Column Chronicles: Planned sequels of films that bombed

Planned sequels of films that bombed

Frank Cotolo
July 16, 2026

Hollywood movies are always financial risks but film studios try to think positive when they support a high-priced project. Many times in the past some studios have worked on sequels before the original film succeeded. Just in case. Here are some high budget movies that presupposed sequels before the movie was not a financial success.

1963 -- CLEOPATRA cost $44 million and before its release there were already two sequels being written.

CLEOPATRA FOREVER proposes that Cleopatra she is assured immortality by an Egyptian god if she refrains from having sex. But Cleopatra plans to take over the world and is in conflict with not having sex as a weapon.

SON OF CLEOPATRA presents Omar, a son from the queen's night with King Corobia of Cornocopia. Omar is born with Pantophobia; a fear of everthing. Conflict arises when he inherits the Cornocopia crown.

1967 -- DR DOLITTLE cost upwards of $10 million with high expectations for profit. While in production there was a sequel written and budgeted.

DOLITTLE DOMORE proposes that the famous animal connected figure gets kidnapped by a group of rebels who will not release him until he organizes dangerous animal stampedes as weapons to conquer the British isles.

1969 -- HELLO DOLLY cost a whopping $15 million and was a loss even with $33 million at the box office. That's why the sequel written before the film's release was never produced.

DOLLY GETS DANGEROUS AND GOES WEST was not going to be a musical. It proposed the main character goes broke and homeless and turns to crime after she has a sex-change operation. She becomes Dangerous Danny and leads a gang of gunslingers through many violent adventures. An upstart U.S. Marshall chases the gang and finally corners it and mows down the bad guys with machine guns. Dolly gets away because the studio imagined the sequel would demand its own sequel.

Frank Cotolo can be found hosting the talk and interview programme Cotolo Chronicles. You can send him an e-mail at this address: frank@148.ca.