Movie sequels: Were these really necessary?

Original: The Brady Bunch Movie (1995, $46.6 million*)

Here’s the story of why the Brady Bunch bonanza should have ended after The Brady Bunch Movie: The sequel took in less than half of what its predecessor made at the box office, the movie went low on laughs and high on eye rolls, and the plot featured the Brady clan searching for Carol Brady after she gets kidnapped by her fake-slash-reincarnated first husband. Confused? We were, too. —Michelle Profis

*Domestic box office totals from BoxOfficeMojo.com

Original: Dirty Dancing (1987, $63.9 million)

File Dirty Dancing under ”Movies You Just Don’t Touch” and you get the reason why the revised, Cuban-themed, 1950s set Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights only raked in $14.1 million at the box office. This time, they really should have just left Baby in the corner. —Michelle Profis

Original: Legally Blonde (2001, $96 million)

Upbeat, lovable Elle Woods launched Legally Blonde as an instant box office hit but not even a second helping of Reese Witherspoon’s bubbly comic charm could save this sequel. The weak story line centered on Elle’s plans to pass an animal-testing ban in D.C. and save her dog’s mother. Despite making $125 million worldwide, it’s a great thing we can barely remember it. —April Daley

Original: The Mask (1994, $120 million)

Somebody should have stopped them. The only connection between this flop starring Jamie Kennedy and the popular Jim Carrey movie was the mask. Sadly, this unwanted follow-up arrived 11 years too late and lacked the comedic punch of The Mask. But the biggest offense was losing the main reason the original made us laugh so hard: Carrey. With affronts like that, it’s no wonder the film was the most nominated film at the 2006 Razzies. —April Daley

Original: Cruel Intentions (1999, $38.3 million)

There was a time when direct-to-video sequels (or in this case, prequels) didn’t bother anyone except the casual browsers at Blockbuster. Nevertheless, a young Amy Adams couldn’t salvage the boring, unnecessary prequel that barely held a candle to the devilishly incestuous 1999 original. We barely had a moment to catch our breath before the money-hungry sequel tried to piggyback on the first film’s cult fandom a year later. Cruel intentions, indeed. —Marc Snetiker

Original: Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007, $217.3 million)

As far as sass-talking CGI animals go, the first Alvin was chip-notically bad, but that didn’t stop the filmmakers from further abusing the franchise by laying on the puns in the subsequent… err, squeakquels (the word alone sends shivers down my spine). Besides sending the famous trio into further degradation, the unwanted second flick managed to ruin the three Chippettes as well, with equally flat jokes and even less charm, until the whole woeful debacle culminated in… —Marc Snetiker

Original: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009, $219.3 million)

…this. A pop culture parade of fleeting references and uninspired laziness, and an irritating franchise addition that makes the first Alvin and the Chipmunks look like Citizen Kane. This was one sequel that no one — save for toddler-sized castaways — would ever want on their desert island list. —Marc Snetiker

Original: Garfield: The Movie (2004, $75 million)

Okay, the so-bad-it’s-awesome subtitle almost justifies this movie’s existence. Unfortunately, despite voiceover work by Bill Murray, the first film was just so-bad-it’s-bad that EW’s Owen Gleiberman called it ”a cloddish, unfunny dud.” Nobody was yearning to see another 90-minute saga stuffed with Monday-hate and lame lasagna jokes — even if they did come with a British accent. —Hillary Busis

Original: Basic Instinct (1992, $118 million)

Edgy, sleazy Basic Instinct made Sharon Stone a superstar and forever changed the way we think about sitting. But as the ’90s and 2000s wore on, the idea of watching Stone re-create her most famous role just seemed sad. If she had better instincts, the actress would have stayed away from this bomb. —Hillary Busis

Original: Blues Brothers (1980, $57.2 million)

Dan Aykroyd’s return was not enough to save this movie that EW’s Owen Gleiberman called ”the sequel that perhaps no one but the immediate family of B.B. King was waiting for.” Neither did the addition of John Goodman and Joe Morton make up for the missing presence of the late John Belushi. —Abby West

Original: Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999, $65.5 million)

A clear (and failed) bid to extend that suspension of disbelief that would allow you to think of Rob Schneider as a male prostitute. —Abby West

Original: Teen Wolf (1985, $33 million)

We should love it if only for the fact that it was Jason Bateman’s first movie but the way it trampled our affection for the original movie and its general awfulness just won’t allow it. Heck, even Bateman lists it as a career lowlight. —Abby West

Original: Dumb & Dumber (1994, $127.2 million)

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprised their iconic roles as Lloyd and Harry for the sequel to their smash hit, Dumb & Dumber, a full 20 years after the original premiered in 1994. But unfortunately for anyone (Bueller?…Bueller?) who hoped it might live up to the original’s perfect balance of toilet humor and pathos, the duo’s antics didn’t translate well to the 21st century. Even with Bill Murray added to the 2014 reboot, this franchise should’ve stayed tied to the ’90s. – Megan Daley