# Sequels that are better known than the original **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2019, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798 "2019-09-25T10:43:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/41 "2019-09-26T00:26:02Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > What about Disney’s _The Rescuers Down Under_? Maybe it just seems that way to me because the first movie came out before I was born, while the sequel came out when I was a kid. I hadn’t even heard of the original _The Rescuers_ or realized _The Rescuers Down Under_ was a sequel to anything until I was an adult. But I don’t know if that’s true for the general public, or if it’s just me, of perhaps people in my general age group. Dunno. My brother and I (36 and 42) had seen The Rescuers before Down Under came out. It _might_ be a function of availability in the 80s give the whole Disney vault bs. We saw it primarily because we went to an independently owned video store owned by someone who got **every** Disney movie he could get his hands on, which is also why my favorite Disney movie as a little kid was one almost no one I’ve mentioned it to is familiar with: **Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus**. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/42 "2019-09-26T00:55:03Z")
Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo? I long ago forgot about the original, but remember the sequel because of the expanded title. I admit I didn’t actually see either of them, though. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/43 "2019-09-26T01:01:09Z")
I also remember _The Rescuers_ rather than _The Rescuers Down Under_. This is likely correlated to age at time of release given that they are children’s movies with a 13 year gap between releases. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/44 "2019-09-26T01:09:50Z")
Going with my username, \*\*Godzilla vs \_\_\_\_ \*\* sequels were more well-known than the original Gojira movie. Especially before DVDs and the Internet. Back then, people associated Godzilla with the rubbery monsters battling, miniature props and mismatched lip movements on Sunday afternoon UHF television. Those focused on the late 60s and 70s Godzilla movies, where the budgets went way down. “Godzilla vs Megalon” is considered the nadir of the series with horrible production values. It unluckily fell into public domain in the US, and was all over TV and bargain VHS bins. Therefore, it’s often the lasting impression of a cheesy Godzilla movie. When the 1956 original Godzilla movie became easily available, I know I was surprised by the dark, somber, nuclear-war theme. If you watch the original 1954 Japanese version sans Raymond Burr, it almost has a _film noir_ quality. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/45 "2019-09-26T01:13:34Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I surprised nobody has mentioned Bill Cosby’s Leonard Part 6. I don’t know anybody who’s seen parts one through five. They were just as unwatchable as the 9 movies preceding “Malcolm X”. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/46 "2019-09-26T01:20:03Z")
The game [Dune II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dune_II) is the archetypal RTS game. Nothing before it was close, the Warcraft and Starcraft series follow very clearly in its footsteps. Twenty years later in 2012,\* Time\* named it one of the 100 greatest video games of all time. Dune I was a forgettable action adventure game that broke no new ground. I never played it. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/47 "2019-09-26T01:25:11Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > They were just as unwatchable as the 9 movies preceding “Malcolm X”. No one ever talks about the first 29 [xXx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XXX_(2002_film)) movies. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/48 "2019-09-26T02:31:43Z")
The first _Die Hard_ being technically a sequel to a Frank Sinatra movie is on every “bet you didn’t know” list for the movie. I’ve never actually seen _The Detective_. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/49 "2019-09-26T02:40:41Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The first _Die Hard_ being technically a sequel to a Frank Sinatra movie is on every “bet you didn’t know” list for the movie. I’ve never actually seen _The Detective_. In what way is it a sequel? ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/50 "2019-09-26T02:43:46Z")
> [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](#): > > No one ever talks about the first 29 [xXx](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XXX_(2002_film)) movies. Heck, there were 50 prequels to [LI](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6745356/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2). And 999 to [M](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022100/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1). Can any movie top the 1999 to [MM](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1530894/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/51 "2019-09-26T02:45:07Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > The first _Die Hard_ being technically a sequel to a Frank Sinatra movie is on every “bet you didn’t know” list for the movie. I’ve never actually seen _The Detective_. Really? Considering what \*The Detective \* is about the murder of a gay man, it seems far afield. I see that there was a connection between the two books the movie is based on, but the connection between the movies is tenuous and it looks like _Die Hard_ changed things considerably. But then, I’ve seen _The Detective_ but never saw _Die Hard_ ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/52 "2019-09-26T04:19:05Z")
_Die Hard_ was based on the Roderick Thorp novel _Nothing Lasts Forever_, which was a sequel to his novel _The Detective_, which was adapted into the Sinatra movie. Both books had the same protagonist, but the name, age and backstory were changed for _Die Hard_. Still technically a sequel, the lead part in _Die Hard_ was contractually Sinatra’s to turn down before it could be given to anyone else. Fortunately for us, the septuagenarian turned down the action movie lead. ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Call\_Me.Tim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Call_Me.Tim)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/53 "2019-09-26T05:04:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Can any movie top the 1999 to [MM](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1530894/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)? 9999 for [Myriad](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9879612/), from before those other movies and over in [Greece](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myriad). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/54 "2019-09-26T07:17:52Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > In what way is it a sequel? In that it’s [based off a sequel novel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Detective_(1968_film)#Legacy)to the novel _The Detective_ is based off. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/55 "2019-09-26T11:36:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **StusBlues** : > > Though it’s a well-known film, I’d reckon that the more current Bond films are better known than Dr. No - or at the very least, it is not the best-known Bond film. The same is probably true for most long-running non-sequential series (i.e., series that don’t build much of a cross-installment arc). Which _Hardy Boys_ book is the best known? I don’t know, but statistically, it probably wasn’t the first one. Or most of the classic kid-adventure series: _Nancy Drew_, _Encyclopedia Brown_, _Danny Dunn_, _Tom Swift_, etc. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/56 "2019-09-26T11:45:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I think I can top that one: In the _House_ horror movie franchise there was a I, II and IV, but no III. House 3 was actaully titled - [The Horror Story](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097527/?ref_=tt_sims_tti) ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/57 "2019-09-26T11:54:29Z")
I don’ think sequels being adapted makes the movies sequels if the characters and plot were changed. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/58 "2019-09-26T13:12:10Z")
Ever hear of the album Tapestry? No, not Carole King’s but Don McLean’s first one that went absolutely nowhere. His followup, American Pie, did much better. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/59 "2019-09-26T14:05:54Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Ever hear of the album Tapestry? No, not Carole King’s but Don McLean’s first one that went absolutely nowhere. His followup, American Pie, did much better. How is that a sequel? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2019, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798/60 "2019-09-26T14:27:10Z")
_Bride of Chucky_ is far better known than the 3 previous Child’s Play movies. Jennifer Tilly, no kid, plus humor made for a more lasting impression. (Although the first one did a bit better at the box office, you don’t see much about it around the 'Net these days.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sequels-that-are-better-known-than-the-original/840798.md?page=4)