20 Movie Sequels That Took WAY Too Long

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]Most hit movie sequels tend to get a few things right. They offer an intriguing twist on the original formula without straying too far away from it. And perhaps most importantly of all, they tend to release in a timely fashion. And unfortunately, a great many movie sequels have failed to do exactly that last thing, coming out years or maybe even decades after they would have been totally relevant, leaving us all looking like the fell at the end of The Last Crusade by the time they actually drop.

[00:00:30]I'm Euan. You're watching What Culture, and here are a whole bunch of movie sequels that took way too long. First up, Sin City, a Dame to kill for. If you can cast your mind back to the 2000s, you'll remember that Sin City is one of the most distinctive films of that era.

[00:00:48]A rivetingly pulpy adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel series, which is both critically successful and a box office smash. Director Robert Rodriguez swiftly announced plans for a follow-up based on Miller's comic series A Thain to kill for, but development dragged on for years due to both Rodriguez and Miller struggles to crack the script and um those producers, you know, the ones reportedly messing up production. After numerous delays, Sin City, a Dame to kill for, you got to say it like that, was finally released in August 2014, almost a full decade after the original and amid wildly mixed reviews, was a major box office flop, grossing less than 25% of what its predecessor did.

[00:01:35]The consensus from fans and analysts alike was that Rodriguez and company simply took too long to get the sequel made. And by 2014, there just wasn't much remaining enthusiasm for the Sin City brand on the whole. Next up, Tron Aries. Oh, Tron fans, I really feel for you. 2010's Trong Legacy concluded with quite the tantalizing tease for a third film as program Quora, played by Olivia Wild, found her way into the real world, seemingly teeing up a prequel where the fantastical world of Tron clashed with our own reality. But Tron Legacy, despite being a good film, was a box office disappointment, barely grossing $400 million worldwide against a hefty $170 million budget. And so despite the film's sizable cult following, Disney was slow to greenlight Tron 3 with numerous filmmakers becoming attached to the project before ultimately leaving.

[00:02:34]It wasn't until the summer of 2023 that cameras finally began rolling on Tron Aries, a soft reboot to the franchise helmed by Hakee Roning. Yet many were left feeling that it was just too little too late. Now, far be it for me to say something brave yet controversial, but um a direct sequel to Tron Legacy is probably what everyone wanted, right?

[00:02:58]Not a quasi reimagining led by Jared Leto of all people and one which teased we might return the story of Tron Legacy if the Jared Leto movie was a hit at the box office. This means we'll probably be left waiting more than 15 years for a fourth Tron movie if we do in fact ever end up getting one again. Thanks, Leto.

[00:03:22]Good luck messing up Masters of the Universe as well, I guess. Next up, Twisters.

[00:03:29]Twisters.

[00:03:31]Twisters.

[00:03:33]There were never such devoted twisters.

[00:03:37]Just thought I'd uh hit you with the the White Christmas Twisters crossover. you never knew you needed.

[00:03:43]You're welcome. Swiftly consigning that to a black hole somewhere, uh 1996's iconic disaster film Twister was a massive commercial success, grossing a hair shy of half a billion big ones globally on a budget of 88 million, leading many to assume that Twisters 2 would be fasttracked into production.

[00:04:05]But Hollywood wasn't quite so IP dependent as it is in the more precarious and risk averse creative climate of today. But even so, a Twister sequel that reunited original stars Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton would have been the easiest sell imaginable. But Twisters didn't enter early development until 2020, both a near quarter century after the original film's release and also 3 years after Bill Paxton sadly passed away. A huge, huge loss. Like, we we'll never have another one of him ever again. All the same, Twisters was originally pitched as a legacy sequel of sorts, co-starring Helen Hunt, but this was ultimately rejected in favor of a standalone sequel focused on an entirely new cast. Twisters finally released in 2024, and it was um fine. Yeah. But by taking almost the better part of 30 years to hit screens without either Paxton or Hunt involved, it simply failed to target people's nostalgia receptors. and in turn underperformed commercially. Like it doesn't really require much imagination to see a Twister sequel starring Paxton and Hunt releasing in 2000 maybe and absolutely cleaning up. But alas, it never came to be. On the way, Dumb and Dumber 2. Dumb and Dumber was one of the most successful and downright iconic comedies of the 1990s. And despite the clear appetite for a sequel, it didn't materialize in the years that followed.

