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10 Franchises That Ended On A Massive Cliffhanger

Thanks to rising budgets and falling audience numbers, studios are increasingly relying on long-term franchises to keep themselves afloat. Practically every big budget movie now has to have the option for at least two sequels, and maybe a prequel and a spinoff, too.

10) Who Won? – Freddy vs. Jason

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While Freddy vs. Jason was hardly worth the decade long wait it took to reach cinemas, it was still a fun, trashy romp. Of course, the main thing fans wanted to know was who would emerge victorious from the fight, but the movie wimps out by suggesting it was kind of a draw. The last shot has apparent winner Jason emerge with Freddy’s severed head, but since the head gives a knowing wink to the camera, the suggestion is that the whole scene is a dream.

Despite being a big hit for New Line, a direct sequel failed to happen, so this cliffhanger remains unresolved. Both characters were given iffy reboots a few years later, though they both failed to spark new franchises in their own right.

9) Will Riddick Gain Revenge? – Riddick

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Once upon a time Vin Diesel stepped away from both The Fast and the Furious and xXx franchises because he claimed not to like sequels. He’s obviously changed his mind since then, because not only did he return to both, but he’s also a part of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, too. He even returned to his breakout role in 2013’s Riddick, where the gruff anti-hero finds himself stranded on a hostile alien planet.

It was a back to basics approach after the bloated second movie, and for the most part, it jettisoned the tedious Necromonger storyline. It did leave the door open to return to it, however, since Karl Urban’s Vaako was the one who dumped Riddick on the planet.

Diesel teased a fourth instalment would pick up on this plotline, and while Riddick was a modest hit, neither the studio nor the actor appear to be in a hurry to return to the character.