Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
The Original: Unexpected mega-hit (inspired by a Disney theme park ride) starring Johnny Depp as perpetually-drunk pirate Jack Sparrow, who fights cursed sea-farer Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush).
The Sequel: Captain Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) makes life difficult for Jack, who owes the squid-y villain money. Meanwhile, Will (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Keira Knightley) attempt to tie the knot.
What It Does Better: The effects are fantastic, and Bill Nighy's villain is a marvel, but that's just about the only thing going for this soggy sequel, which paves the way for an even soggier trilogy-closer.
Box Office Improvement: 39%
The Godfather: Part III (1990)
The Originals: Francis Ford Coppola's achingly stylish adaptations of Mario Puzo's bestselling novel, which follows the Corleone family and their clashes with rival mobster clans.
The Sequel: Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) attempts to atone for his past discretions while taking on a young protégé to carry on his industry.
What It Does Better: It doesn't really do anything BETTER, but it at least keeps the tension cranked and the visuals are as elegant as ever.
Box Office Improvement: 40%
Die Hard 2 (1990)
The Original: Bruce Willis wears a white vest and a grimace as likeable every-hero John McClane, who takes on Alan Rickman's high-rise-commandeering terrorist.
The Sequel: McClane finds himself stranded in a Washington airport that's been seized by renegade American military officer Colonel Stuart (William Sadler).
What It Does Better: If any franchise fell to the curse of diminishing returns, it's the Die Hard franchise.
Though this first sequel has its merits, it's still not a patch on the first film, even if there are more fights, more blood and more flying bullets.
Box Office Improvement: 42%
American Pie 2 (2001)
The Original: Responsible for making the gross-out teen comedy popular again, the first American Pie followed Jim (Jason Biggs) and his high school buddies as they attempted to lose their virginities before college.
The Sequel: Having survived their first year of college apart, the guys reunite for a summer full of drinking, partying and still attempting to get their ends away.
What It Does Better: Nothing particularly - most of its comedy beats are barely-disguised rip-offs of the first film.
Still, it's more polished in look than the first Pie , and the soundtrack's still awesome.
Box Office Improvement: 42%
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
The Originals: The first three Star Trek films were a mixed bunch, with number two - The Wrath Of Khan - a clear highlight.
The Sequel: Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and co head back in time to 20th century Earth to make contact with the only beings able to communicate with a deadly alien probe - humpback whales.
What It Does Better: Comedy, by a long shot - this was by far the funniest Trek film ever made, putting the crew of the Enterprise front and centre for character-driven giggles aplenty.
Box Office Improvement: 43%
The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
The Original: Directed by Doug Liman, this spy thriller turned Matt Damon into an action hero with amnesia - and an uncanny ability to turn anything into a weapon.
The Sequel: Jason Bourne (Damon) is still suffering from amnesia. He finds himself drawn out into the open as his memories begin to resurface, but can he keep Marie (Franka Potente) safe?
What It Does Better: Under the shaky-cam lens of director Paul Greengrass, this Bourne is gritter, edgier and 100% cooler than its predecessor.
Box Office Improvement: 45%
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
The Originals: Vacation and European Vacation , both written my carnage comedy king John Hughes as the Griswold family attempt to go on holiday - with hilarious results.
The Sequel: A seasonal third entry into the franchise as the Griswolds play host to their (increasingly annoying) extended family while tensions slowly mount.
What It Does Better: The family comedy is even better than ever, with poor old Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) put through his paces as he attempts to create the best Christmas ever.
Box Office Improvement: 45%
Despicable Me 2 (2012)
The Original: Universal steps up its animation game with this anti-hero comedy. Gru (Steve Carell) is a wannabe supervillain who ends up adopting three orphans as part of his plan to steal the moon.
The Sequel: Gru's given up his villainy, instead attempting to raise his three adopted daughters, who are now desperate for a mummy - and they've got their eye on Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig).
What It Does Better: The Minions. While the first film was responsible for creating the adorable little critters, the sequel capitalised on their appeal to massive box office returns. There's a spin-off due this year…
Box Office Improvement : 46%
Sudden Impact (1983)
The Originals: The first three Dirty Harry films (beginning in 1971) introduced us to Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan, a non-nonsense cop who'll do anything to stop the bad guys.
