For the past decade, Hollywood has been hooked on nostalgia. From Star Wars to Jurassic World to Top Gun: Maverick, the “legacy sequel” has been a reliable ticket to box office glory, bringing back beloved properties and familiar faces, and wrapping them in spectacle to lure audiences.
But after mining the most iconic franchises, studios are now scraping the bottom of the intellectual property barrel. The next wave of legacy sequels is bringing back not icons, but characters from modest hits like Practical Magic, The Devil Wears Prada, and Meet the Parents. These films might have their fans, but they don’t have the long-term cultural hold of larger properties. By returning to them, Hollywood may be showing desperation in its search for the next IP to resurrect.
Get Ready for the B-Tier Legacy Sequels
The legacy sequel trend might be rooted in nostalgia, but it originally made some narrative sense. Epic sci-fi and muscular action franchises are designed for continuation. There are countless galaxies and characters to explore in George Lucas’ universe, and Sylvester Stallone seems willing to lace up Rocky Balboa’s boxing gloves until he needs a walker.
And, for the most part, it’s worked. Star Wars: The Force Awakens reignited the saga, and there have since been more hours of Star Wars media created since its release than existed throughout the first 30 years of the franchise. Creed revitalized the Rocky brand and established the careers of director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. Top Gun: Maverick was a global sensation that tapped into Tom Cruise’s star power while updating its thrills for a modern audience, possibly saving the theatrical experience in the process. These were sequels on steroids, events that reunited audiences with some of the most popular characters ever created.
Today’s slate looks less inspiring. Coming soon are Practical Magic 2, The Devil Wears Prada 2, and Focker-in-Law, the fourth entry in the Meet the Parents franchise. While these films have fans, it’s hard to imagine them packing theaters in the same way as a return to outer space dogfights or fighter jet showdowns. The Devil Wears Prada featured a memorable Meryl Streep performance but had no need to continue its narrative, while the Meet the Parents series was running out of gas when Little Fockers was released to scathing reviews and the lowest box office of the series. And then there’s Practical Magic 2. The 1998 original has a cult following and two iconic actresses as its leads, but it only made $46 million at the box office; does that automatically translate into mainstream demand nearly three decades later?
Comedy Sequels Have an Already Shaky Track Record
Part of the issue lies in genre. Action and adventure naturally lend themselves to sequels because their formulas are built for repetition; just do it bigger, better, and louder, and studios can crank out endless returns to Jurassic Park. Comedy, on the other hand, thrives on surprise. Audiences may have once loved watching Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro clash, but Meet the Fockers and Little Fockers proved pretty definitively that there might not be much gas left in the tank. That’s also why horror, while seemingly box office bulletproof, has a riskier time with legacy sequels; a franchise built on mystery and addressing modern cinematic tropes, like Scream, can run forever, but bringing back the hook-handed fisherman for another I Know What You Did Last Summer disappointed because there was nothing to do but repeat beats that were long played out.
Audiences love revisiting familiar characters, but humor doesn’t land the same way twice. A pratfall loses its punch when you know it’s coming, and a witty exchange becomes stale when it’s just echoing the past. Just look at the hollowness of Dumb and Dumber To, which regularly is on the lists of the worst sequels ever made, or the belated Spinal Tap sequel, which cratered at the box office. What was new and riotously funny then is wheezy and old when all it does is play the same jokes that once shocked and delighted audiences. This is likely why Hollywood has been hesitant to return to the well for beloved comedies; their current focus on those from 20 years ago feels desperate.
The idea of Meryl Streep clashing again with Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada 2 might sound appealing on paper. But unless the sequel finds a new story to tell, it risks becoming little more than a reunion special stretched to feature length. And jokes about the name of Greg Focker and variations on De Niro going “I’m watching you” were played out shortly after the first Meet the Parents; the addition of Ariana Grande might bring in new audiences, but it remains to be seen whether there are fresh jokes to go along with the updated cast.
At their best, legacy sequels expand upon the originals, offering fresh perspectives while honoring the past. At their worst, they’re little more than an exercise in, “Hey, remember this?” But the cracks are showing. Audiences are discerning and can spot when a film is simply recycling instead of reimagining. The diminishing returns on sequels to mid-tier IP suggest that the strategy has reached its limit. Tony Soprano once said, “Remember when is the lowest form of communication;” it’s also the unfunniest of jokes.
Hollywood Needs To Take the Right Lessons From Spielberg and Lucas
Image via Paramount Pictures
Ironically, some of the filmmakers whose work has been fodder for legacy sequels originally proved that Hollywood doesn’t need to rely on old franchises to capture their spirit.
When Steven Spielberg and George Lucas wanted to make their own spin on pulp adventures like Flash Gordon and James Bond, they didn’t raid those franchises; not that they didn’t try. Instead, they invented Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. The characters instantly became legendary, not because they were borrowed from nostalgia but because they offered something new with a familiar flavor. Unfortunately, rather than making the next Star Wars or creating the next Indiana Jones, Hollywood just decided to… well, literally make another Star Wars and dust off Indy’s bomber jacket.
The same could be said for countless other originals that became iconic – and, in some cases, wouldn’t go away. The Matrix, Back to the Future, and Ghostbusters didn’t need pre-existing IP to draw crowds. They just needed strong ideas, compelling characters, and the courage to take a chance on something unproven. Of course, two out of three of those franchises ended up contributing to the legacy sequel glut. Maybe more franchises should take a note from Back to the Future and just bring back the original; there’s still an audience for re-releases, and it could save the studios’ money just to reintroduce a beloved classic instead of pumping out hundreds of millions of dollars just to try to keep a stale franchise fresh.
If Hollywood is truly running out of legacy sequels worth making, maybe that’s not a crisis but an opportunity. Instead of asking, “What old brand can we bring back?” studios could be asking what new stories will remind audiences of what made them fall in love with the movies.
- Release Date
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May 1, 2026
- Director
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David Frankel
- Writers
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Aline Brosh McKenna
- Producers
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Wendy Finerman