Nothing stays dead in Hollywood. The 2010s was a decade of reboots and revivals for movie franchises, with some more successful than others.
While there were definitely some great original stories in film this decade, there was also an abundance of sequels, prequels, reboots, and revivals. During the 2010s, Hollywood did its best to turn as many old films as possible into movie franchises (or continue franchises). Not all fared as well with audiences. Some are likely to have the franchise continue into the 2020s, while others are probably going to have to wait another few decades before they try again.
These are among the most and least successful movie franchises of the 2010s decade.
Alien
Instead of rebooting the franchise, Alien decided to revive it by adding to the previous films’ canon by way of prequels. It explores the origins of the titular aliens with, of course, some easter eggs to the previous/later films.
- Alien (1979)
- Aliens (1986)
- Alien 3 (1992)
- Alien Resurrection (1997)
- Prometheus (2012)
- Alien: Covenant (2017)
Blade Runner
One of the longer breaks between the original and the revival, Blade Runner 2049 came out over 30 years after the first film. While there’s no official news of a third film in the works, it seems likely there’ll be one after the success of the sequel. Hopefully it won’t be another 30 years though.
- Blade Runner (1982)
- Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
Bourne
The Bourne trilogy was solid. Sure you had your favorite, but no film particularly dropped the ball. There was a beginning, middle, and end, and more films were not necessary. But Hollywood doesn’t know when to call it quits, so naturally there was a fourth. This time, Matt Damon did not star in the titular role, nor was Jason Bourne the main character. Unsurprisingly, the subsequent film brought Damon back, though it didn’t do much to sway audiences, getting a mediocre reaction.
- The Bourne Identity (2002)
- The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
- The Bourne Legacy (2012)
- Jason Bourne (2016)
Bridget Jones’s Diary
After the commercial success of the first two films, it made sense to finish out a trilogy of Bridget Jones, though they took their time making that happen. It also made sense to finish the franchise with Bridget having a baby and finally getting married to Mark.
- Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)
- Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004)
- Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016)
Charlie’s Angels
Hollywood has decided to give women another chance at being action stars, so it seemed only fitting to reboot the Charlie’s Angels franchise. Unfortunately, it was met with mediocre response at best, both critically and financially. It’s unlikely this revival will continue in the new decade.
Related: Charlie’s Angels movie review: A new era of angel is here
- Charlie’s Angels TV series (1976-1981)
- Charlie’s Angels (2000)
- Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003)
- Charlie’s Angels (2019)
Disney
Disney was hard at work this last decade redoing many of their classics in live action or 3D animation. So far though, they’ve only attempted a sequel with two titles among these reboots. Aside from Alice and Maleficent, the rest of their revivals are just that: a singular revival, an updated version of the same film. They’re not slowing down in the next decade, either.
- Alice in Wonderland (1951)
- Alice in Wonderland (2010)
- Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016)
- The Lion King (1994)
- The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (1998)
- The Lion King 1.5 (2004)
- The Lion King (2019)
- Cinderella (1950)
- Cinderella 2: Dreams Come True (2002)
- Cinderella 3: A Twist in Time (2007)
- Cinderella (2015)
- The Jungle Book (1967)
- The Jungle Book 2 (2003)
- The Jungle Book (2016)
- Beauty and the Beast (1991)
- Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)
- Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World (1998)
- Beauty and the Beast (2017)
- Winnie the Pooh films (1977-2010)
- Winnie the Pooh (2011)
- Christopher Robin (2018)
- Mary Poppins (1964)
- Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
- Sleeping Beauty (1959)
- Maleficent (2014)
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019)
- Dumbo (1941)
- Dumbo (2019)
- Aladdin (1992)
- Aladdin 2: The Return of Jafar (1994)
- Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)
- Aladdin (2019)
- Lady and the Tramp (1955)
- Lady and the Tramp 2: Scamp’s Adventure (2001)
- Lady and the Tramp (2019)
Alice in Wonderland
The Lion King
Cinderella
The Jungle Book
Beauty and the Beast
Winnie the Pooh
Mary Poppins
Sleeping Beauty
Dumbo
Aladdin
Lady and the Tramp
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Unbreakable is easily one of M. Night Shyamalan’s best films, and although he’s never been one to do sequels, there’s a first for everything. While Split was marketed as a standalone film, the surprise ending indicated it was actually a sequel to Unbreakable, with the final film set for release a couple of years later.
- Unbreakable (2000)
- Split (2016)
- Glass (2019)
Ghostbusters
Paul Feig attempted to bring back this comedy classic, but with a slight difference: The beloved Ghostbusters were all women. It was met with an uproar of sexist backlash before it had even been released, and consequently did not do as well as hoped in the box office. A sequel on the 2016 reboot is a no-go, but another story in this universe is full steam ahead for the new year and decade.
- Ghostbusters (1984)
- Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
- Ghostbusters (2016)
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2020)
Godzilla
While there has been a steady flow of Godzilla films coming from Japan over the last 60 years, Hollywood didn’t jump into the mix until 1998. Despite it being a huge financial success (the third-highest-grossing film worldwide that year), there were no future Hollywood editions for over 10 years. But now that it’s the 2010s, everything gets a reboot, and most get a sequel. Godzilla ticks both those boxes.
