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8 Film Franchises That Really Need To Die

As a fan of film, there's nothing sadder than watching flailing franchises spew out uninspired efforts to keep the box-office numbers ticking over. When the property becomes an obligation rather than a privilege, this is where courageous conversations need to be had. You know, the "it's time to say goodbye because you suck" speech.

The Expendables

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Franchise entries: The Expendables (2010), The Expendables 2 (2012), The Expendables 3 (2014)

Here’s a series that started off well and brought back nostalgia in a good way. Every single one of us cheered when we saw our favorite 80s stars on the screen together all at once. Our dreams came true as Stallone battled Van Damme, and finally brought closure to the age-old debate over who’d win in a fight between the two of them. Spoiler alert: it was Sly.

Sadly, egos got in the way and the golden oldies flexed their diva muscles, impacting on the overall quality of The Expendables 3. Since then, there’s been talk of an all-female spinoff and a TV series – neither of which has materialized to date.

It’s looking highly improbable that we’ll get another Expendables film, and we should probably be thankful of that. Let’s enjoy the good wistfulness of these movies and let the concept rest now. There’s no point in beating a dead horse.

Likelihood of being cancelled: Highly likely.

Friday The 13th

Franchise entries: Friday the 13th (1980), Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981), Friday the 13th Part III (1982), Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984), Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988), Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993), Jason X (2002), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), Friday the 13th (2009)

Can you remember the last good Friday the 13th film? Don’t worry, neither can I. For years, we’ve literally been fed whatever crap the studio has dumped on us. I mean, the whole concept of Jason in space shows that they don’t respect us at all.

Even worse is all the lies. Remember 1993’s Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday and how it promised to be the final entry in the series? This is why we can never believe anything that Hollywood says because inevitably the paycheck will always trump honesty or sticking to a promise.

The good news is, there’s a big legal dispute that’s keeping the franchise from spitting out another movie. Now, I don’t know about you, but this is music to my ears. Do we really need another reboot or Jason vs. Justin Bieber? Actually, scratch that. I’d pay to see the latter – but only that.

Likelihood of being cancelled: Moderate.

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