The article argues that some film trilogies decline in quality with each instalment, despite Hollywood’s long-standing appeal for self-contained three-film stories.

– Ant-Man: praised for its grounded heist style before increasingly convoluted, CGI-heavy sequels.
– Clerks: said to lose the original’s freshness through less distinctive and more sombre follow-ups.
– Tron: described as moving from cult novelty to visually impressive but weaker sequels, culminating in a failed revival.
– The Hangover: introduced as another example of a franchise that deteriorated across its sequels.