GREMLINS 2: THE NEW BATCH
1990
Director: Joe Dante
Box Office: $41,482,207
The gremlins take over a New York skyscraper. Cue lots of movie in-jokes, pastiches and Christopher Lee.
Why it shouldn’t have flopped: Joe Dante at least had the courage to make Gremlins 2 tonally a totally different beast to the first film. More live-action cartoon than anything, it's a bouncy love letter to the B movies so beloved of Dante.
Why it probably flopped: It was probably too different to the first Gremlins. Audiences are pretty conservative when it comes to sequels. The same, but a bit different is what they want, and Gremlins 2 wasn't.
What should have flopped instead: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was the fifth biggest film of the year in 1990. Go figure.
Go to the next flop
