it’s horror. But, not unlike the action genre, the comedy genrealsogives fans a sequel every now and then.Comedysequels are somewhat of a rarity, even including the glut of legacy sequels that came out during the early to mid 2010s. It’s rarer still for a comedy film to be so popular it warrants not one, but two or more continuations (be they prequels or sequels). The following comedic films earned more than one sequel, but note that DTV sequels were not considered for the tally. In other words, no extensive covering ofAmerican Pie Presents: Band Camphere.
11Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) — Two Sequels
Stephen Herek’sBill & Ted’s Excellent Adventuremanaged to be both a box office hit and a cult favorite, considering the fan-base for it and its sequels has only grown over time. And, whereas many sequels, regardless of genre, stereotypically fall short of the first film, there’s many aBill & Tedfan who finds their Hell-traversingBogus Journeysuperior totheir history-filledExcellent Adventure.
Then, nearly 30 years after the release ofBill and Ted’s Bogus Journeyfans were surprised to learn there was another adventure on the way. And, even with decades in between the installments,Bill & Ted Face the Musicdid not disappoint (and the additions of Anthony Carrigan, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Kristen Schall, and, especially, Samara Weaving are all stellar)
10Sister Act (1992) — Two Sequels
Save for her supporting role inGhost, the absolute best the ever-likable Whoopi Goldberg has ever been in a movie is as on-the-run lounge singer Deloris Van Cartier inSister Act. And, with sterling performances from Maggie Smith and Kathy Najimy, Goldberg isn’t alone in carrying the film.
1993’sSister Act 2: Back in the Habitisn’t quite as strong, which its box office tally ended up reflecting, but both critically and commercially the forgettable sequel could have done much worse. And, now, thanks to Disney+,Sister Act 3is on the slate for 2024.
Whoopi Goldberg Is Pleading for Maggie Smith to Return in Sister Act 3
Whoopi Goldberg says she’s trying to get Maggie Smith to return as Mother Superior to round out the cast for Sister Act 3.
9Dumb and Dumber (1994) — One Prequel & One Sequel
The Farrelly Brothers’Dumb and Dumberis essentially tied withThere’s Something About Maryas the duo’s best film. An integral part of Jim Carrey’s massive success in 1994, there’s an argument to be made it remainsboth his funniest performance and funniest filmas a whole.
Furthermore, Carrey’s Lloyd is ably supported by Jeff Daniels' work as his equally dimwitted friend, Harry. That said, the original is the only one of the three that works, as the misguided 2003 prequelDumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloydis only bolstered by Eric Christian Olsen’s work as Lloyd. But, while that Farrelly-free film was merely content to recycle jokes, at least its laziness is preferable to the outright mean-spiritedness that populates the brothers' legacy sequelDumb and Dumber To.
8Friday (1995) — Two Sequels
All three of theFridayfilms has reached success, even if to varying degrees. Unfortunately, given how difficult it’s provedto get a fourth off the ground, it looks to remain a trilogy.
And, consideringNext FridayandFriday After Nextcombined aren’t as strong as 1995’s original film, perhaps it being left at trilogy status isn’t such a bad thing. But, at the end of the day, at leastFriday After Nextis an improvement over the middle chapter even if they both sorely lack Chris Tucker. That said, there are worse alternatives to Tucker than Mike Epps.
7Rush Hour (1998) — Two Sequels
Anaudience favorite buddy-cop movie, Brett Ratner’sRush Hourproved to be one of that disgraced hitmaker’s biggest successes. And, like the original, Ratner’s first sequel made a ton of money at the box office (though its reviews took a dip).
Perhaps it was because there was only a span of three years in betweenRush HourandRush Hour 2, but audiences were still enthralled with Lee (Jackie Chan) and Carter’s (Chris Tucker) traded barbs and forced bonding. However, with six years betweenRush Hour 2andRush Hour 3, audience interest dropped significantly. And, with a $140 million budget and negative reviews, the third installment faced too big a climb to reach profitability.
