Nailed It: 15 Bollywood Sequels That Hammered the Final Nail in Their Franchise’s Coffin

While the world witnessed the legendary clash between Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie — two creative juggernauts that redefined cinema in 2023 — Bollywood’s equivalent “event” might just be Masti 4 vs Haunted 3D: The Resurrection. A crossover only Indian multiplexes could birth — and audiences never asked for. And yet, here we are — stuck in an era where every studio believes nostalgia equals guaranteed success. The Hindi film industry, post-pandemic, seems to have only one mantra: “Agar pehla part chala tha, sequel zaroor banayenge.”But sometimes, the best thing you can do for a franchise… is let it die peacefully.

So here’s our ultimate list of 15 Bollywood sequels that destroyed their own legacy — films that took a once-promising brand and turned it into a meme.

1. Singham Again (2025) – When the Cop Universe Needed an FIR

Rohit Shetty’s dream of a shared cinematic universe turned into a chaotic WhatsApp forward. With Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Tiger Shroff, and Kareena Kapoor Khan, Singham Again should’ve been an Avengers-level spectacle.

Instead, it was a loud, bloated Diwali release that looked like a brand integration exercise gone wrong. Sure, it made ₹400 crore, but on a ₹300+ crore budget, that’s like getting 45% in an open-book exam.

The audience verdict? “Overstayed its welcome.” The Rohit Shetty Cop Universe has officially run out of petrol.

2. Race 3 (2018) – The Meme That Refused to Die

If Saif Ali Khan was the soul of Race, Salman Khan was its nuclear explosion. With Race 3, producer Ramesh Taurani replaced smarts with swagger — and got roasted instead.

From Daisy Shah’s iconic line, “Our business is our business, none of your business,” to action scenes that violated every law of physics, Race 3 became a masterclass in unintentional comedy.

The damage was so severe that Race 4 now reportedly brings Saif Ali Khan back with Sidharth Malhotra to undo the trauma.

3. Yaariyan 2 (2023) – Friendship Goals? More Like Remake Fails

Directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru, and fronted by Divya Khosla Kumar, Yaariyan 2 was neither a true sequel nor a tribute. It was a poorly disguised remake of Anjali Menon’s Malayalam hit Bangalore Days.

Despite vibrant music and heavy marketing from T-Series, audiences saw through it instantly. The film bombed at the box office and trended on Twitter for all the wrong reasons — mostly memes about nepotism and creative bankruptcy.

4. Son of Sardaar 2 (2025) – Jassi Goes to London (And So Does the Plot)

After 13 long years, Ajay Devgn thought we missed Son of Sardaar. Spoiler: We didn’t.Set partly in London, the sequel was a confused comedy that relied on tired slapstick and “desi in pardes” jokes from 2005.

Even Sonakshi Sinha’s cameo couldn’t save this tone-deaf revival. The result? A franchise buried with full military honors.

5. Welcome Back (2015) – Uday and Majnu Deserved Better

Director Anees Bazmee’s Welcome (2007) is a modern comedy classic, powered by Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Nana Patekar, and Anil Kapoor. Its sequel, Welcome Back, looked promising on paper — John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, and the return of Uday and Majnu.

But the magic evaporated in a cloud of bad CGI and louder-than-life humor. Despite earning ₹150+ crore, it killed the charm of the franchise. Bazmee’s next installment, Welcome to the Jungle (2025), is already being memed before release.

6. Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 (2016) – India’s “XXX” That Nobody Asked For

What do you get when you take a semi-funny adult comedy franchise and turn it into a parody of adult films? Disaster. Starring Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, and Mandana Karimi, Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 was marketed as India’s first “porn-com.” It ended up being a cinematic catastrophe so cringe that even late-night TV avoided it.

This film single-handedly buried the sex comedy genre in Bollywood. RIP (Really Indecent Picture).

7. Housefull 5 (2025) – Housefull? More Like Headache Full

What began in 2010 as Sajid Khan’s goofy, escapist comedy has now become a parody of itself. Housefull 5 united Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, and a revolving door of confused cast members — but forgot to include jokes that land.

Despite massive scale and exotic locations, the film was so formulaic that fans on Reddit called it “AI-generated Bollywood.” Rumors of Housefull 6 are floating around. Bollywood, please, let this franchise rest.

8. Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se (2018) – Ayurveda, Theft, and Tears

Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, and Bobby Deol are legends — but Yamla Pagla Deewana 3 was not the way to honor their legacy.

With a plot involving Ayurveda and courtroom drama, this chaotic film was a snooze-fest. It earned just ₹12 crore on a ₹36 crore budget — even loyal Deol fans couldn’t digest this medicine.

9. Dabangg 3 (2019) – The Fall of Chulbul Pandey

Back in 2010, Abhinav Kashyap’s Dabangg was revolutionary — it reinvented Salman Khan and birthed a pop culture icon. But Dabangg 3, directed by Prabhu Deva, turned that swagger into self-parody.

The prequel flashbacks, forced emotional beats, and recycled slow-mo walk-ins made it unbearable. Even Kiccha Sudeep’s villain couldn’t save it.

Post-Dabangg 3, Chulbul Pandey has officially retired.

10. Satyameva Jayate 2 (2021) – John Abraham vs. Logic

Director Milap Milan Zaveri doubled down on everything that “worked” in Satyameva Jayate — and multiplied the chaos by three.

With John Abraham playing triple roles (yes, three), the film felt like a fever dream sponsored by protein shakes. Critics called it “Republic Day propaganda with WWE physics.”

It tanked brutally, proving that patriotism alone doesn’t sell tickets.

