Nowadays, it is not at all uncommon foriconic movie franchisesto be revived. Studios know that one of the most effective ways to succeed at the box office is by creating new films that already have massive fan bases, as this can essentially guarantee that the film will attract a large audience. Unfortunately, many of thesefranchise revivals prove to be rather unsuccessfulwhen it comes to their actual quality. A crucial danger of reviving old franchises is focusing too heavily on simply showing fans what they want to see, instead of actually providing a well-constructed story.
Thankfully, not every big-screen revival falls victim to this issue.Over the years, a handful of films have managed to find the proper balance between celebrating what audiences love about the original franchise, while also adding elements that help make the new addition a worthwhile inclusion. In doing this, the filmmakers have managed to create a product that audiences and critics alike can enjoy. Even though many revivals prove to be somewhat underwhelming, these films prove that bringing aniconic movie franchiseback to life can be a positive experience all around.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Cast
A prequel and reboot to the Planet of the Apes franchise, Rise of the Planet of the Apes stars James Franco as pharmaceutical chemist Will Rodman. While working with apes, Rodman befriends Caesar (Andy Serkis), a particularly intelligent chimpanzee. Not all humans are as gentle with the apes as Rodman, however, and Caesar is destined to start the line of super-intelligent apes that will one day inherit the Earth.
When the series first began, thePlanet of the Apesfranchise was an immediate hit in the world of science fiction cinema.The original franchise wound up including five total films within a span of only six years, ranging from 1968-1973. Decades later, the 2011 film,Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was not the first time the franchise had been revived, but it did prove to be the most successful.
Planet Of The Apes: All Movie Timelines Explained
A complete guide to every timeline introduced in the Planet of the Apes franchise, from the original timeline to the prequels' timeline.
Instead of merely acting as a bland remake of the original film,Rise of the Planet of the Apesoffered a completely new story, finally giving audiences a heavily desired look into how the apes first came to rule the Earth.The film was a massive success at the box office and well-received by critics, even managing to secure an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects.Rise of the Planet of the Apesthoroughly rejuvenated the iconic franchise, inspiring a rebirth in its popularity and paving the way for a series of futurePlanet of the Apesfilms.
The First Omen
The First Omen is a horror film from director Arkasha Stevenson that acts as a prequel to the 1976 film The Omen. The film follows a young woman who goes to Rome to become a nun but begins to question her faith after encountering a terrifying darkness that aims to spawn an evil incarnate.
Although initial reviews of Richard Donner’s 1976 horror feature,The Omen, were not overly positive, the spooky film did manage to accumulate quite a following later on.Because of this growth in popularity, it is not particularly surprising thatThe Omenended up launching an entire series of sequels and reboots over the years. After a failed remake in 2006, the series went dormant until 2024, whenThe First Omeneffectively managed to inject new life into the franchise.
The haunting film follows Margaret, a nun who gradually discovers a dark, ongoing conspiracy to bring a demonic child into the world.
The First Omenoffers a new perspectiveon the events that first launched the series, serving as a prequel to the original 1976 movie.The haunting film follows Margaret, a nun who gradually discovers a dark, ongoing conspiracy to bring a demonic child into the world.The First Omenhas been praised by critics, with particular attention being given to the film’s artistry and the inspired work by Arkasha Stevenson in her feature directorial debut.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic film set in a desolate desert landscape where society has collapsed. Released in 2015, the story follows two rebels, Max Rockatansky and Imperator Furiosa, as they attempt to survive and bring balance to a world torn by chaos and strife.
Thanks to the captivating work of writer/director George Miller,theMad Maxfilmsare among the most popular post-apocalyptic action movies of all time.Unfortunately, after the 1985 addition,Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, failed to fully live up to its predecessors, the future of the series was put into question. That is, until audiences were blown away byMad Max: Fury Road, the explosive reboot fans had been craving for decades.
Mad Max: Fury Roadfollows a thrilling journey across the desert wasteland, an imposing environment full of outlandish vehicles and deadly antagonists.The film not only offered plenty of satisfying thrills, but also featured a complex, emotional story at its core.Mad Max: Fury Roadwound up being one of the most successful franchise revivals ever, making nearly 400 million dollars and accumulating an impressive ten Academy Award nominations (including for Best Picture), winning six of them.
