While there have been many singular successful comedy movies, most great comedies have received at least one sequel, if not multiple follow-up movies. Unfortunately, not all comedy movie sequels have lived up to their predecessor or reached the original's success.
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Although there have been a lot of disappointing comedy sequels, many of them are beloved by fans and have still had financial success. However, the comedy genre is often overlooked when it comes to critical reception, and very few are considered award-worthy. Regardless, some of the greatest film franchises of all time come from the world of comedy.
Leslie Nielsen was a great dramatic actor. However, he decided to try his hand at comedy in 1980s Airplane!, one of the most hilarious films ever made. After his outstanding performance in Airplane!, Leslie Nielsen starred in a CBS television show, Police Squad!, which only lasted six episodes but eventually led to The Naked Gun movies.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! kicked off the trilogy in 1988 and would spawn two fantastic sequels, The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell Of Fear and Naked Gun 33 1/2: The Final Insult. All three films were hilarious, and Leslie Nielsen is remembered now for being one of the greatest comedy actors of all time.
After his success on Saturday Night Live and Wayne's World, Mike Myers created and starred in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in 1997. Playing both the hero, Austin Powers, and the villain, Dr. Evil, Myers became one of the most successful comedy actors of the 1990s.
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The first Austin Powers movie was a riot, leading to two successful follow-up movies titled Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, and Austin Powers In Goldmember. Spoofing James Bond and other Spy movies, the Austin Powers trilogy made a boatload of money and cemented Myers as a comedic genius.
The Hangover was released in 2009 to financial success and fan reception, becoming one of the greatest R-rated comedies ever to grace the silver screen. The first film featured Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zack Galifianakis, who lost their best friend during a wild bachelor party weekend in Las Vegas. Trying to piece together the night before, the gang learns they crossed paths with a bizarre little gangster and Mike Tyson's tiger.
The first movie's success led to The Hangover Part II and The Hangover Part III, two financially successful sequels that came full circle and brought the gang back to Vegas. Unfortunately, the two sequels didn't live up to the original, but they are still hilarious and include some memorable comedy movie moments.
The late 1970s and early 1980s began a boom in comedy and science fiction movies, with Ghostbusters premiering in 1984 and combining both genres. Starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson, the first Ghostbusters is etched in cinema history as one of the most important comedy movies of all time.
Ghostbusters II came out five years after the original and remains one of the more underrated sequels of all time. An all-female reboot came out in 2016 to mixed reception. However, Ghostbusters: Afterlife was released in 2021, continuing the story and success of the first two films.
Robert De Niro is one of the best dramatic actors of all time. However, he branched out in the 2000 comedy, Meet The Parents. Starring alongside De Niro was Ben Stiller, who was coming off the success of There's Something About Mary and Mystery Men. Stiller plays a nurse traveling alongside his girlfriend as they go to meet her parents, played by De Niro and Blythe Danner.
Doing everything he can to win the approval of his future in-laws, Stiller's character can't seem to catch a break, and everything seems to go wrong for him. Meet The Fockers was released in 2004 and seemed to improve on the original, adding Dustin Hoffman and Barba Streisand as Stiller's free-loving parents. Little Fockers hit cinemas in 2010 with some funny moments, but failed to live up to the first two movies' success.
Following in the footsteps of other great spoof movies, Scary Movie premiered in 2000 and hilariously poked fun at horror movie clichés. Keenen Ivory Wayans excellently directed the first two films and spoofed everything from Scream to The Exorcist. Anna Faris is superb as the final girl, Cindy, surviving the impossible and returning in Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4.
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Writers and producers of The Naked Gun trilogy helped write the 3rd and 4th films, considered the best of the franchise. Unfortunately, Faris didn't return for Scary Movie 5, the worst-reviewed film in the franchise, and didn't come close to recapturing the comedy magic of the previous films.
Kevin Smith took a real chance when he sold his comic book collection to make Clerks in 1994. Thankfully, it was a big hit when it was released on video and would lead to Smith making follow-up movies. Mallrats was his second film, and although it's often overlooked, it remains a cult classic and has an outstanding performance from Jason Lee.
Smith would go on to direct and star in Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks II, all movies with moments of greatness and a considerable cult following. Although some actors played different characters throughout each film, recurring stories and themes connected Smith's films to create the View Askew Universe.
Back to the Future is easily considered one of the greatest movies of all time, and luckily its sequels were just as entertaining. Starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the first film was released in 1985 and was an instant hit leading to two sequels in 1989 and 1990. The story follows a rebellious teenager working with a disgruntled scientist who creates a time-traveling car that brings them to the past and the future.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg, the Back to the Future trilogy is known for its innovative CGI and comedic science fiction plot. It remains one of the most beloved trilogies ever made and continues to transcend time to this very day.
Jackass started as an MTV show in 2000, featuring professional skaters and friends of the skating world performing wild stunts. Directed by Jeff Tremaine and written by Spike Jonze and Johnny Knoxville, Jackass' success on MTV led to a feature film in 2002. Knoxville was the leader of the group of beloved misfits, which included Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Bam Margera, and a host of others.
Jackass: The Movie was a financial hit, and its success led to Jackass Number Two, Jackass 3D, and Jackass Forever. Each movie in the Jackass franchise grossed more money than the previous title and seemed to up the ante with wilder stunts and mature pranks.
National Lampoon's Vacation hit theaters in 1983 and followed a young family as they traveled across the country to a fictional amusement park. The family's father was played by Chevy Chase, an original cast member of Saturday Night Live and star of one of the best comedies of all time, Caddyshack. Chase and his on-screen family run through several hilarious problems throughout the film, which would also be a theme of the sequels.
The first Vacation movie made $60 million and would spawn sequels titled European Vacation, Christmas Vacation, and Vegas Vacation. Chase and on-screen wife Beverly D'Angelo would cameo in the disappointing reboot, Vacation, in 2016.
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