6 Movie Spinoffs That Worked Out Really Well

Whenever a supporting player in pop culture becomes a fan-favorite character, it usually doesn't take too long for forces both behind the scenes and in the fan community to ramp up hopes that a spinoff story centering on that breakout figure will come to fruition. Television has traditionally seen far more success in this regard, with shows like Frasier and Angel among the most popular series to expand upon a pre-existing hit. Yet, even on TV, these gambles sometimes fail to pay off. Remember Joey? Perhaps it is that risky proposition that has made spinoffs relatively rare on the big screen over the years. Historically, few films endeavor to take select characters on their own adventures, and even fewer manage to turn a profit. However, with shared universes and franchises fast replacing A-list stars as the pre-eminent box office draw, it looks like the industry is ramping up the frequency with which it takes a chance on cinematic offshoots of the latest blockbuster hits. Snow White and the Huntsman recently begat The Huntsman: Winter's War, and upcoming releases like The LEGO Batman Movie and Finding Dory mark a similar shift in perspective to the most popular characters from their respective predecessors. With that in mind, we're looking back on the history of spinoff films to pinpoint the ones that made a significant impact on the industry. For the record, we're not necessarily saying that these releases are all ground-breaking pieces of cinema, merely that they managed to successfully capitalize on the popularity of a character that had been previously introduced. As such, franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe that are designed to accommodate countless solo films for characters who periodically share the screen are not eligible to be listed here. 6) U.S. Marshals (1998) When director Andrew Davis helped reinvent 1960s TV drama The Fugitive into a blockbuster 1993 film, audiences got swept up in Dr. Richard Kimble's (Harrison Ford) quest to solve his wife's murder and clear his own name. However, many moviegoers that still hold that film in high esteem may have missed out on this Stuart Baird-directed release, which sees Tommy Lee Jones returning to his Oscar-winning role as Deputy U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard. The story follows Gerard and his team from the first film, as they track down another runaway fugitive, and though the plot does bear resemblance to The Fugitive, U.S. Marshals is not without its merits. This time, Wesley Snipes - who would later go on to debut as Marvel's Blade later that same year - is the man the titular agency is after. Robert Downey Jr. also appears as an agent who ends up working in conjunction with Gerard. While U.S. Marshals was met with mixed reviews, it did manage to earn more than $100 million at the worldwide box office. 5) Minions (2015) Whether it was intended or not, 2010 animated hit Despicable Me and its 2013 sequel introduced the world to a global phenomenon in the mischievous Minions who serve as loyal helpers for Steve Carell's Gru. Characterized by their childlike nature and penchant for speaking in mostly gibberish, these little guys became the breakout characters of the franchise, soon appearing on every piece of merchandise Universal could get its hands on. In that case, an entire Minions film seemed like a no-brainer from a business standpoint. That effort paid off handsomely for the studio, as Minions brought in more than $1 billion worldwide. As it stands, the film is the 11th highest-grossing movie in history worldwide and the most successful non-Disney animated film ever made. Even if it received a decidedly mixed response from most older moviegoers, it's hard to deny the broad appeal the Minions have with children, and with Despicable Me 3 set for release in summer 2017, the characters don't appear to be going away anytime soon. 4) This Is 40 (2012) Knocked Up marked the sophomore directorial effort for Judd Apatow, and much like his debut work in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, the film has held up as that rare comedy that benefits from repeat viewing. So, after the 2009 comedy/drama blend of Funny People failed to make much of a dent at the box office (and before making another splash at the helm of Amy Schumer's Trainwreck last year), the director returned to familiar ground with This Is 40, a spinoff film that centers on the Knocked Up characters played by Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd. Considering the scene-stealing nature of the pair and their undeniable comedic talent, a film based on Pete (Rudd) and Debbie (Mann) is a great idea in theory, and while the movie certainly has its fans, it didn't receive nearly