The lucrative Hollywood method ofsplitting films into two partscan often sacrifice the story, but special two-parters managed to captivate audiences. The payoff from the cliffhanger in the first movie is executed with an entertaining second serial film.
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Avengers: Infinity Waris credited for raising the stakes in the follow-up superhero movieAvengers: Endgame. Critical receptions, accolades and rewatchability indicate how the multi-part film entertain audiences.
10Fear Street Trilogy
Netflix’sFear Streettrilogy is based onR. L. Stine’sbook series of the same name. The streaming service rescued the project from development hell and Netflix received a return on their investment with critical acclaim from reviewers.
Unlike the campy content from Stine’s stories,the ambitious horror pictures are rated R. The mature shift won over audiences and all the installments have a positive Rotten Tomato score north of 80%.
9The Hobbit Trilogy
When Warner Bros. set out to adaptJ. R. R. Tolkien’sThe Hobbitnovel into a film, the studio decided to split the adaption into a trilogy.The Hobbitseries raked in close to $3 billion at the box office.
All the entries in the series hold positive audience scores on Rotten Tomato. Also, the three films share seven Academy Award nominations between them.
8The Matrix Reloaded & The Matrix Revolutions
The Matrix ReloadedandThe Matrix Revolutionare connected by the cliffhanger ending after the second installment. The two-part film brings Morpheus’ prophecy to realization.
The last two entries of the series focus on action and the fight sequences help spike the viewing experience. The freeway chase scene, Neo’s battle with Merovingian’s henchmen, the fight against the Agent Smith clones, and the final battle between Smith and Anderson are some of the most entertaining segments in the entire series.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s ChestandPirates of the Caribbean: At World’s Endwere shot back-to-back and connect to form an entertaining two-part serial project. The multi-partPirates of the Caribbeansequels channel the originalStar Warstrilogy and use a cliffhanger to connect the split movies.
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Both installments hoist an “A-“ CinemaScore. In addition to attention from the critics, both films charmed the Academy and collected six Oscar nominations for the franchise.
6It & It Chapter 2
ItandIt Chapter Twoare the cinematic adaption of theStephen Kingnovel. Both pictures have captivating segments that establish Pennywise as a premiere horror villain.
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The first installment of the series is ranked in the top six of Stephen King’s classics by the Rotten Tomato Tomatometer. The entertainment is driven by the child actors in the first film and their satisfying conclusions in the finale.
5Kill Bill: Volume 1 & 2
During the single production forKill Bill: Volume 1andKill Bill: Volume 2,the production company suggestedQuentin Tarantinoshorten the pictureand the feedback resulted into the multi-part action series.
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Centered around martial arts,both volumes contain intense action scenes. The fight choreography is superior to all of Tarantino’s action productions.
4Back to the Future Part II & III
The last two installments of theBack to the Futureseries were shot back-to-back to save on costs. Separated by the “To Be Concluded” caption, bothBack to the Future Part IIandBack to the Future Part IIIhelped invigorate the two-part serial film format.
Blessed with Marty’s trip to 2015, the sequel houses countless pop culture references and humorous product placements that never fade with rewatches. The third installment is a worthy follow up and is currently ranked in the top 100 by Rotten Tomato forbest sequels of all time.
3Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 & 2
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1serves as a lead in for the last entry into theHarry Potterfranchise. Both installments are based onJ. K. Rowling’sfinal novel of the series.
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Originally intended to be released as one movie,an executive opted to split the pictures. Both features garnered a combined five Academy Award nominations. The last two films work in perfect unison and the successful set-up forHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2resulted in a top ranking for the finale on theHarry Potterfranchise Tomatometer.
2Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back & Star Wars: Episode VI - The Last Jedi
The split in theStar Warssaga that takes place betweenStar Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes BackandStar Wars: Episode VI - The Last Jediis surrounded by some of the most entertaining moments of the franchise. The layered cliffhanger never gets old no matter how much the audience revisits the space operas.
Empire Strikes Backis regarded as the most successful Star Wars movie by Rotten Tomato’s Tomatometer. The Darth Vader parental reveal, Han and Princess Leia’s romance, the bloodline between Luke and Leia, and the redemption of Anakin Skywalker are just a few of the highlights that make the split films one of the most iconic examples of serial movies.
1Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame
The two-part sequel toAvengers: Age of Ultronwraps up the third Phase of theMCU. Both superhero films’ rewatchability is confirmed by their top six ranking within the highest-grossing movies of all time.
Avengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgameserve as a viable climax to the Infinity Saga and are loaded with payoffs for storylines from previousMCUfilms. Captain America and Iron Man’s reconciliation, Rogers wielding Mjölnir and the deaths of key Avengers members are the main moments that keep the installments fresh. In addition, the battle on Wakanda and the Avengers Compound help spread the entertainment between both features.
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