The Sequel: This fourth entry in the saga sees Harry suspended from the SFPD and attempting to rest up in a quiet town that has been rocked by a spate of murders…
What It Does Better: "Go ahead make my day" is the film's iconic catchphrase, and just a shave off being as cool as "Do I feel lucky?"
Box Office Improvement: 46%
Clear And Present Danger (1994)
The Original: 1992's Patriot Games, based on Tom Clancy's spy novel and starring Harrison Ford as Jack Ryan, the CIA agent whose family gets caught up in a revenge plot by the IRA.
The Sequel: CIA agent Jack Ryan discovers his colleagues are fighting a war against Colombian drug lords.
What It Does Better: It's based on a page-turner, and director Phillip Noyce brings Clancy's thrills to life brilliantly - the plot's complex and Ford's nothing short of riveting as Jack Ryan.
Box Office Improvement: 47%
Rocky III (1982)
The Original: A rags to riches sports drama starring Sylvester Stallone as a down and out club fighter who ends up getting in the boxing ring with Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers).
The Sequel: Rocky loses his title to Clubber Lang (Mr T) and starts to doubt himself again - which coincides with the tragic death of trainer Mickey (Burgess Meredith).
What It Does Better: There's no way Rocky III could match the power of the first film, but it has a good pop at it, staying true to the characters and putting the emotion ahead of the fighting.
Box Office Improvement: 47%
The Chronicles Of Riddick (2004)
The Original: With Pitch Black , director David Twohy put an Aussie spin on Alien as scary bad guy Riddick (Vin Diesel) becomes an unlikely anti-hero on an alien world.
The Sequel: Riddick's on the run, hiding out on planet Helion, which he discovers has been taken over by evil Necromonger Lord Marshall (Colm Feore).
What It Does Better: It expands the mythology of the fledgling franchise hugely, but loses what made Pitch Black so good in the first place.
Where that was a tension-cranking horror, this attempts to be the new Star Wars - and fails.
Box Office Improvement: 47%
Before Midnight (2012)
The Original: Before Sunrise , written and directed by Richard Linklater, followed the unexpected romance between Jesse Wallace (Ethan Hawke) and Céline (Julie Delpy).
The Sequel: This second sequel catches up with Jesse and Céline a few decades down the line.
What It Does Better: By now, the trio of Linklater, Delpy and Hawke know what they're doing, and this is easily the strongest of the trilogy - beautifully acted and thought-provoking to boot.
Box Office Improvement: 47%
A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
The Original: Wes Craven's bad dream of a slasher film, in which Elm Street teen Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is haunted by serial killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund).
The Sequel: Part 2 upped the camp factor, but Craven's return to the franchise (he wrote the script for Part 3 ) steers it back into darker territory as Freddy torments a psychiatric ward - and Nancy returns.
What It Does Better: The dreams are more outlandish, and the 'puppet' scene in particular is scary as hell. Otherwise the comedy is what really shines here.
Box Office Improvement: 49%
Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995)
The Original: Introduced the world to Jim Carrey's Ace, a 'pet detective' so in tune with the animal kingdom he made Doctor Dolittle look like a puppy-kicking amateur.
The Sequel: Ace heads off to Africa, where he intends to prevent two tribes from sacrificing a sacred white bat.
What It Does Better: While it's not a patch on the first film, this wacky sequel at least gets points for going completely off the rails in a way that makes you check your drink a dozen times.
Astral projecting monkeys? Really?
Box Office Improvement: 50%
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985)
The Originals: The first Mad Max gave us the titular post-apocalyptic hero, while the second turned him into an icon as he fought back against savage baddies in a future Australia.
The Sequel: Threequel, to be precise, as we pick up with Max (Mel Gibson) 15 years after Mad Max 2 , who stumbles upon Bartertown, run by the formidable (and stylish) Aunty Entity (Tina Turner).
What It Does Better: TINA TURNER. Not only did the rock diva lend a fantastic theme tune to the threequel, she also wore some sensational costumes.
(Uh, the stunts are pretty good, too.)