[00:05:44]This was due to a number of factors.

[00:05:46]Behind the scenes rights issues, the difficulty of securing Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels involvement, and a comedy landscape that was shifting away from goofy slapstick and toilet humor. In the meantime, Dumb and Dummer's dubious set brand was sullied by 2003's Wretched prequel, Dumb and Dumber, when Harry Met Lloyd, which naturally featured neither Carrie nor Daniels before the Farley Brothers finally produced a sequel in 2014. Despite its undeniably brilliant title and solid run at the box office, Dumb and Dumber are 2 was a textbook example of a too late belated comedy sequel that felt more sad than funny.

[00:06:29]Now, this could just be me, but while Carrie and Daniels were clearly game to make the movie, seeing that characters largely unchanged in middle age was kind of depressing. and releasing some three decades after the original, the comedy here just kind of felt a bit stale and dated. With that all said, clearly the time for a dumb and dumber sequel was the late '9s or early 2000s, but a time when the theatrical comedy was fast becoming an endangered species, and its iconic lead actor was sadly well past his peak of popularity. Next up, Gladiator 2. Now, in total fairness, you can make a compelling argument that Ridley Scott's best pictureinning epic Gladiator didn't really need a sequel at all because it tells a complete story with a suitably, you know, definitive ending. But as we all know, the first film's astronomical success led Scott to swiftly consider making one anyway, suggesting a movie focused on the life of Lucilla's son, Lucius, as played by Connie Nielsen and Spencer Tree Clark, respectively. Several Gladiator 2 scripts were written in the years that followed, including a particularly wild one from Nick Cave, where Russell Crow's Maximus was resurrected as an immortal warrior, but none of them made it to the screen. Development then stalled for the better part of two decades until Scott finally circled back the idea of continuing Lucius's story with Paul Mscal later being cast in the role and the film finally being released in 2024.

[00:08:04]Much to everyone's shrug and shag grin shrug grin if you will. The movie was bad. Say for a scenery devouring Denzel Washington Gladiator 2 didn't have much going for it at all. And while there was likely no scenario that bringing Crow back would have made sense, a gladiator sequel would have probably had a little more juice if it came out within a say a decade of the original's release.

[00:08:31]Instead of a height of his powers Riddley Scott at the helm, we got the decidedly less fussed Scott of today, who to be honest just seems content to keep himself busy and not much else. On the way, Independence Day Resurgence.

[00:08:47]Getting an Independence Day sequel released within 5 years of the 1996 original should have been an absolute no-brainer and an obvious slam dunk. The original movie was the second highest grossing film ever at the time of its release. And a sequel didn't really have to be much more than The Aliens Are Back for some reason. Well, I don't know, maybe they left a car keys or something.

[00:09:14]But writer and director Roland Emmerick and co-writer Dean Develin puzzlingly struggled to crack the premise for Independence Day 2. And it wasn't until the early 2010s that it finally started moving forward. Yeah. Development hit a major snag when Will Smith decided not to return. reportedly a combination of his own salary requirements and scheduling conflicts with Suicide Squad, which is like the Hollywood equivalent of an unwininnable trolley problem.

[00:09:44]Like, hit the switch, you have to do Suicide Squad and you don't appear in Independent State Resurgence, or you hit the switch and you do Independent State Resurgence and still Suicide Squad gets made and it's still bad. And with all that in mind, Emmerick forged ahead with a Smithless sequel focused instead on his stepson Dylan, played by Jesse T.

