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Top Sequels/Prequels

Determining whether a film is a sequel or a prequel is not as clear as one might think. Some of the films listed below, such as Three Colors: Red (1994) and Dogma (1999), can be called sequels only in the loosest sense. Furthermore, some can make a case that films like The Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Pulp Fiction (1994) are sequels. Unless otherwise indicated, the original film(s) are on the Master List and rank higher than the sequel.

Rank Title Year Director(s) Original Film(s) Overall
Rank
1 The Godfather: Part II 1974 Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather (1972) 15
2 The Empire Strikes Back 1980 Irvin Kershner Star Wars (1977) 46
3 Aliens 1986 James Cameron Alien (1979) 88
4 Bride of Frankenstein 1935 James Whale Frankenstein (1931) 116
5 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 1991 James Cameron The Terminator (1984) 126
6 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly 1966 Sergio Leone A Fistful of Dollars1 (1964) and For a Few Dollars More1 (1965) 140
7 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003 Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers1 (2002) 166
8 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002 Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) 191
9 Return of the Jedi 1983 Richard Marquand Star Wars (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) 199
10 Goldfinger 1964 Guy Hamilton Dr. No1 (1962) and From Russia with Love1 (1963) 213
11 Three Colors: Red 1994 Krzysztof Kieslowski Three Colors: Blue1 (1993) and Three Colors: White1 (1993) 231
12 Dawn of the Dead 1978 George A. Romero Night of the Living Dead (1968) 273
13 The World of Apu 1959 Satyajit Ray Pather Panchali (1955) and Aparajito1 (1957) 288
14 Toy Story 2 1999 John Lasseter Toy Story (1995) 325
15 Playtime 1967 Jacques Tati Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953) and Mon Oncle1 (1958) 351
16 The Road Warrior 1981 George Miller Mad Max1 (1979) 370
17 The Godfather: Part III 1990 Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974) 387
18 Aparajito 1956 Satyajit Ray Pather Panchali (1955) 402
19 Evil Dead II 1987 Sam Raimi The Evil Dead (1981) 495
20 In the Mood for Love 2000 Kar Wai Wong Days of Being Wild1 (1991) 511
21 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 1989 Steven Spielberg Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom1 (1984) 514
22 Three Colors: White 1994 Krzysztof Kieslowski Three Colors: Blue (1993) 542
23 Manon of the Spring 1986 Claude Berri Jean de Florette (1986) 572
24 Mon Oncle 1958 Jacques Tati Mr. Hulot’s Holiday (1953) 666
25 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 1984 Steven Spielberg Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) 673
26 Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan 1982 Nicholas Meyer Star Trek: The Motion Picture1 (1979) 727
27 From Russia with Love 1963 Terence Young Dr. No (1962) 728
28 A Shot in the Dark 1964 Blake Edwards The Pink Panther1 (1963) 763
29 Ivan the Terrible, Part II 1958 Sergei M. Eisenstein and M. Filimonova Ivan the Terrible (1945) 786
30 She Wore a Yellow Ribbon 1949 John Ford Fort Apache1 (1948) 842
31 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 1999 George Lucas Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983) 857
32 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones 2002 George Lucas Star Wars (1977) et al. 907
33 Spider-Man 2 2004 Sam Raimi Spider-Man (2002) 940
34 Before Sunset 2004 Richard Linklater Before Sunrise (1995) 948
35 Stolen Kisses 1968 François Truffaut The 400 Blows (1959) and Love at Twenty2 (1962) 964
36 X2 2003 Bryan Singer X-Men (2000) 982
37 Alien: Resurrection 1997 Jean-Pierre Jeunet Alien (1979), Aliens (1986) and Alien³1 (1992) 997