Box Office Improvement: 53%
Twilight: New Moon (2009)
The Original: Adapted from Stephenie Meyer's teen book, Twilight follows mopey teen Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) as she falls for spangly vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson).
The Sequel : A werewolf's introduced to the mix as Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) fights for Bella's affections - and attempts to take down Edward.
What It Does Better: Well, there are more sixpacks this time around, thanks to Lautner going shirtless for most of the film. Otherwise, it's business as usual.
Box Office Improvement: 54%
Scary Movie 3 (2003)
The Original: A Scream spoof that also lampooned numerous other contemporary hits, Scary Movie starred Anna Faris as the Final Girl who outwits a slasher killer.
The Sequel: Taking a jab at T he Ring, 8 Mile, Signs and The Matrix , this third (not so) Scary Movie is running thin on ideas - though it at least has added Leslie Nielsen.
What It Does Better: It certainly ratchets up the 'annoyance levels' something chronic…
Box Office Improvement: 54%
From Russia With Love (1963)
The Original: Released in 1962 , Dr No was the first 'official' Bond film, starring Sean Connery as the smooth double-o agent.
The Sequel: A Cold War thriller in which Bond heads to Russia and goes up against SPECTRE agent Red Grant (Robert Shaw).
What It Does Better: The Bond tropes are firmed up and this is a rollicking adventure which doesn't pull any punches. Connery simply IS Bond.
Box Office Improvement: 54%
Insidious Chapter 2 (2013)
The Original: Creepy ghost story directed by James Wan. Renai (Rose Byrne) and Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) move into a new home that may already have some ghostly residents.
The Sequel: Picking up where the first film left off, we follow the Lamberts as they face fresh nightmares - and discover just why they're connected to the spirit world.
What It Does Better: It's simplistic but weird, employing old-school techniques. Sadly, that doesn't equal a particularly scary movie. But we'll always have the first film…
Box Office Improvement: 55%
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
The Original: Tom Cruise stars as Ethan Hunt, an IMF agent with an uncommon ability to land himself in sticky situations.
The Sequel: Fourth entry in the franchise and by far the most entertaining after the first. Hunt and his team go underground when they're blamed for blowing up the Kremlin.
What It Does Better: The set-pieces are genuinely heart-in-mouth, not least when Cruise climbs the Burj Khalifa in Dubai - a stunt he did for real.
Box Office Improvement: 56%
Saw II (2005)
The Original: Nail-biting thriller/slasher from director James Wan with an ingenious twist at the end and some truly excruciating scenes of torture.
The Sequel: The torture's upped considerably as scheming killer Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) drops eight people into a maze of torture rooms that they'll be lucky to escape from.
What It Does Better: This early on in the franchise, it still feels relatively fresh, and there's no denying that the torture scenes are horribly effective - even if they were responsible for birthing the torture porn sub-genre.
Box Office Improvement: 58%
Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)
The Original: Eighties classic Raiders Of The Lost Ark , starring Harrison Ford as the tomb raider who fights Nazis, lovers and, yes, snakes.
The Sequel: Belated fourth entry in the franchise, and an embarrassing misfire which introduces aliens into the mythology - plus Indy's bike-riding son Mutt (Shia Labeouf).
What It Does Better: Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
We'll just leave it at that and move on before one of us gets upset.
Box Office Improvement: 61%
Jackass 3D (2010)
The Original: Based on the MTV series, Jackass: The Movie is basically a big-screen version of the show, with Johnny Knoxville and co beating themselves up in creative ways.
The Sequel: Knoxville and co are back for yet more pranks, these ones given added 'ouch' factor by the 3D technology. There are beehives, portaloos and poop….
What It Does Better: Um, the 3D?
Box Office Improvement: 61%
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
The Original: Genre-defining sci-fi (with an injection of Eastern influence and horror) as Neo (Keanu Reeves) discovers the world we all see is actually a computer construct.
The Sequel: First follow-up and second part in what would become the Matrix Trilogy. Neo visits the human city of Zion for the first time and discovers Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) is still hunting him.
What It Does Better: Not much, to be honest. It strains the premise of the first film almost to snapping point, and despite some cool action sequences, offers pretty much nothing original.