[00:10:05]Usher. A setup which mustered little enthusiasm from the, you know, moviegoing populace. Independence Day Resurgence was finally released in 2016, but to mediocre reviews while also underperforming commercially. an outcome so far gone that Emmerick even later admitted his regret making the film without Will Smith. But, you know, if the sequel was made in the early 2000s with Smith's involvement, it would have been a monstrous hit. Although, I seriously doubt there's any chance of replicating those delicious '90s vibes even that close to its original release.

[00:10:41]like that first movie. It has like innocence to it which, you know, we kind of kind of don't have post, you know, the 2000s. So, uh, yeah, I don't know.

[00:10:53]Next up, Escape from LA. Caveat for the century. I love this movie, but I will say maybe a little bit late. John Carpenters's Escape from New York follow-up, Escape from LA, is a classic example of striking while the iron is cold. Because 1981's original sci-fi action film Escape from New York was a huge box office hit, making $50 million against a mere $6 million budget. Though a sequel swiftly entered consideration, this one took a full 15 years to come out. In large part due to the horrible time Carpenter had working on the script for Halloween 2 and also, you know, making a metric ton of iconic cinema within that time, not least of which The Thing, Big Triple, and Little China, and also In the Mouth of Madness. Not enough people have seen that one. Now, it was reportedly star Kurt Russell's Persistence, which got Escape from LA made, but the end result received considerably worse reviews than Escape from New York, while making less money on a much, much larger budget. Even accepting Escape from LA as the deeply weird cult sequel it is today, and one I personally think is a great film, and you should go watch our deep dive on it as to why, we might have had an actual franchise of these movies. if the sequel got made just a few years after the original where its budget could have been maybe kept more in check. You know what? I don't really care. I'm happy we got Escape from LA. That movie is wonderful. And also Bruce Campbell, his role as the surgeon general of Beverly Hills.

[00:12:30]So good. Next up, Return to Silent Hill.

[00:12:35]The modest success of 2006's adaptation of horror video game Silent Hill suggested a wider franchise was on the horizon. And though writer and director Kristoff Gans was swiftly rehired to direct a follower based on the beloved Silent Hill 2, development dizzled in the years that followed. Sony instead insisted on a different sequel without Ganza's involvement six years later, Silent Hill Revelation, which failed to connect with anyone really, cuz it was really bad. This combined with the declining cred of the Silent Hill brand throughout the 2010s, where it was basically gameless, seemingly killed much commercial interest in a third film. Though by 2020, Gans reaffirmed that he was once again attempting to make Silent Hill 2. The film Return to Silent Hill was finally released this past January, almost a full 20 years after Gans's original hit cinemas to an absolute pummeling from critics and fans alike. In fact, I brought in the What Culture Gaming crew to work out their many complicated feelings with the film with a little bit of roleplay. Observe.

[00:13:49]Ah, just get the glasses off. Put this on here. I'm going to have to hold it in because we can't afford good cellar tape. So, um, yeah, just say what you're feeling.

[00:13:58]We waited 20 years for you. 20 full years to give us one of the best stories ever made and you give us a twist where it's not even a twist anymore. James Sunderland loses all of his all of his depth because now Mary says, "Please, James, kill me. Kill me."

[00:14:14]>> You know what, Silent Hill? Return to Silent Hill. You are without a doubt the worst film I have ever seen. There is no exaggeration. You are an ugly, cheaply made, misogynist, absolute mess that that at best is ignorant of the source material and at worst is contemptuous.

[00:14:32]>> I agree.

[00:14:32]>> I don't even care about Silent Hill. I just walked in with my roof.

[00:14:37]>> Guys, it's me.

[00:14:38]>> No. Oh. Oh, YOU'RE THE WORST GUY. I HEAR YOU. YOU SUCK.

[00:14:44]>> YOUR ATTITUDE IS CONTEMPTUOUS.

[00:14:49]GO GET OUT OF HERE.