38 The Wrong Trousers 1993 Nick Park A Grand Day Out1 (1991) 1011
39 Kill Bill: Vol. 2 2004 Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) 1019
40 The Barbarian Invasions 2003 Denys Arcand The Decline of the American Empire1 (1986) 1045
41 Alien³ 1992 David Fincher Alien (1979) and Aliens (1986) 1071
42 Back to the Future Part III 1990 Robert Zemeckis Back to the Future (1985) and Back to the Future Part II1 (1989) 1107
43 Back to the Future Part II 1989 Robert Zemeckis Back to the Future (1985) 1112
44 Kriemhild's Revenge 1924 Fritz Lang Siegfried1 (1924) 1186
45 Zoolander 2001 Ben Stiller Derek Zoolander: Male Model2 (1996) and Derek Zoolander University2 (1997) 1244
46 The Color of Money 1986 Martin Scorsese The Hustler (1961) 1255
47 Chasing Amy 1997 Kevin Smith Clerks. (1994) and Mallrats1 (1995) 1345
48 Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me 1992 David Lynch Twin Peaks2 (1990) 1356
49 The Matrix Reloaded 2003 Andy and Larry Wachowski The Matrix (1999) 1375
50 O Lucky Man! 1973 Lindsay Anderson If.... (1968) 1423
51 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004 Alfonso Cuarón Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets1 (2002) 1475
52 Through the Olive Trees 1994 Abbas Kiarostami Where Is the Friend's Home? (1987) and And Life Goes on1 (1991) 1490
53 28 Up 1985 Michael Apted Seven Up!2 (1964) et al. 1507
54 I'm All Right Jack 1959 John Boulting Private's Progress2 (1956) 1547
55 Army of Darkness 1992 Sam Raimi The Evil Dead (1981) and Evil Dead II (1987) 1558
56 Star Trek: First Contact 1996 Jonathan Frakes Star Trek: The Motion Picture1 (1979) et al. 1589
57 Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit 2005 Steve Box and Nick Park A Grand Day Out1 (1991), The Wrong Trousers (1993), and A Close Shave1 (1995) 1618
58 Day of the Dead 1985 George A. Romero Night of the Living Dead (1968) and Dawn of the Dead (1978) 1634
59 For a Few Dollars More 1965 Sergio Leone A Fistful of Dollars (1964) 1637
60 César 1936 Marcel Pagnol Marius (1931) and Fanny1 (1932) 1671
61 The Snapper 1993 Stephen Frears The Commitments (1991) 1672
62 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 2005 George Lucas Star Wars (1977) et al. 1690
63 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home 1986 Leonard Nimoy Star Trek: The Motion Picture1 (1979), Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982), and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock2 (1984) 1693
64 The Long Day Closes 1992 Terence Davies Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) 1698
65 Superman II 1980 Richard Lester Superman (1978) 1766
66 Die Hard 2 1990 Renny Harlin Die Hard (1988) 1788
67 A Close Shave 1995 Nick Park A Grand Day Out (1991) and The Wrong Trousers (1993) 1803
68 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005 Mike Newell Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets1 (2002), and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) 1805
69 Mallrats 1995 Kevin Smith Clerks. (1994) 1811
70 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me 1999 Jay Roach Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) 1820
71 And Life Goes on 1991 Abbas Kiarostami Where Is the Friend's Home? (1987) 1823
72 Shrek 2 2004 Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, and Conrad Vernon Shrek (2001) 1826
73 GoldenEye 1995 Martin Campbell Dr. No (1962) et al. 1860
74 Son of Frankenstein 1939 Rowland V. Lee Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935) 1861
75 Casino Royale 2006 Martin Campbell Dr. No (1962) et al 1869
76 Clear and Present Danger 1994 Phillip Noyce The Hunt for Red October (1990) and Patriot Games1 (1992) 1874
77 Dogma 1999 Kevin Smith Clerks. (1994), Mallrats (1995), and Chasing Amy (1997) 1889
78 Love on the Run 1979 François Truffaut The 400 Blows (1959) et al. 1909
79 On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969 Peter R. Hunt Dr. No (1962) et al 1912