Box Office Improvement: 64%
Shrek 2 (2004)
The Original: Animated fantasy from DreamWorks Animation. Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is an ogre who finds himself caught up in an old-fashioned fairytale.
The Sequel: Shrek and Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are summoned to Far Far Away, where their happily ever after is derailed by a scheming Fairy Godmother (Jennifer Saunders) who wants Fiona to marry her son, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett).
What It Does Better: Just about everything. The animation's come on leaps and bounds, and Saunders makes for a fantastic (Brit) baddie.
Plus, PUSS IN BOOTS!
Box Office Improvement: 65%
Toy Story 3 (2010)
The Original: Pixar's first Toy Story proved that CGI animation could rival even the mighty Disney, while TS2 showed us exactly how sequels should be done.
The Sequel: Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and co find themselves consigned to a kiddie day care when Andy prepares to leave for college.
What It Does Better: Though many of its emotional beats are reprises of those in TS2 , TS3 looks absolutely fantastic - and its final scenes are pure blub-inducing movie gold.
Box Office Improvement: 68%
Friday The 13th Part III (1982)
The Originals: Slasher flick in which camp counsellors are butchered at Camp Crystal Lake. First sequel, Friday The 13th Part II , introduced killer Jason Voorhees.
The Sequel: Yet more teens fall prey to Jason Voorhees - and this time they're all murdered in eye-stabbing 3D!
What It Does Better: Though the 'sack-head' approach of Part II was massively creepy, Part III is the one that can attest to introducing Jason's iconic hockey mask, cementing Jason's icon status.
Box Office Improvement: 69%
Meet The Fockers (2004)
The Original: Meet The Parents , in which Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) is introduced to the parents of his fiancée - and butts heads with his future father-in-law (Robert De Niro).
The Sequel: Greg's family (dad Dustin Hoffman and mum Barbra Streisand) meets his future in-laws. Needless to say, it doesn't go well.
What It Does Better: Nada. The jokes are all recycled from the first film, meaning there's a distinct (and wearing) sense of déjà vu about the whole flimsy affair.
Box Office Improvement: 69%
Transporter 2 (2005)
The Original: Action flick written by Luc Besson. 'Transporter' Frank Martin (Jason Statham) is tasked with delivering a package to an American gangster. Which is just the beginning.
The Sequel: Now working as the chauffeur for a wealthy family, Frank jumps into action when the youngest member of the family is kidnapped.
What It Does Better: The script's tighter and the action's gloriously OTT - plus the film's far more polished than its predecessor.
Box Office Improvement: 70%
Skyfall (2012)
The Originals: Casino Royale gave us a new Bond in the muscular form of Daniel Craig, while first sequel Quantum Of Solace saw the Craig era Bond films wobble.
The Sequel: For Bond's 50th anniversary, director Sam Mendes pulled out all the stops as Bond's put out of action and then has to fight Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem).
What It Does Better: Just about everything. QOS was a huge disappointment, so it's great to see Bond on stellar form again here.
Roger Deakins' cinematography is retina-sizzling, and Skyfall has serious emotional as well as action heft.
Box Office Improvement: 81%
Army Of Darkness (1992)
The Originals : The Evil Dead , which gave us evil dead things and hero Ash (Bruce Campbell), plus Evil Dead II , which ended with Ash being stranded in the Middle Ages.
The Sequel: Ash finds himself in the year 1300 AD, where his chain saw quickly gets low on gas. Which is a problem considering there are Deadites running rampant.
What It Does Better: The outrageous comedy is kicked up even higher than previously, though that's at the expense of scares.
Box Office Improvement: 94%
Goldfinger (1964)
The Originals: Dr No introduced Sean Connery as Bond, while first sequel From Russia With Love confirmed he was the big-screen hero we'd all been waiting for.
The Sequel: Bond goes up against Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe), a smuggler who has his sights set on Fort Knox.
What It Does Better: It introduced Bond's catchphrase ("Shaken, not stirred") as well as numerous Bond trademarks - including the gadgets. The set pieces are nothing short of jaw-dropping, too.
Box Office Improvement: 106%
Next Friday (2000)
The Original: Written by ex-rapper Ice Cube, this stoner comedy takes place over 16 hours as slackers Craig (Cube) and Smokey (Chris Tucker) attempt to pull together funds to pay back a drug dealer.