[00:14:52]H, you know, um, angry angry people. So, yeah, with all that out of the way, uh, Silent Hill is absolutely not an IP that should have laid dormant for so damn long. And had this adaptation been made in the wake of the first film's success, Gans would have likely been given a larger budget and I don't know, would have maybe saved me from being yelled at by my colleagues. But no, he had to settle for a mere $23 million, less than half of what the original cost produced two decades prior. And yeah, it it sure showed. on the way. The Matrix Resurrections.

[00:15:32]Even though 2003's third Matrix film was created as a conclusion to the original trilogy, it disappointed enough fans and left enough doors open that many were eager to see the Wowskis continue that story, which we got sort of with some Matrix spin-off media like video games and stuff like that in the years that followed. But another 18 years passed before The Matrix 4 finally came out.

[00:15:58]And though Keanu Reeves and Karen Moss were still game, it was painfully clear that Lana Wowski didn't really want to make the sequel, only doing so because Warner Brothers would have made it regardless. And look, I I know Resurrections has its detractors, and I would not begrudge anyone for not really vibing with it. But I found the movie to be a cathartically defiant piece of blockbuster cinema and an emphatic statement on artistic possession and expression. That being said, even though it was released in the wake of the legacy sequel craze of the post Force Awakens era, you would imagine a Matrix movie releasing in the mid200s would have landed with potentially wider enthusiasm. Although again, would there have been any point making it without the Wowskis actually wanting to do so?

[00:16:49]My own personal take here is that no, no, no, there wouldn't. And the prospect of more Matrix movies without the sisters involvement doesn't have me excited either. But let me know your takes down below. Are you down for more Matrix or is this a Y2K franchise that shouldn't be dragged into the present?

[00:17:07]Next up, Happy Gilmore 2. Happy Gilmore may have been a fairly modest commercial success on original release in 1996, but over the years that followed, it amassed a large cult fan base as Adam Sandler's own fame began to balloon. Sandler talked up the prospect of a sequel for years and years until in 2024, it was finally confirmed that Netflix would be producing Happy Gilmore 2 with many prominent cast members returning. A sequel was finally released last summer.

[00:17:39]And though it wasn't much more than an excruciatingly overong 2-hour carousel of cameos and callbacks to the original, there were sadly several actors who'd passed away during the near 30 years between films. Francis Bay, Richard Ke, Bob Barker, and Joe Flertity died in 2011 through to 2024. But the real kicker was the February 2024 passing of Carl Weathers, who unforgettably played Chubbs in that original film. Even though Chubs himself died in the first Happy Gilmore, he was set to return as a ghost this time around. The weather's sudden passing forced the script to be rewritten. Clearly, with so many memorable actors from the original film dying over the past decade or so, the time to make Happy Gilmore 2 would have probably been around 2010, not 2024.

[00:18:33]Next up, Golden Eyeun.

[00:18:41]Sorry, it's a really good theme. Golden Eye found his weakness.

[00:18:51]I forget people watch these.

[00:18:53]1989's James Bond film, License to Kill, was Timothy Dalton's second and ultimately annoyingly final time playing 007, but that wasn't the original plan.

[00:19:05]Huno, a then unnamed third outing for Dalton, was initially set to shoot in 1990 for a late 1991 release. The script was ready and a director was being sarred, but pre-production ultimately stalled due to disagreements about the bond rights between MGM, United Artists, and Alberta R. Broccoli's firm, Danjac.