80 Antonio das Mortes 1969 Glauber Rocha Black God and White Devil (1964) 1918
81 Scream 2 1997 Wes Craven Scream (1996) 1939
82 Tarzan and His Mate 1934 Cedric Gibbons Tarzan the Ape Man1 (1932) 1963
83 Rio Grande 1950 John Ford Fort Apache (1948) and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949) 1985
84 Rambo: First Blood Part II 1985 George P. Cosmatos First Blood (1982) 1994
85 Fanny 1932 Marc Allégret Marius (1931) 1999
86 Flirting 1991 John Duigan The Year My Voice Broke2 (1987) 2006
87 Sanjuro 1962 Akira Kurosawa Yojimbo (1961) 2008
88 The Testament of Dr. Mabuse 1933 Fritz Lang Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (1922) 2033
89 42: Forty Two Up 1998 Michael Apted Seven Up!2 (1964) et al. 2046
90 Desperado 1995 Robert Rodriguez El Mariachi (1992) 2067
91 The Curse of the Cat People 1944 Gunther von Fritsch and Robert Wise Cat People (1942) 2070
92 Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome 1985 George Miller and George Ogilvie Mad Max (1979) and The Road Warrior (1981) 2083
93 Drunken Master II 1994 Chia-Liang Liu Drunken Master2 (1978) 2094
94 The Matrix Revolutions 2003 Andy and Larry Wachowski The Matrix (1999) and The Matrix Reloaded (2003) 2112
95 Samurai 3: Duel at Ganryu Island 1956 Hiroshi Inagaki Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) and Samurai 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple1 (1955) 2120
96 Bed and Board 1970 François Truffaut The 400 Blows (1959), Love at Twenty2 (1962), and Stolen Kisses (1968) 2130
97 Samurai 2: Duel at Ichijoji Temple 1955 Hiroshi Inagaki Samurai 1: Musashi Miyamoto (1954) 2133
98 Dracula's Daughter 1936 Lambert Hillyer Dracula (1931) 2191
99 You Only Live Twice 1967 Lewis Gilbert Dr. No (1962) et al 2237
100 Fantasia/2000 1999 James Algar, Gaëtan Brizzi, Paul Brizzi, Hendel Butoy, Francis Glebas, Eric Goldberg, Don Hahn, and Pixote Hunt Fantasia (1940) 2253
101 Patriot Games 1992 Phillip Noyce The Hunt for Red October (1990) 2287
102 Hannibal 2001 Ridley Scott The Silence of the Lambs (1991) 2291
103 The Son of the Sheik 1926 George Fitzmaurice The Sheik (1921) 2324
104 The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear 1991 David Zucker The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) 2327
105 Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult 1994 Peter Segal The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) and The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear (1991) 2339
106 National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation 1989 Jeremiah S. Chechik National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) and National Lampoon's European Vacation2 (1985) 2357
107 Trash 1970 Paul Morrissey Flesh2 (1968) 2366
108 The Queen 2006 Stephen Frears The Deal2 (2003) 2369
109 My Mother's Castle 1990 Yves Robert My Father’s Glory1 (1990) 2375
110 Mission: Impossible II 2000 John Woo Mission: Impossible (1996) 2392
111 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002 Chris Columbus Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) 2410
112 Love Finds Andy Hardy 1938 George B. Seitz A Family Affair2 (1937), You're Only Young Once2 (1937), and Judge Hardy's Children2 (1938) 2420
113 The Testament of Orpheus 1960 Jean Cocteau Orpheus (1950) 2447
114 Son of Dracula 1943 Robert Siodmak Dracula (1931) and Dracula's Daughter (1936) 2484
115 The Ghost of Frankenstein 1942 Erle C. Kenton Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939) 2485
116 35 Up 1991 Michael Apted Seven Up!2 (1964) et al. 2506
117 2046 2004 Kar Wai Wong Days of Being Wild (1991) and In the Mood for Love (2000) 2517

1 Indicates that the original film is on the Master List but is ranked lower than the sequel/prequel.
2 Indicates that the original film is not even on the Master List.

This page was last modified on March 22, 2008