The Sequel: When Craig bests bully Debo (Tommy Lister Jr) in a fight, Debo becomes obsessed with hosting a rematch, prompting Craig to visit his relatives instead.
What It Does Better: Nothing. The plot's weaker, the comedy strained - just about as lazy a sequel as you're likely to find.
Box Office Improvement: 108%
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)
The Original: Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle , in which the titular stoners attempt to the make it to the fast food joint after getting the munchies - but things keep getting in the way.
The Sequel: If you couldn't guess from the description-heavy title, this follow-up sees Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) confined to Guantanamo Bay - which they attempt to escape from. Duh.
What It Does Better: Though it can't match the first film's outrageousness, this first sequel has a good go at trying. The result is equally funny - in a bad taste sort of way.
Box Office Improvement: 109%
Bad Boys II (2003)
The Original: Michael Bay's 1995 action blockbuster. MPD detectives Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) and Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) go up against French drug kingpin Fouchet (Tchéky Karyo).
The Sequel: All three guys reunite (yes, Bay counts) for yet more explosive action. Russian gangsters are the name of the game this time around.
What It Does Better : Well, it earned more money. Aside from that, critics and audiences weren't kind to this second pair-up. Bad boys indeed.
Box Office Improvement: 110%
Once Upon A Time In Mexico (2003)
The Originals: El Mariachi and Desperado , the first two films in Robert Rodriguez's Mexico Trilogy.
The Sequel: Closing up the trilogy, Antonio Banderas returns as El Mariachi, who's recruited to kill Mexican drug lord Armando Barillo (Willem Dafoe).
What It Does Better : Dafoe's a fantastic villain, but the film suffers for reducing El Mariachi to more of a supporting role, with Johnny Depp's CIA agent coming to the fore.
Box Office Improvement: 122%
Evil Dead II (1987)
The Original: Micro-budget wood-set horror from director Sam Raimi. When a group of friends head to a desolate cabin in the woods, they get more than they bargained for.
The Sequel: Hero Ash (Bruce Campbell) finds himself going up against yet more evil demons in the cabin in the woods - and this time he's the one who gets possessed.
What It Does Better: The black humour's even blacker than ever and Raimi fully embraces the rampant gore to thrilling (and squelchy) effect. Plus: Bruce Campbell.
Box Office Improvement: 126%
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Original: Batman Begins , the first in Christopher Nolan's dark and brooding Bat trilogy, with Christian Bale playing the Dark Knight.
The Sequel: The first film's cliffhanger delivers on its Joker promise as the grinning madman (Heath Ledger) complicates life considerably for the Bat.
What It Does Better: The Joker, obviously. Where Batman Begins was more focussed on the Bat (rightly so), here he goes up against a worth adversary - and Ledger knocks it out of the park.
Box Office Improvement: 147%
Fast & Furious (2009)
The Original: A petrolhead action flick following ex-convict Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), who butts bumpers with undercover cop Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker).
The Sequel: Fourth film in the franchise and the first to reunite Diesel and Walker since the original. The enemies are forced to unite against a common foe.
What It Does Better: The car scenes improve with every entry in the franchise, even if the story is somewhat lacklustre in this fourth outing.
Box Office Improvement: 148%
Highlander II: The Quickening (1991)
The Original: Time-hopping sci-fi following Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert), an immortal Highlander who fights through the ages.
The Sequel: Now mortal, Connor saves the Earth by creating a shield around the planet to save it from its own depleted o-zone layer. Then fighting happens and stuff…
What It Does Better: Absolutely nothing. Aside from making more money at the box office, this is a lacklustre sequel full of plot-holes - most of it doesn't even make any sense. There's a reason it still has 0% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Box Office Improvement: 164%
Mad Max: Road Warrior (1981)
The Original: George Miller's taut, no-frills thrill ride. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, we follow Max (Mel Gibson) as he attempts to get revenge against the highway bandits who killed his family.
The Sequel: Max returns and discovers a settlement that's attempting to fend off a dastardly gang of marauders. Max decides to help them fight.
