Data for Iron Man 2 updated on May 9th.

Second opinions

Is "2" better than one? Not this time

Iron Man was a pleasant surprise when it premiered in May 2008 by being, well, good. Make that very good: with a Metascore of 79, the Marvel adaptation is one of the best-reviewed comic book movies ever filmed. It's also one of the most successful, currently ranking as the fifth-highest-grossing superhero film of all time (and in the top 25 of all movies, regardless of genre).

While the new sequel Iron Man 2 57 is expected to meet if not surpass the first film's financial performance, it looks like our hero has encountered an even tougher villain than Whiplash: the critics. The first batch of reviews are in, and it is looking more and more like Iron Man 2 will be the only recent superhero sequel to receive worse reviews than its predecessor. Of course, it also is the only franchise that started with such a critically-acclaimed title, so it had the furthest to fall. The good news, however, is that while the reviews for new film aren't strong, they also aren't bad. But will audiences, like many critics, prefer the first movie?

The world of superhero franchises operates a little differently than other big-budget films. Because of the mythology involved, the first film in any franchise needs to spend precious on-screen time developing the origin story and the parameters of the world that is being created. As a result, the actual story of the first movie sometimes suffers. The second film, freed of those limitations, can take the world and characters already created and run with them, focusing solely on action and plot, which can lead to a stronger movie. As a result, reviews (and Metascores) for superhero sequels are typically higher than those of the first films in each series. Assuming the first movie wasn't terrible, box office figures also tend to increase for the second film, due to the hype that has built up since the successful launch of the first film.

Below, let's look at some of these superhero franchises in greater detail, to see if these trends hold true. Again, keep in mind that we are only looking at the first two films in any series.

Iron Man vs. Iron Man 2

Iron Man 2 seems certain to come close to its predecessor's box office figures ($98,618,668 opening weekend, $318,412,101 in the U.S., and $585,133,287 worldwide), and may completely surpass them. The new film has already pulled in $100 million in its first five days overseas, before it has even opened in the U.S.

Yet, unlike any of the other superhero sequels in this survey, Iron Man 2 is receiving worse reviews from critics than the first film. Among critics who have reviewed both Iron Man movies, 83% rated the first movie higher than the sequel, and among all critics, Iron Man 2 is on the cusp of falling into "mixed reviews" territory (and the yellow Metascore that comes with it). As a group, reviewers are finding the sequel to be overstuffed and dull, lacking the exhilarating fun of the original.

First Movie				Sequel
	vs.
Iron Man (2008)				Iron Man 2 (2010)
Basic quality measures:
79		Metascore		57
87%		Positive Reviews		50%
13%		Mixed Reviews		48%
0%		Negative Reviews		3%
8.3		User Score		7.3
Box office performance (in millions):
$98.6		Opening Weekend		$133.6 (estimated)
Among critics who reviewed BOTH films:
80		Average Score		59
83%		Critic Preference (13% rated both equally)		4%

Batman Begins vs. The Dark Knight

Perhaps the greatest sequel success story of all time, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight improved on an already-strong re-start to the Batman series by every conceivable measure. That sequel now stands as the fifth-highest-grossing film of all time worldwide, and the top earner in the U.S. not directed by James Cameron.

First Movie				Sequel
	vs.
Batman Begins (2005)				The Dark Knight (2008)
Basic quality measures:
70		Metascore		82
73%		Positive Reviews		85%
8.6		User Score		8.8
Box office performance (in millions):
$48.7		Opening Weekend		$158.4
$205.3		Domestic Gross		$533.3
$372.7		Worldwide Gross		$1,001.9
Among critics who reviewed BOTH films:
76		Average Score		80
19%		Critic Preference (35% rated both equally)		46%

Hellboy vs. Hellboy II

In spite of favorable reviews, Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy actually underperformed at the box office during its 2004 release, needing its worldwide grosses to manage a slight profit. The decision to go ahead with a sequel proved correct; The Golden Army proved to be more popular with critics and fans, and made considerably more money in the process.