11. War 2 (2025) – Spy Universe or Sleep Universe?

When Hrithik Roshan teamed up with Jr. NTR for War 2, fans expected fireworks. What they got was a generic action flick with zero emotion, directed by Ayan Mukerji, who seemed more interested in explosions than storytelling.

The film’s lukewarm response forced YRF Studios to reportedly rethink its entire Spy Universe — including the ambitious Tiger vs Pathaan.

12. Heropanti 2 (2022) – “Chhoti Bacchi Ho Kya”... Again?

Tiger Shroff’s debut Heropanti (2014) worked because of novelty. But Heropanti 2 was déjà vu on steroids. With Nawazuddin Siddiqui hamming it up as a villain named “Laila” and Tara Sutaria dancing in the chaos, this was a high-budget TikTok reel stretched into a 2-hour film. Even AR Rahman’s music couldn’t rescue it.

Result? Box office flop and a wake-up call for Tiger: gymnastic flips aren’t character arcs.

13. Ek Villain Returns (2022) – From Edgy Thriller to Meme Factory

Ek Villain (2014) was Mohit Suri’s stylish redemption tale that gave us “Galliyan.” Its sequel gave us confusion, chaos, and a tiger in a dream sequence. With Arjun Kapoor, John Abraham, Tara Sutaria, and Disha Patani, Ek Villain Returns was like four different movies awkwardly stitched together.

Despite chartbuster music, it tanked — and unofficially ended Mohit Suri’s villain-verse.

14. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 (2018) – A Royal Mess

Tigmanshu Dhulia’s first two Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster films were power-packed political thrillers with Jimmy Shergill, Mahie Gill, and Randeep Hooda/Irrfan Khan.

Then came Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3, which replaced nuance with Sanjay Dutt’s sleepwalking performance. Even Dhulia later admitted, “The casting was wrong.”

And with that, one of India’s few intelligent franchises died a painful death.

15. Baaghi 4 (2025) – The Flip That Flopped

If Heropanti 2 was bad, Baaghi 4 was proof that even parkour has limits.

Tiger Shroff once again jumped, punched, and flipped his way through a paper-thin plot featuring Sanjay Dutt as the villain. The action was recycled, the emotion nonexistent.

The audience had one collective reaction: Enough already.

The Sequel Syndrome

Bollywood’s obsession with reviving everything — from Aashiqui 3 to No Entry Mein Entry — comes from fear, not creativity. Franchises aren’t inherently bad; they fail when they forget why the original worked. As Jamie Carragher said, “Leave the football before the football leaves you.”Maybe it’s time for Bollywood to leave the franchise before the franchise leaves the audience.

Aapke Sawal, Hamare Jawab! (FAQs)

1. Which recent Bollywood sequels flopped at the box office in 2025?

In 2025, several high-profile Bollywood sequels underperformed despite massive budgets and star power. Films like Singham Again (Ajay Devgn, Rohit Shetty), Housefull 5 (Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh), Baaghi 4 (Tiger Shroff, Sanjay Dutt), and Son of Sardaar 2 (Ajay Devgn) failed to impress audiences and critics alike.Poor writing, repetitive storytelling, and franchise fatigue led to their disappointing box office collections.

2. Why do so many Bollywood sequels fail even with big stars?

Bollywood sequels often fail because they rely too heavily on brand recognition instead of fresh scripts or strong storytelling.Franchises like Dabangg (Salman Khan) and Race (Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan) suffered from lazy writing, CGI-heavy action, and nostalgia overuse. Modern audiences, especially Gen Z, now demand original stories, new faces, and authentic emotions — not recycled dialogues and stunts.

3. Which Bollywood actors have appeared in the most failed sequels?

Actors like Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff top the list of stars linked with underperforming sequels in recent years.Films such as Housefull 5, Heropanti 2, and Baaghi 4 have proven that even top-tier actors can’t save a franchise if the content doesn’t evolve.The audience fatigue with formulaic roles has impacted their box office credibility.

4. Is Rohit Shetty’s Cop Universe ending after Singham Again?

While Rohit Shetty initially planned to expand his Cop Universe with spin-offs for Deepika Padukone and Tiger Shroff, the lukewarm reception to Singham Again (2025) has cast serious doubts.The film’s massive star cast and inflated budget couldn’t mask its predictable storytelling.Industry insiders suggest that the Cop Universe may go on a long hiatus or be rebooted with new creative direction.

5. What are the worst Bollywood sequels of all time?

Over the last decade, several Bollywood sequels have earned the dubious honor of “franchise killers.”Some of the worst include:

• Race 3 (2018) starring Salman Khan

• Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 (2016) starring Tusshar Kapoor and Aftab Shivdasani

• Satyameva Jayate 2 (2021) featuring John Abraham

• Ek Villain Returns (2022) starring Arjun Kapoor and Disha Patani

• Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 (2018) with Sanjay Dutt

These films not only failed critically but also ensured their franchises were shelved permanently.

6. Which Bollywood film franchises still have potential for future sequels?

While many franchises have lost steam, a few still hold potential if handled with care.Movies like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Gadar, and Drishyam retain strong fan bases and nostalgia value.If directors focus on solid writing and fresh storylines rather than formulaic repetition, these IPs could still deliver blockbuster returns.

7. How do failed sequels impact Bollywood’s overall box office performance?

Failed sequels create a ripple effect — they damage audience trust, waste marketing budgets, and reduce faith in Bollywood’s creative risk-taking.When back-to-back franchise films flop (Baaghi 4, Housefull 5, Singham Again), it discourages studios from investing in new ideas.This is why audiences and critics now push for original storytelling over extended universes and recycled tropes.