What It Does Better: Dean Semler's cinematography is beautiful, elevating the material, while the violent battle sequences are out of this world.
Box Office Improvement: 170%
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
The Original: Sylvester Stallone is John Rambo, a Vietnam vet who gets on the wrong side of the law and must use his training to stay alive as local law enforcements call a manhunt.
The Sequel: Relocates to Vietnam, where Rambo's sent to find out if there are still prisoners of war being held captivity. Hint: there are.
What It Does Better: The action, obviously. Plus Stallone's seriously ripped in this one.
Box Office Improvement: 219%
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
The Original: Mike Myers introduces us to Austin Powers, the lady-loving 1960s spy who finds himself in seriously deep waters when he's unthawed in present day to fight Dr Evil (also Myers).
The Sequel: Austin discovers his new wife is a fembot and finds himself single all over again. Meanwhile, Dr Evil creates his own Mini-Me (Verne Troyer).
What It Does Better: Though it's grosser and more ambitious, it doesn't manage to do anything better than the original - even though Mini-Me is brilliant.
Box Office Improvement: 282%
Tron: Legacy (2010)
The Original: A bizarre, ahead-of-its-time sci-fi from Walt Disney. Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) gets sucked into his video game and discovers a whole new world.
The Sequel: A bizarre, of-its-time sci-fi that sees Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) attempting to track down his missing father - and finding him inside a video game world.
What It Does Better: The visuals are to die for, and while it can't touch the kitsch awesomeness of the original, it certainly tries hard to entertain - and partly succeeds.
Also, the Daft Punk score is EPIC.
Box Office Improvement: 420%
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
The Original: James Cameron's blistering time travel classic in which Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) is pursued by future assassin the T-800 (Arnold Schwarzenegger).
The Sequel: Sarah's been locked up in a psych facility. Meanwhile, her 'saviour of the world' son is teen trouble-maker John (Edward Furlong), who's being pursued by the deadly T-1000 (Robert Patrick).
What It Does Better: It's easily more ambitious, expanding the scope of Cameron's world.
It's also funnier, smarter and bigger in its philosophical complexity, with improved effects and some stunning set pieces.
Box Office Improvement: 434%
The Color Of Money (1986)
The Original: The Hustler (1961), starring Paul Newman as small-time pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson as he attempts to become the greatest pool player the US has ever seen.
The Sequel: Based on Walter Tevis' novel sequel, we find Fast Eddie retired from playing pool, but drawn back in by young whippersnapper Vincent Lauria (Tom Cruise).
What It Does Better: Though it doesn't improve on the original, it certainly doesn't embarrass it, and Cruise and Newman are on particularly riveting form.
Box Office Improvement: 588%
Clerks II (2006)
The Original: Slacker comedy written and directed by Kevin Smith, following video store clerks Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson).
The Sequel: Arriving (and set) 11 years after its predecessor, we pick up with Dante and Randall, whose lives are turned upside down when their convenience store burns down.
What It Does Better: It doesn't necessarily improve on the original cult classic, but it certainly carries on the adventures with sly comedy and surprising insight.
Box Office Improvement: 677%
Desperado (1995)
The Original: El Mariach i was the first part in Robert Rodriguez's Mexico Trilogy, a Spanish-language actioner following the titular musician-turned-vigilante.
The Sequel: Antonio Banderas replaces Carlos Gallardo as El Mariachi, taking on bloodthirsty drug kingpin Bucho (Joaquim DeAlmeida).
What It Does Better: The violence is bigger, the soundtrack's louder and, arguably, El Mariachi is even cooler than ever.
Box Office Improvement: 1,170%
Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day (2009)
The Original: Norman Reedus and Sean Patrick Flannery play twins who become gun-toting vigilantes after they take down a couple of Russian mobsters.
The Sequel: Set eight years after the first film, we're back with the McManus bros, who are framed for the murder of a priest and attempt to prove their innocence - with guns.
What It Does Better: "Let's do some gratuitous violence!" yells Reedus at one point, and that's pretty much what this sequel's all about - balls-to-the-wall fighting.
If this list was about sequels that were actually BETTER than their predecessors, clearly The Dark Knight would be in this spot…
Box Office Improvement: 33,248%