[00:19:26]The legal fracker, oh my god, what a great word, dragged on long enough that Dalton's 7-year contract to star in three Bond films expired. And though he later agreed to return regardless, he ultimately vacated the role permanently after Broccoli insisted he sign on for several more Bond movies. Dude was like, "Thank you, but uh no, I I am I am bored now." Which is, you know, fair. And so the hunt for a new Bond was on with original Living Daylight's Choice Pierce Brosman eventually being cast and his debut film Golden Eye finally releasing in November 1995, an entire 6 years and 4 months after License to Kill. As brilliant as the Broden Leeration of Golden Eye ended up being, it's a damn shame we didn't get at least one more film out of Daltton because of boring legal nonsense. And especially so because barring Daniel Craig, he feels like the most source accurate interpretation of Ian Flooding Super Spy. He's just such a great portrayal completely let down by the films he starred in. Next up, Space Jam: A New Legacy. Though it didn't do much for critics, Space Jam was an undeniably iconic sports comedy whose intermingling of the NBA and Looney Tunes wowed an entire generation of young movie goers.

[00:20:52]It's not as good as Back in Action, but you know, not that I'm incredibly bitter about that film not getting a sequel while Space Jam soaks up all the adoration or anything. Why would you say that? Why would you accuse me of such an attitude?

[00:21:07]Still really gutted. back in action.

[00:21:08]Never got that sequel to be honest.

[00:21:11]Just, you know, the acne chairman. Put some respect on the acne chairman's name, please.

[00:21:19]God damn it. But um back to that other Liberty Tunes movie, I guess. And uh Space Jam's box office success caused immediate sequel discussions. But as time dragged on, Michael Jordan opted not to return, prompting WB to consider other sequels starring the likes of Jackie Chan, Tiger Woods, okay, and uh even Tony Hawk. These sequels were all killed after the commercial failure of Back in Action in 2003. And another decade passed before any serious attempts were made to rekindle Space Jam 2. In 2014, it was announced that LeBron James would star in the sequel, but the project's sluggish development meant that Space Jam: A New Legacy ultimately did not release until 2021. The sequel was largely panned by critics and fans of the original with many feeling that even without its shameless IP shilling premise, Space Jam just wasn't all that culturally relevant by the 2020s. It's like Independence Day, one of those '90s artifacts that couldn't be repeated.

[00:22:25]They don't mind having to overcome the poor odds of Warner Brothers having neglected the tunes for a good decade by the time of its premiere. Man, I really really hope that Cody versus Acme does well because um I'm rooting for that movie so hard on the way. Blair Witch though 1999's found footage masterpiece, The Blair Witch Project, was enough of a pop culture phenomenon that a sequel was released barely a year later. This nonfound footage sequel, Book of Shadows Blair Witch 2, was a critical bust and fell far short of the originals box of it success. Even so, it's frankly flabbergasting that Blair Witch fans had to wait another 16 years for a third movie, especially considering both the enduring popularity of the original film and the series deep vein of largely untapped lore. The Adam Wingard directed third Blair Witch film returned the original found footage style, but releasing in the mid2010s as it did. Of course, it went the dull legacy sequel route, serving up a sort of but not really follow-up to the 1999 film. Fans who'd waited so long for a new film wanted more than a warmed over rehash of what came before, which combined with the declining popularity of found footage made this a sequel that came at least 5 years later than it maybe should have. On the way, Incredibles 2. At the time of its 2004 release, The Incredibles was the second highest grossing Pixar film behind only Finding Nemo. And while Disney has never been one to rush out sequels, a 14-year wait was torturously long, even for the House of Mouse's standards. And though Incredibles 2 was a monstrous box office hit to the tune of 1.243 billion, there was an overwhelming consensus from fans that it was a good but not great sequel that suffered from taking so long to release. For one, the first film ended on a cliffhanger, which the sequel immediately picked up from, which creates something of an awkward vibe right from the jump considering the massive leap in animation quality. And also, you know, did we did we really need to know what happened immediately after the first movie? Like, we already got that rise of the Underminer game, and that was pretty fun, too. So, um, just feels a bit overly fanervicey to jump back in like that. And also, for those of you who have done this, you'll probably agree that watching both Incredibles movies back to back is a slightly jarring experience because while they should feel totally off piece with one another, the technological jump actually proves kind of weird. Plus, we become so oversaturated with superhero by 2018 that the incredible sequel lacks some of the spark it surely would have had by releasing in the late or early 2010s. Not one to uh learn from their lesson though, Disney currently has Incredibles 3 slated to release in 2028, an entire decade on from the previous movie. Next up, Den of Thieves: Panta.