6My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) — Two Sequels
A massive hit with a gradually built tally,My Big Fat Greek Weddingwas and remains one of the most successful low-budget rom-coms to ever hit the big screen. Nia Vardalos' script (and lead performance) crackles, making her somewhat of a pop-cultural sensation even if she did end up getting relegated to this and much less successful romantic comedies likeMy Life in RuinsandI Hate Valentine’s Day.
It took 14 years forMy Big Fat Greek Wedding 2to hit the silver screen and, while it wasn’t met with quite the same level of success or adoration as its predecessor, it quintupled its budget. And, while it wasn’t quite the critical smash of the first film, the first sequel certainly did better with reviewers (and at the box office) than 2023’sMy Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.
5The Hangover (2009) — Two Sequels
Todd Phillips’The Hangoverwas a massive hit in Summer 2009, but it very well could have gone a different way. At that point, the biggest star on the cast list was Ed Helms, coming off hisThe Officehigh. And, even withRoad TripandOld School, Phillips had yet to become an A-list director.
The Hangoveraltered that status, just as it did for Zach Galifianakis and Bradley Cooper. And, after two years' passing, audiences proved they were still into the characters and concept with the Bangkok-set box office smashThe Hangover Part II. However, while that film is underrated, it does pale in comparison to the original, and viewers were very quick to point this out. In the end,Part IIwas more front loaded than part one but made a comparable amount of money. However, audiences already felt the second film was unnecessary, and the marketing materials forThe Hangover Part IIIdidn’t instill hope that that would change.
The Ridiculous Process of Filming The Hangover
Moments of improvisation and scenes of pure absurdity rendered The Hangover a wild behind-the-scenes ride from start to finish.
4Beverly Hills Cop (1984) — Three Sequels
One ofthe best detective movies from the ‘80sis also one of the funniest. Martin Brest’sBeverly Hills Copwouldn’t have been nearly the success it was (on all fronts) were it not Eddie Murphy in the lead role of Axel Foley. Considering the film (which was reworked for Murphy) initially had Sylvester Stallone slated to lead, it stands to reason audiences got the best possible version of the narrative they were going to get.
The original film was the highest-grossing of 1984, which is no small feat considering the year also saw the releases ofGhostbusters,The Karate Kid,Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,Gremlins, andFootloose. Three years later, the action-orientedBeverly Hills Cop IIwas also a major hit, but not to the extent of its predecessor. However, 1994’s dreadfulBeverly Hill Cop IIIlost much of the first two’s audience. Lastly, the fourth installment,Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley, has yet to receive an official release date but it is expected to debut on Netflix at some point in 2024.
3American Pie (1999) — Three (Official) Sequels
Paul and Chris Weitz captured the zeitgeist in 1999 withAmerican Pie, and as the success ofAmerican Pie 2proved, it was possible to capture that lightning in the bottle twice. And, with a scene that has a young maninserting himself into a warm apple pie, it’s not surprising folks turned out in droves.
According toBox Office Mojo, the firstAmerican Piepulled in a massive $235 million worldwide on a budget of just $11 million.American Pie 2, with a $30 million price tag, scored $287 million worldwide. The $55 millionAmerican Weddingdropped a bit in 2003, but even with that fairly high budget it was profitable at nearly $233 million all told. After nine years, Jason Biggs’ Jim and his pals returned for anAmerican Reunion, which was not only better received by fans and critics thanWedding, but it had a slightly smaller budget of $50 million and a worldwide total $2 million higher than the film that preceded it. It’s hard to say where the franchise would go for a fifth installment, butReunion’s total could certainly prove as incentive to greenlight it.
2Police Academy (1984) — Six Sequels
Bar none thelongest-running comedy film franchise,Police Academyis very impressive. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly in any good ways.
Seven films total, and not one of them is remotely good. Even the original is an anti-comedy. It allows no build up to its supposed punchlines and finds it suitable just to put a line of one-note but quasi-likable performers (who really only ever fit intoPolice Academymovies, outside the first four films' Steve Guttenberg) in front of the audience and hope for the best. And nothing about any of the dreadfulPolice Academymovies is the best.
