Is a movie being good a requirement for it to be profitable? You can probably guess the answer, which is no. Cheap movies created to milk a franchise don’t need to make all the money in the world to be a success, and as long as the result is a profit, the sequels will keep on coming.

If you enjoy these movies, don’t worry; you’re not alone. They’re a great guilty pleasure to have, but you know they’re not really a great example of cinema. These are the franchises that are somehow still alive, without ever producing an entry of any merit.

The Leprechaun Horror Comedy Franchise

Starting in 1993 with Warwick Davis, this horror comedy series somehow stretched into an eight film marathon. Incredibly, four of those entries managed to earn a flat 0% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Long Running Tremors Series

Expanding across seven feature films from 1990 all the way to 2020, this monster series refused to stay underground. Actor Michael Gross stuck around to play survivalist Burt Gummer throughout the entire long running ordeal.

Children Of The Corn Horror Films

Based on a 1977 Stephen King short story, this farm horror series kicked off in 1984. The original adaptation holds a weak 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, and the franchise never managed a single entry with strong critical reviews.

The Absurd Sharknado Film Series

Between 2013 and 2018, Syfy and The Asylum churned out six mainline television movies about airborne sharks. Ian Ziering and Tara Reid bravely fought their way through increasingly extreme scenarios in this delightfully absurd premise.

Lake Placid Crocodile Horror Movies

The original 1999 film earned mixed to negative reviews and a 47% Rotten Tomatoes rating. That did not stop them from making numerous low budget sequels, eventually resulting in the 2015 Syfy crossover Lake Placid vs. Anaconda.

Charles Bands Puppet Master Series

Created by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, this direct to video property launched in 1989. Produced by Full Moon Features, the series slowly amassed over a dozen entries filled with prequels, spin offs, and repetitive sequels.

The Wrong Turn Slasher Franchise

Alan B. McElroy created this rural slasher property with a 2003 theatrical release starring Eliza Dushku. From there, it spawned five direct to video sequels between 2007 and 2014 before receiving a theatrical reboot in 2021.

The Death Race Action Films

Director Paul W.S. Anderson rebooted the property in 2008 with an action film starring Jason Statham. The modern series then produced three direct to video follow ups like Death Race 3: Inferno and Beyond Anarchy.

The Long Running Sniper Franchise

This military action saga began in 1993 with Tom Berenger starring as Master Gunnery Sergeant Thomas Beckett. Starting with 2011’s Sniper: Reloaded, the direct to video series shifted focus to his son, played by Chad Michael Collins.

The Species Sci Fi Horror Movies

Directed by Roger Donaldson, the 1995 original starred Natasha Henstridge as an alien hybrid named Sil. The studio then produced three sequels between 1998 and 2007, mixing one theatrical follow up with two made for television releases.

The Ghoulies Horror Comedy Series

Directed by Luca Bercovici, the 1985 original faced largely negative reviews from critics right out of the gate. Naturally, it spawned multiple low budget sequels anyway, including Ghoulies II and the absurdly titled Ghoulies Go to College.

The Critters Sci Fi Horror Franchise

These five feature films follow carnivorous alien creatures called Krites that roll into spiky spheres to attack people. Notably, Critters 3 served as Leonardo DiCaprio’s feature film debut while holding a sad 0% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Subspecies Vampire Film Series

Filmed on location in Romania and directed by Ted Nicolaou, this direct to video series comes from Full Moon Studios. Actor Anders Hove spent decades portraying the villainous vampire Radu Vladislas across multiple critically panned installments.

The Howling Werewolf Film Franchise

Based on Gary Brandner’s novel, the franchise kicked off with Joe Dante’s 1981 film. The eight movie run was heavily criticized for low quality and inconsistent mythology, highlighted by bizarre sequels like The Marsupials: Howling III.

The Baby Geniuses Family Movies

Critics absolutely hated these family films. The 1999 original holds a dismal 2% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while the 2004 sequel, Superbabies: Baby Geniuses 2, actually managed to do worse with a flat 0% score.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua Family Franchise

Directed by Raja Gosnell, the first installment of this Disney property starred George Lopez and Drew Barrymore. Despite very little critical love, they still produced a trilogy of talking dog movies released in 2008, 2011, and 2012.

The Air Buddies Spinoff Franchise

Spinning off from the original sports dog premise in 2006, this direct to video offshoot leaned heavily into gimmicks. It gave us a constant stream of critically ignored titles like Space Buddies, Spooky Buddies, and Super Buddies.

Martin Lawrence’s Big Momma Movies

Martin Lawrence donned his heavy prosthetic suit for films in 2000, 2006, and 2011. While audiences bought tickets, the three comedy films averaged a highly unimpressive Tomatometer score of just 14% on Rotten Tomatoes.

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