the universal acclaim that its predecessor did. Regardless, This Is 40 deserves points for tackling some heady themes amid its many laughs and its winning lead performances. Plus, the film ultimately earned $88 million worldwide against a modest production budget of just $35 million, which isn't too bad. 3) Puss In Boots (2011) Way back in 2004, Shrek 2 turned the original runaway Dreamworks smash - which brilliantly skewered fairy tales - into an ongoing franchise by exploring the complications the characters face following "happily ever after." The film also introduced moviegoers to a swashbuckling kitten played to perfection by The Mask of Zorro star Antonio Banderas. Puss in Boots soon became a popular figure in his own right, stealing every single second he's onscreen in Shrek 2 and leaving audiences clamoring for more. Naturally, Dreamworks obliged, signing Banderas on for a full-length spinoff film set before Puss in Boots' introduction in the Shrek franchise. Met with a largely positive critical response, the adventure expands on the fairy tale-centric world of the films, adding characters like Humpty Dumpty and Jack and Jill to the mythology. Moreover, it proved to be a sizable financial success, bringing in $555 million worldwide. Unfortunately, its domestic total wasn't enough to lead Dreamworks to move forward on a now-defunct sequel, which was previously eyed for a 2018 release. 2) A Shot In The Dark (1964) Everyone knows the infectious theme music of The Pink Panther franchise, but long before the animated shorts and forgettable 2006 reboot, director Blake Edwards brought the world Peter Sellers in perhaps his most famous role, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The original 1963 Pink Panther film marked Sellers first of five appearances as the iconic bumbling detective (including the archive footage used in 1982 release Trail of the Pink Panther), but A Shot In The Dark still stands as the film that crystallized Clouseau's distinct personality. While The Pink Panther centers mostly on the thief played by David Niven, this follow-up shifts perspective to allow Sellers to become the centerpiece of the franchise. Given Sellers' legendary comic timing, Edwards' decision to make his star the main attraction of this film and its sequels proved to be a wise move. A Shot In The Dark even outgrossed its predecessor and still stands as one of the most beloved entries in the franchise to date. Moreover, it's hard to imagine The Pink Panther series wouldn't be nearly as iconic if not for the creative foundation created by this film. 1) Deadpool (2016) Casual moviegoers might not have been aware of the extent to which X-Men Origins: Wolverine did its characters a disservice, but the geek community certainly noticed. In addition to its terrible CGI and subpar story, the film tarnished the comic book legacy of many beloved characters. However, none compared with the travesty that was the film's incomprehensible take on Deadpool, the fan-favorite anti-hero played by Ryan Reynolds. By the time the movie ended, the Merc with the Mouth bore zero resemblance to his comic book counterpart, enraging fans and spurring a movement to have the character done right on the big screen. Deadpool finally arrived in theaters in 2016 after years of tireless effort on the part of Reynolds, director Tim Miller and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick. One of the few films that is actually a spinoff of a spinoff, the R-rated Deadpool thankfully disregarded the previous depiction of the character and managed to stay incredibly reverent to the foul-mouthed, ultraviolent version seen in the comics. Far more impressively, the film reached an unfathomably large audience, earning $760 million worldwide against a reported $58 million production budget. Considering that the movie nearly never happened at all, it's remarkable to think that it now stands as the highest-grossing film in the X-Men series, outpacing far more expensive releases like X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men: Days of Future Past. The release of Deadpool not only heralded a new era for Fox's mutant franchise but for comic book films in general. Now that Miller's spinoff - which already has a sequel on the way, much to the delight of fans - has proven that superhero cinema can take creative chances and embrace the source material in this way, there's no telling where the genre may go in the years ahead. The upcoming third Wolverine solo film is reportedly targeting an R rating, and reports are running rampant that other projects may follow suit. Deadpool isn't just a spinoff that proved successful; it's a film that has surpassed the franchise that gave birth to it and changed the course of the industry's future.