- Godzilla (1998)
- Godzilla (2014)
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
- Godzilla vs Kong (2020)
Independence Day
The first film of the 90s was so wildly popular, it’s surprising it took so long for another edition. Somehow, it was still too soon though. Independence Day: Resurgence was a direct sequel, but did not fare well at the box office. Consequently there are no current plans to finish out a trilogy.
- Independence Day (1996)
- Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)
Jumanji
The 90s Robin Williams film was a staple of many millennials’ childhoods. Since nostalgia has been such a trend this last decade, it’s no wonder Hollywood wanted to reboot this classic. Given how precious it felt to so many people, naturally there was skepticism to bringing Jumanji back. It turns out the hesitation was unwarranted. The reboot doesn’t try to copy the original in any way except the general premise and tone.
Related: The 2019 movies we love: Hypable Staff pick their favorites
- Jumanji (1995)
- Zathura (2002)
- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
- Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)
Jurassic Park
Since Hollywood can’t resist reinventing an old, successful classic, it wasn’t a surprise Jurassic Park got a revival. It’d been over 10 years since the last Jurassic Park film, but the hype was still very real. Jurassic World set box office records and made way for two more films. The trilogy will round out in the new decade.
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
- Jurassic Park 3 (2001)
- Jurassic World (2015)
- Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
- Jurassic World 3 (2021)
Lara Croft
It’s difficult to try and outdo or repeat a franchise that starred Angelina Jolie, but leave it to Hollywood to try. Another attempt to capitalize on female action stars, Tomb Raider cast Alicia Vikander who did an admirable job, although the film only did passably at the box office and audience reception. But evidently, it did well enough to earn a sequel, which is expected some time in the next decade.
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003)
- Tomb Raider (2018)
Mad Max
It was a sequel nobody asked for, everybody was nervous for, but it delivered in spades. George Miller rebooted his action-packed franchise with Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron for this decade, and it was total chaotic delight from start to finish. It’s no wonder then, that another one is already in the works.
Related: 11 surprising Mad Max: Fury Road Easter eggs you might have missed
- Mad Max (1979)
- Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
- Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
- Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
- Mad Max: The Wasteland (working title)
Middle Earth
Those hoping to return to Middle Earth after the close of the Lord of the Rings got their wish this decade. Peter Jackson returned with a new trilogy of films, this time based on The Hobbit. Unfortunately, they didn’t capture the same essence as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but they were certainly good enough to satiate a Middle Earth craving.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Oceans
The latter part of the decade saw a few franchises reboot with a common twist: they now starred women. The George Clooney and Brad Pitt led Ocean’s films returned in 2018, but this time it was a band of women pulling off a heist.
- Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
- Ocean’s Twelve (2004)
- Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
- Ocean’s 8 (2018)
Planet of the Apes
The classic Planet of the Apes films of the 70s are hard to top, but Hollywood just can’t leave a successful franchise in the past. Tim Burton tried to reboot the franchise in 2001 with Mark Wahlberg and Helena Bonham Carter, but to no avail. Fast forward 10 years, it would seem the original films have met their match. Rupert Wyatt got the ball rolling with a fantastic first instalment and made way for Matt Reeves to close the trilogy in a satisfying fashion. Of course, we mustn’t neglect to mention Andy Serkis and the influence motion capture had on this trilogy’s success.
- Planet of the Apes (1968)
- Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
- Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
- Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)
- Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)
- Planet of the Apes (2001)
- Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
- War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)
The Shining
The Shining book and film are horror classics. Both held up on their own as individual, one-off stories, but of course anything successful must get a sequel, even if it takes 30 years.
- The Shining (1980)
- Doctor Sleep (2019)
Spider-Man
The Spider-Man franchise actually got rebooted twice in the last decade. The original Peter Parker, Tobey Maguire, made way for Andrew Garfield near the beginning of the decade. The Amazing Spider-Man films tanked despite Garfield’s enthusiasm, and within three years, Peter Parker regenerated as Tom Holland. Despite some shaky legal struggles, it does seem like the Holland-Spidey will stick into the new decade.
- Spider-Man (2002)
- Spider-Man 2 (2004)
- Spider-Man 3 (2007)
- The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
- The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
- Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
- Spider-Man 3 (2021)
Star Wars
Star Wars needn’t have feared, the early 2000s trilogy were not going to be the last titles of the franchise. After 10 years, the franchise came back in full force this decade, with a Star Wars movie released each year.
Related: An ode to C-3PO, hero of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
- Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
- Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
- Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002)
- Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
- Rogue One (2016)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
- Solo (2018)
- Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Love them or hate them, the original live-action 90s classics (yes, “classics”) were important pieces of film of my childhood and should not have been touched. Nevertheless, the Ninja Turtles got a revival in the 2010s from Michael Bay’s production company with two films. Neither achieved the intended success, and the franchise is set to reboot yet again in the coming decade.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze (1991)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016)
Toy Story
Toy Story took its time between films. Nine years separated both the second and third, and third and fourth instalments. As such, it may surprise audiences to realize that Toy Story 3 did come out within the last 10 years, making the last two films bookend the decade.
- Toy Story (1995)
- Toy Story 2 (1999)
- Toy Story 3 (2010)
- Toy Story 4 (2019)
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