12 Movie Franchises That Are Sufferting From Fatigue

Nothing excites a fandom than the countdown to the release of a favorite movie series. It’s the much-needed escape from the aching months-long and sometimes years-long wait for answers to unresolved conflicts that often define the last scenes of a closing season. Successful Hall-of-Famers like the Twilight Saga, Mission: Impossible, and Toy Story learned to draw the curtain when the ovation was loudest, and fans forever cherish them for the climatic ends they brought to the silver screen. But some franchises, in the bid to rake in more profit, stay too long in the conversations; they become stale and soon hit a diminishing end, often marked by the waning attention of die-hard fans and plummeting sales at the box office.

1. FAST AND FURIOUS (2001-2023)

Jordana Brewster and Paul Walker in The Fast and the Furious (2001) — Image Credit: Universal Pictures.

For many fans of the Fast and Furious franchise, It would be surprising not to have it on this list. The once revered, full-throttle, family-centered media franchise has become so predictable that a moviegoer says she can’t understand how a terrific drama about a cop who falls into the street racing life, gives up the badge and gets his girl in its first movie has nosedived into plotlines centered around launching rocket cars into space in its 9th movie. Several other users think F&F has long lost its appeal because it failed to draw the curtain.

2. THE PURGE (2018-2019)

The Purge franchise has seen five films and a television series released. 2021’s The Forever Purge is an apt name for the franchise, as it will seemingly never end.

Despite 2016’s The Purge: Election Year seemingly ending the infamous events each movie depicts, 2021’s The Forever Purge brought them back. A sixth film is currently in development.

3. THE HUNGER GAMES (2012 -2015)

Tucker Gates, Jennifer Lawrence, and Jon D. Brooks in The Hunger Games (2012) — Image Credit: Lionsgate.

Katniss Everdeen’s journey from the first fiery Hunger Games to the rebellion against the Capitol was thrilling. The decision to split the final book into two movies and the oversaturation of dystopian young adult adaptations left some fans feeling weary, and many claimed they had no choice but to stop watching.

In 2023, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was released as a prequel to The Hunger Games Events, based on the 2002 novel by Suzanne Collins.

4. HOME ALONE (1990-2021)

The 1990 family comedy will always be a classic and maybe the second and the third releases under the franchise. But cinephiles are surprised that the Home Alone producer is trying to milk a near-forgotten franchise, desecrating the memory of the classic in the process.

5. TRANSFORMERS (2007-2023)

The explosions, giant robots, and battles for the fate of Earth are what the Transformers series is known for. Still, after several sequels and spin-offs, many fans claim they are left exhausted from the increasingly predictable CGI spectacles.

6. PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007-2021)

Critics think that although the horror footage initially thrived on its mysticism. However, after several sequels, it struggled to maintain the horror grip, tension, and terror that made the original a hit. The longer the series goes on, the worse it fairs. Yet we’re still getting them, undoubtedly because they’re so profitable to make.

7. THE TERMINATOR (1984-2019)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) — Image Credit: TriStar Pictures.

In the battle between humans and machines, many viewers hit the climax with Terminator 2, and many fans of the action thriller argue that subsequent sequels struggle to capture the franchise’s glory and should have never been made.

8. JURASSIC PARK (1993-2022)

No movie has brought fans closer to the realistic marvel of what extinct dinosaurs could look like, according to one fan, but the highly acclaimed film should have ended at the first Jurassic Park. One critic opines that everything after the first Jurassic movie felt like a cheap, poorly-made imitation.

9. PREDATOR (1987-2022)

The Predator (2018) — Image Credit: 20th Century Fox.

Predator lived up to the hype in its first release, and the sequel was worth the applause it won from moviegoers and critics alike. But fans say the other four sequels are appallingly bad, pleading that the production team stop making them.

Thankfully, they didn’t because 2022’s Prey is pretty awesome.

10. HARRY POTTER (2001-2011)

Harry Potter Movies (2001-2011) Are Better Than the Books — Image Credit: Warner Bros.

While fans say they’ll always go agog at the mention of Harry Potter originals, sequels like Fantastic Beasts, according to a fan, need to be put down. Describing it as convoluted and a dilution of classic screen time, a second person asks that the producer stop defiling the Harry Potter legacy.

11. SAW (2004-2023)

Saw is known for its gruesome and intricate traps, but as the sequels piled up, the shock value diminished, leaving horror fans desensitized.

We all thought the franchise was over, but Saw X proves that we’re just getting started once again; Saw XI is set to release in 2024.

12. MEN IN BLACK (1997-2019)

The original Men in Black film was a delightful blend of sci-fi and comedy, and several fans retorted. Someone explains that as the sequels piled up, the chemistry between Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones couldn’t save the franchise from losing steam, and new releases felt like corrupted blights to the sacredness of its original.