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is the inaugural film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, featuring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. Released in 2005, it follows Wayne as he transforms into Batman to combat the pervasive corruption in Gotham City, creating a new identity to fight crime outside the system.
Batman is undoubtedly one of the most iconic heroes of all time, but there was a time when it seemed like a bad idea to keep making movies about the Caped Crusaders. After the failure of 1997’sBatman & Robin, audiences were very skeptical when it was revealed that the character would be returning to the big screen once again. Fortunately, Christopher Nolan defied these expectations withBatman Begins, launching a new era for the hero which would soon evolve into one of the most popular trilogies ever made.
Batman Beginsportrays the origin story of the famous crime-fighter, showing how Bruce Wayne used his tragic past to help him evolve into Batman.
Even though the film wasn’t held quite as highly as its successor,The Dark Knight, it nonetheless pleased critics and audiences alike, introducing the world to a more serious, dramatic take on the world of superheroes.Batman Beginsleft a powerful legacy, paving the way for a bright future for the franchise by redefining what a Batman movie could be.
Creed
Creed is a spin-off/continuation of the boxing drama franchise Rocky. Set years after the original Rocky series, Creed follows Adonis Johnson, the estranged son of Apollo Creed, on a journey to Philadelphia to find his father’s friend/rival, Rocky Balboa. Now training to follow in his father’s footsteps, Creed fights to become the best boxer in the world.
In 1976, audiences were dazzled byRocky, the Best Picture-winning sports drama that made Sylvester Stallone a household name.The numerous sequels, however, did not garner nearly the same level of acclaim.Eventually, after nearly a decade without a newRockyfilm, the franchise did get a proper rebirth in the form ofCreed. Directed by Ryan Coogler,Creedshifts the focus to Adonis Creed, an up-and-coming boxer who seeks the mentorship of Rocky Balboa, with Stallone returning to reprise his historic role.
Creedfinally gave fans ofRockythe revival they had been waiting for. Instead of just forcing the character of Rocky to keep reliving the same story, the film took the character in a new direction, showing that he has a complex, interesting life outside the ring.Stallone’s return even earned him an additional Academy Award nomination, withMichael B. Jordan’s charismatic lead performancegoing on to inspire multiple sequels as well.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel movie set 64 years before the events of the original movie with Katniss Everdeen. The film centers on a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) and shows his rise to power as the leader of Panem. Taking place during the 10th Hunger Games, Snow is tasked with mentoring Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the tribute from District 12.
The Hunger Gamesmay have started as a series of young adult novels, but it quickly grew into a widespread pop culture phenomenon.The original series of movies involved four installments, one each year from 2012-2015.Eventually, in 2023, the nation of Panem was brought back to life with a new, dramatic, action-packed feature that added a whole new level of depth to the franchise. Directed by Francis Lawrence,The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesexplores the origins of Coriolanus Snow, the powerful, cold-hearted antagonist of the original series.
While this new addition to the franchise certainly features more of the deadly games that fans love to see, it also dives deep into the complicated world outside the arena.With an all-new cast and an eye-opening look into the backstory of a prominent character,The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesbreathed a new life into the series, one that managed to make audiences even more curious about what other stories could be told within this world. With another installment already on the way, it is quite possible that this latest addition has inspired a new Renaissance for the series.
Spider-Man: Homecoming
Spider-Man: Homecoming follows Peter Parker after the events of Captain America: Civil War as he navigates high school challenges and battles the emergence of a new villain, the Vulture. With mentorship from Tony Stark, Peter strives to prove himself while balancing his responsibilities as Spider-Man and a student.
The beloved superhero, Spider-Man, has appeared in numerous films over the years, with varying degrees of success.Fortunately, the 2017 revival gave audiences a very well-received take on the beloved character.Spider-Man: Homecomingushered in a new era for Spider-Man, with Tom Holland stepping into the role of the titular hero for a whole new series of adventures. The first film in this modern revival follows Peter Parker as he struggles to balance his personal life with the troubles of secretly being Spider-Man, all while having to face off against the intimidating Vulture (played by Michael Keaton).
