7 Years Ago Today, This 4-Part $1.1 Billion Franchise Ended Far Too Early

by

It feels like many movie franchises go on for too long these days. While some, like The Lord of the Rings, Fast & Furious, and Transformers, have continued despite declining quality, others – including John Wick, Mission: Impossible, Predator, and Alien – have stayed popular by consistently releasing well-received new films.

Generally, movie studios don’t end popular series prematurely. They usually give a franchise at least one more chance to succeed or correct earlier issues, as we’ve seen with films like Jurassic World and Indiana Jones. However, one series from the 2010s, which earned $1.1 billion from four movies, deserved to continue but was unfortunately cut short.

The LEGO Movie Franchise Ended 7 Years Ago Today

The LEGO Movie franchise from Warner Bros. ran from 2014 to 2019, but surprisingly ended with The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. Released seven years ago today, on February 8, 2019, the film received a positive reception, yet it turned out to be the last LEGO-themed animated movie Warner Bros. Animation would make.

It’s disappointing that the LEGO movie series ended after The LEGO Movie 2. The first movie, released in 2014 and created by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, was a huge success – critics loved it (with a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and it made nearly $468 million worldwide. Following that success, making more LEGO movies seemed like the obvious next step.

Warner Bros. followed through with its plans, greenlighting a spin-off featuring Will Arnett as Batman, another series based on the Ninjago LEGO line, and a direct sequel to the original LEGO Movie. They also considered additional projects, including a racing movie called The Billion Brick Race and a LEGO Batman Movie sequel, initially titled LEGO Superfriends, which would have focused more on Batman’s team-ups with the Justice League. However, both of those later projects were ultimately scrapped.

Why The LEGO Movie Franchise Ended After Four Movies

Why didn’t Warner Bros. make more LEGO movies? There were two main reasons. First, the studio started to wonder if audiences still wanted them after The LEGO Movie 2 didn’t perform as well as the first film. Although critics generally liked the sequel (giving it an 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes), it only earned $199 million worldwide, far less than the original.

The first LEGO movie was a huge success, earning almost $500 million. While The LEGO Batman Movie also did well with $312 million, The LEGO Ninjago Movie faced mixed reviews and only brought in $123 million. This put a lot of pressure on The LEGO Movie 2 to perform well and convince Warner Bros. to continue the LEGO movie franchise.

The LEGO movie franchise changed hands. The original studio decided not to continue making LEGO movies, so Universal stepped in with a five-year deal starting in 2020. So far, this partnership has only produced one film: the Pharrell Williams biopic, Piece by Piece, which was released in 2024.

Because the film rights have changed hands, it’s currently impossible for the original LEGO Movie series to continue, even if Warner Bros. decided they wanted to make more films.

The LEGO Movie Franchise Was Still Great When It Ended

Even though ticket sales for the LEGO Movie series were dropping, it was still disheartening when the franchise ended seven years ago because the movies were so well-made and had the potential to continue.

I think the original movie is one of the best animated films from the 2010s. It perfectly captures the fun of playing with building bricks. Chris Pratt gives one of his best voice performances, and Will Ferrell is hilarious as Lord Business. The movie’s heartwarming story and the creative building scenes are both fantastic.

The LEGO Batman Movie proved how enjoyable LEGO movies could be when combined with a well-known brand that didn’t take itself too seriously. Its funny use of other popular Warner Bros. franchises at the end also suggested exciting potential for LEGO versions of Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Beetlejuice – the ideas practically jump off the page!

While The LEGO Ninjago Movie isn’t as strong as the other three films, it doesn’t quite capture the same level of humor and engaging characters, it’s still an enjoyable watch.

While The LEGO Movie 2 isn’t quite as brilliant as the original, it’s still a lot of fun, genuinely funny, and has a meaningful message. It’s disappointing that this is where the story concludes for Emmet, Wyldstyle, and their friends, as there was definitely potential for more adventures.

It’s probably a good thing the series ended when it did, before it started feeling repetitive. Still, I would have liked to see at least one more movie to finish the main storyline, or another LEGO Batman film before they stopped making them.

I think the LEGO Movie series could have become a long-term success for Warner Bros. if they’d given it more time to develop. Unfortunately, The LEGO Movie 2 marked the end of the series, even though it was still performing well.

Read More

2026-02-08 16:01