First Movie				Sequel
	vs.
Hellboy (2004)				Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
Basic quality measures:
72		Metascore		78
81%		Positive Reviews		97%
6.6		User Score		7.3
Box office performance (in millions):
$23.2		Opening Weekend		$34.5
$59.6		Domestic Gross		$76.0
$99.3		Worldwide Gross		$160.4
Among critics who reviewed BOTH films:
74		Average Score		77
21%		Critic Preference (42% rated both equally)		37%

Fantastic Four vs. Rise of the Silver Surfer

Few critics liked Fantastic Four, and, despite the film's strong box office performance, moviegoers seemed to come away unimpressed as well. The movie's 2007 sequel received only slightly better (and still quite mediocre) reviews, and while audiences still turned up on opening weekend, they didn't return after that; it seems that all of the franchise's negative word of mouth finally caught up with Rise of the Silver Surfer, leading it to underperform the original at the box office. Critics and users are split as to which is the better film, but probably only because neither group thinks either movie is any good. Unsurprisingly, Fox is now planning to reboot the series, rather than make another sequel.

First Movie				Sequel
	vs.
Fantastic Four (2005)				Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Basic quality measures:
40		Metascore		45
17%		Positive Reviews		27%
5.5		User Score		5.2
Box office performance (in millions):
$56.1		Opening Weekend		$58.1
$154.7		Domestic Gross		$131.9
$330.6		Worldwide Gross		$289.0
Among critics who reviewed BOTH films:
47		Average Score		53
29%		Critic Preference (12% rated both equally)		59%

Spider-Man vs. Spider-Man 2

The Spider-Man series is another instance where moviegoers (and Metacritic users) differ from the critics. Reviewers clearly preferred the second film to the original, yet the first Spider-Man collected more money at the box office and also boasts the higher user scores.

First Movie				Sequel
	vs.
Spider-Man (2002)				Spider-Man 2 (2004)
Basic quality measures:
73		Metascore		83
84%		Positive Reviews		90%
7.9		User Score		7.7
Box office performance (in millions):
$114.8		Opening Weekend		$88.2
$403.7		Domestic Gross		$373.6
$821.7		Worldwide Gross		$783.8
Among critics who reviewed BOTH films:
74		Average Score		83
13%		Critic Preference (17% rated both equally)		71%

X-Men vs. X2: X-Men United

The X-Men franchise is a textbook example of the success of the superhero sequel. X2 received better reviews, higher scores from users, and performed significantly better at the box office than the first X-Men film. (The Brett Ratner-directed third film, of course, is a textbook example of how to then ruin your successful comic book franchise.)

First Movie				Sequel
	vs.
X-Men (2000)				X2: X-Men United (2003)
Basic quality measures:
64		Metascore		68
70%		Positive Reviews		82%
7.8		User Score		8.2
Box office performance (in millions):
$54.5		Opening Weekend		$85.6
$157.3		Domestic Gross		$214.9
$296.3		Worldwide Gross		$407.7
Among critics who reviewed BOTH films:
71		Average Score		75
23%		Critic Preference (46% rated both equally)		31%

Blade vs. Blade II

The Blade franchise wasn't exactly a critical favorite; only half of reviewers gave the sequel a positive review, and that's a definite improvement over the original film's marks. Yet Blade II performed better at the box office and with critics, with only Metacritic users preferring the first Blade film.

First Movie				Sequel
	vs.
Blade (1998)				Blade II (2002)
Basic quality measures:
45		Metascore		52
35%		Positive Reviews		50%
8.0		User Score		7.4
Box office performance (in millions):
$17.1		Opening Weekend		$32.5
$70.1		Domestic Gross		$82.3
$131.2		Worldwide Gross		$155.0

What do you think?

What do you think about the superhero sequels listed above? Which ones were better than the originals, and in which cases did you prefer the first movies instead? Let us know in the comments section below.