Joker: Folie à Deux: 5 Bad Movie Sequels That Became Cult Classics

“Joker: Folie a Deux” made headlines for all the wrong reasons this week: The follow-up to the 2019 blockbuster “Joker,” about the maniacal comic book villain, fell foul of both critics and critics despite the return of Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix Audience in full swing Star power from Lady Gaga.

The film is the latest member of an exclusive club that no film wants to be a part of: failed sequels to blockbuster films. The list is littered with dozens of puzzling failures that somehow ignore the creative and unique elements that made the original so successful.

While these “second time” offerings are undoubtedly losers, many have also attracted cult followers who love their “so bad it's good” charm. Below are major “bad sequels” available to stream. Watch at your own risk.

Max von Sydow, left, Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher on the set of “Exorcist II: The Heretic,” directed by John Boorman.

(Warner Bros. Pictures/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

“The Exorcist II: The Heretic” (VOD, multiple platforms): Satan probably dozed off during this chilling sequel to 1977's The Exorcist, widely considered the scariest film of all time. Linda Blair reprized her role as Regan McNeil, who was possessed by the devil as a child, but creative differences and the absence of The Exorcist director William Friedkin, writer William Peter Blatty and original actress Ellen Burstyn boded ill for The Exorcist “. Heretic,” which came out four years after the original.

Signature Line: Regan, when asked about her problems: “I was possessed by a demon. Oh, it's okay. He’s gone.”

Gary Springer, Mark Gruner and others watch in horror as they sit on a vulnerable raft in a scene from the 1978 sequel Jaws 2.

(Universal Pictures/Michael Ochs/Getty Images)

“Jaws 2” (Netflix): Talk about Jumping the Shark! This 1978 sequel to Steven Spielberg's spooky classic about a murderous great white shark was essentially a waterlogged remake of the original, with a group of obnoxious teenagers serving as shark bait for a new predator. Jaws star Roy Scheider saved most of the children, but couldn't save the sequel from box office failure. However, Jaws 2 is a masterpiece when compared to the stream of film buffs that followed, mercifully ending with 1987's Jaws: The Revenge.

Signature Line: Terrorized teenager Tina Wilcox: “Sh-sh-sh-SHAAAAARRRRRRK!”

“Fat 2” (Paramount+): John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and most of the cast of Randal Kleiser's phenomenally successful musical “Grease” decided that “Grease” was followed by “2.” not the word, so they skipped continuing the hormonal shenanigans at Rydell High in 1982. Grease choreographer Pat Birch took the director's chair and spiced up the shaky story and tense humor with numerous high-energy dance sequences, including the cheeky sex education course number “Reproduction”. It's not a total loss – the film was Michelle Pfeiffer's first starring role and the acting debut of writer-director Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”) in the role of the Pink Ladies' mascot.

Signature Line: The “Cool Rider” lyric: “If he's cool enough, he can burn me through and through, whoa, whoa, whoa.”

John Travolta and Finola Hughes in “Staying Alive” in 1983.

(Paramount Pictures)

“Stay alive” (Hoopla, Pluto TV): Travolta did return – pumped up and oiled up – in this clumsy sequel to 1983's “Saturday Night Fever,” which earned him an Oscar nomination as disco king Tony Manero. Tony hung up his platforms to audition for Broadway musicals and land a role in a bombastic dance spectacle. Writer-director Sylvester Stallone's attempt to combine a musical with a “Rocky”-like plot is clumsy, copying “A Chorus Line” and “All That Jazz,” stripping Tony of his charm and vulnerability and turning him into one turns into a selfish idiot. Even the few Bee Gees songs on the soundtrack are a drag. Yo, Adrian indeed!

Signature Line: Director of the Big Dance Show: “The name of the show is 'Satan's Alley.' It's a journey through hell that ends with the ascension.”

Jason Patric and Sandra Bullock star in “Speed ​​2: Cruise Control.”

(Ron Phillips/20th Century Fox)

“Speed ​​2: Cruise control” (Starz): The American Cinematheque this month celebrates the 30th anniversary of “Speed,” the breathless Keanu Reeves-Sandra Bullock thriller about a young police officer who must prevent a bomb planted on a bus by a terrorist from exploding by he the vehicle maintains speed above 50 miles per hour. It's unlikely that the sequel will receive a similar appreciation at Low Tide. “Speed” director Jan de Bont came back on board, but Reeves knelt while Bullock accepted a huge paycheck — reportedly around $12 million — to return as Annie. Her new boyfriend is daring LAPD cop Alex Shaw (Jason Patric). They go on a cruise where the crazy villain John Geiger (Willem Dafoe) has planted a bomb. The result was a burst of cinematic speed.

Signature line: Geiger shouts: “Annie, come back! You are my hostage!”