The film includes an enjoyable blend of action and comedy, never failing to remind viewers that Spider-Man is merely a well-meaning high school student with a very unusual ability.
For the most part,Spider-Man: Homecomingmanaged to capitalize on all the elements audiences have loved most about the character over the years.The film includes an enjoyable blend of action and comedy, never failing to remind viewers that Spider-Man is merely a well-meaning high school student with a very unusual ability. Being able to function both as an entertaining stand-alone film and as a valuable inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,Spider-Man: Homecomingoffers something for all types of viewers.
Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel to the 1986 original film starring Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a top-tier pilot in the Navy. Thirty years after the original film’s events, Maverick is asked to head up a section of the TOP GUN program to embark on a dangerous mission. Things become personal when the program includes the son of Maverick’s late friend, forcing him to confront his past.
Nearly 40 years afterTop Gunhit theaters, a much-anticipated follow-up was finally released.Top Gun: Maverickbrings Tom Cruise back to the skies, reprising his role as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, who now finds himself tasked with training the latest batch of Top Gun graduates for an important mission. With a charming story and tons of high-altitude thrills,Top Gun: Maverickwas exactly the revival that fans of the original film were hoping for.
Top Gun: Maverickactually managed to outperform its predecessor, both commercially and critically.The film earned a whopping 1.5 billion dollars at the box office, making it the second highest grossing film of the year (only behindAvatar: The Way of Water). It was also nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, managing to take home the award for Best Sound. Even though there was only oneTop Gunfilm before it,Top Gun: Maverickmade the most of its source material, establishing a powerful franchise in the world of action cinema.
Halloween
Halloween is the first film of the David Gordon Green-directed sequel trilogy to the 1978 original horror/slasher film. Having been institutionalized for forty years after the events of the original Haddonfield murders, Michael Myers escapes during a prison transfer to pursue his original target, Laurie Strode. Having lived in fear of his shadow for years, Laurie learns of his return, setting the stage for war while trying to protect her daughter and granddaughter from her masked tormentor.
When it comes to slasher films, few franchises have gathered more attention over the years than theHalloweenmovies.Starting in 1978, the franchise featured the iconic killer, Michael Myers, following the numerous individuals who have tried to defeat him over the years. Somewhat unsurprisingly (seeing as there are more than a dozen installments in the series), not everyHalloweenmovie has matched the quality of the film that started it all. In 2018, a newHalloweenmade the bold decision to erase the previous sequels, and serve as a direct follow-up to the original film.
Halloween(2018) features the powerful return of Jamie Lee Curtis, with the Oscar-winning actressreprising her role as Laurie Strode, the only survivor of the gruesome events of the first film. Set forty years after the original movie,Halloween(2018) forces Laurie to face Michael Myers once again, while simultaneously dealing with the memories of her horrific past.The film finally offers a proper follow-up to the horror classic, ignoring the questionable narrative decisions of the previous sequels, while being sure to include all the spooky elements that drew people into the franchise.
Casino Royale
Casino Royale introduces Daniel Craig as James Bond in his first mission as a 00 Agent. Tasked with preventing the terrorist financier Le Chiffre from winning a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro, Bond teams up with Vesper Lynd and Felix Leiter, kicking off a pivotal chapter in the espionage saga.
While theJames Bondfranchisehas seldom gone more than a few years without a new addition,the 2006 feature,Casino Royale, stood out as a film that reinvented the iconic spy in a way that greatly excited its audience.Casino Royalewas the first film to introduce Daniel Craig to the role of Bond, indicating the start of yet another new era for the franchise. In this 21st installment of the series, Bond finds himself performing his duties in a casino, where he must partake in an ultra-high stakes poker game against a very intimidating foe.
Reinventing such an iconic character is no easy feat, but director Martin Campbell managed to do so in a way that generally pleased audiences, including Bond fanatics and first-time viewers alike. Craig’s version of the character was younger and grittier than most of the previous Bonds, but still maintained the suave nature and undeniable skills that made the character so famous over the years. By creating a seamless combination of elements new and old,Casino Royalerevived theJames Bondmovie franchisefor a new generation of viewers.
