Despicable Me 2 shattered the box-office competition over the holiday weekend, defying expectations to earn $142 million—almost three times as much as its predecessor, Despicable Me. From The Dark Knight to Terminator 2, see more sequels that outperformed the films that came before them. —by Rachel Osman
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While all three films in the Toy Story trilogy were successful at the box office, the third installment was by far the biggest. Toy Story 3 earned more than $1 billion worldwide, more than the first two films combined. It was nominated for five Academy Awards and is the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
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The second film based on the Marvel Comics superheroes earned more than $400 million after its 2003 release, far outstripping the $296 million earned by X-Men in 2000. Three other films have been released in the series, and the sixth, The Wolverine, opens in theaters on July 26.
As the final installment of the trilogy based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, the Peter Jackson–directed Return of the King earned more than $1 billion at the box office after its release in 2003. It out-earned both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, and is the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time. To top it off, the film won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
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Although The Terminator had some success upon its release in 1984, it was nothing compared to director James Cameron’s second effort in the series. Terminator 2 earned nearly $520 million worldwide in 1991, a massive increase over the $78 million earned by its predecessor. It also out-earned the series’ subsequent films, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator Salvation.
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Robert Downey Jr. and Co. proved to be a huge draw at the box office once again this spring, raking in more than $1 billion since the release of Iron Man 3 in May. Compared to Iron Man’s $585 million and Iron Man 2’s $623 million, the third installment saw a massive increase in revenue, despite having a new director. It currently ranks fifth on the list of highest-grossing films worldwide.
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The Dark Knight earned more than $1 billion at the box office in 2008, greatly surpassing the $375 million earned by Batman Begins in 2005. It received countless award nominations and remains the 16th-highest-grossing film of all time. Despite actor Heath Ledger’s death six months before the film’s release, he received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker.
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After the initial success of Shrek in 2001, many wondered if a sequel could compete. However, Shrek 2 earned way more than its predecessor upon its release in 2004. The film grossed almost $920 million worldwide, compared to the $484 million of the first movie. Despite two additional sequels, Shrek 2 remains the highest-grossing movie in the series.
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Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig lured in massive audiences over the holiday weekend, and the sequel to 2010’s Despicable Me earned much more than expected, bringing in more than $82 million in the three-day period. A spin-off, Minions, is set to be released in December 2014.
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The second film in the Austin Powers series was much more successful than its predecessor, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. While the first film earned just $67 million at the box office in 1997, The Spy Who Shagged Me took in a whopping $312 million two years later. It remained the highest-grossing Austin Powers movie even after the release of Goldmember in 2002.
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While 1987’s Lethal Weapon earned a respectable $120 million at the box office, its sequel saw a more than $100 million increase in 1989. The Richard Donner–directed Lethal Weapon 2 earned $227 million and was followed by two more sequels, Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) and Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).
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The second movie in the Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker martial-arts series did much more business than its predecessor. The 2001 film earned $347 million at the box office, a significant increase over the $244 million earned by Rush Hour in 1998. Rush Hour 3 was released in 2007, but the second installment remains the most successful of the group.
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