The most hated sequel in cinema history, according to science
Sequels are arguably one of the most divisive kinds of films out there. A good sequel can be just as great, if not better, than the original, as evidenced by The Godfather Part II, but others are so clearly just pathetic cash grabs. The latter is often the case, with studios quickly jumping at the chance to make more money from pre-existing characters that have already proved successful.
In Scream 2, an incredibly meta discussion about sequels sees one character suggest that “by definition alone, they’re inferior films,” while another argues the opposite, citing Terminator 2 Judgment Day and Aliens. It seems that sequels will always divide opinion, with most people holding the belief that the original will always reign supreme, with the exception of a few outliers.
Look at those terrible Jaws sequels, especially Jaws: The Revenge, or awful spin-offs like Son of the Mask, Basic Instinct 2, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and Little Fockers. They’re all bad. It seems as though there isn’t a single genre that isn’t exempt from a bad sequel, from teen comedies (let’s pretend Mean Girls 2 doesn’t exist…) to endless horror franchises (how many more Halloween movies can they make?).
But what is the most hated sequel of all time? Luckily, some scientific data can give us the answer, courtesy of a study by Stat Significant. Looking at the films that have earned the most one-star reviews, it’s Grease 2 that stands as the most-hated sequel.
Released in 1982, the film attempted to ride the musical train that Grease had ridden a few years before, which had featured John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John playing teenagers who reunite at school after a summer fling. Grease was a hit, with many memorable musical numbers, like ‘Summer Nights’, ‘Greased Lightnin’, ‘Beauty School Dropout’, ‘Hopelessly Devoted’, and ‘You’re The One That I Want’. The film became the highest-grossing musical of all time upon its release, and remains hugely popular today.
Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said about Grease 2, which emerged four years later to widespread disdain from critics and fans. The movie gave Michelle Pfeiffer her first lead role, but unfortunately, it was a far from impressive sequel, and the actor has since shared mixed feelings about it.
Talking to Hollywood in 2007, the actor said, “I hated that film with a vengeance and could not believe how bad it was. At the time, was young and didn’t know better… I hear it’s a cult movie now.” However, in 2023, the actor took to Instagram to insist that she doesn’t hate the film, stating that “This project is and has always been so special to me and my history.”
Grease 2 featured seven actors from the first film, including Didi Conn as Frenchy and Eve Arden as Principal McGee, but the main cast was composed of new stars, with Maxwell Caulfield playing the male lead, Michael. The movie saw Michael, Sandy’s cousin, fall in love with Pfeiffer’s Stephanie, although he changes his appearance to try to win her over.
Critics detested the film, believing it to be a lazy cash-grab that borrowed elements from the first film without doing anything to make the sequel worthwhile. The film could’ve ruined Pfeiffer’s career before it had even started, but she was lucky enough to land a role in Scarface shortly after, leaving Grease 2 a distant memory.