[00:25:36]2018's Gerard Butler starring crime thriller Den of Thieves was a modest box office success and despite mixed reviews became a bit of a cult hit on home video largely thanks to its complimentary we have heat at home kind of vibes. The film's twist ending cued up an easy sequel too and though writer and director Christian Gudigas confirmed it would be happening just a month after the original's release. shooting ended up being delayed for several years. This was for a few reasons. First and foremost, the impact of the pandemic and also the conflicting schedules of Stars Butler and O'Shea Jackson Jr. By the time that Den of Thieves 2: Panta finally came out in January 2025, an entire 7 years had passed, which while a mere blip compared to some films on this list, is an absolute age for a sequel to a relatively low-key mid-budget film.

[00:26:35]With all that in mind, it wasn't too surprising that the sequel grossed considerably less than its predecessor on a much bigger budget. And though Lionsgate has already green lit a planned prequel, who knows when and if we might actually see it on the way.

[00:26:52]Basic Instinct 2. So, love it or hate it, Basic Instinct was one of the most iconic films of the 1990s. A bit tame as far as erotic thrillers go, but an iconic piece of cinema all the same. The film's staggering $353 million box office hall sparked fast interest in a sequel. But by 2001, development had stalled enough that star Sharon Stone actually sued the producers, alleging she was promised $14 million, even if that follow-up never got made. By 2004, producers finally agreed to make the film. And Basic Instinct 2 hit cinemas in 2006 where it was near universally panned for being an outrageously silly rehash of the original film, but also arrived way way too late. Though there was a predictably sexist discourse about a 48-year-old Stone being quote unquote too old to lead an erotic thriller at the time, which is mad. It goes without saying that a Basic Instinct 2 released about a decade earlier when Stone was more popular and fresh off an Oscar nom for Casino would have surely been more successful. Next up, The Old Guard 2.

[00:28:06]Given that director streaming blockbusters have a particular air of uh disposability about them, it's especially important that they knock out a sequel or two in short order to ensure that audiences don't forget they ever saw the original. Case in point, those extraction movies starring Chris Hemsworth. But one Netflix original that didn't follow that mantra was The Old Guard, which released in 2020 and ended with a blatant sequel tease. By January 2021, the streamer had green lit the sequel with most major cast members expected to return. Though the sequel was shot in the summer of 2022, it didn't end up releasing for another three years due to post-production being shut down for a lengthy period amid unspecified regime changes at Netflix, according to producer and star Charlie.

[00:28:59]And so almost exactly 5 years passed between the two films, which is an absolute age when considering the shelf life of your average streaming genre movie. By the time The Old Guard 2 came out, folks couldn't even remember if they'd seen the original. And to make matters even worse, the sequel also ended on a cliffhanger, setting up a third film, which may now also may or may not get made. Dumb. On the way, Blues Brothers 2000. The unfortunate truth is that the window for a truly worthy sequel to 1980s legendary musical comedy The Blues Brothers was extremely small. given that star John Belalushi passed away barely 18 months after the first film's production. But dusting the Blues Brothers brand off for a sequel 20 years later, even with John Goodman subbing in for Belushi, just wasn't all that appealing. And in a move so many saw coming, it was both a critical disappointment and a massive box office bomb. Look, some films are simply perfect one-offs that don't need a sequel, especially when a key cast member passes away at such a young age and is so entwined with its legacy. And while a second Blues Brothers might have worked had it released while the original film was still popular, the 20-year way obliterated basically any prospect of this being both a critical and a financial success. All the same, Dan Akroyd does continue to talk up a potential third movie, but it seems overwhelmingly unlikely to happen at this point in time, and that's fine. The original is a masterpiece regardless in a movie that holds a very special place in all our hearts. On the way, Ready or Not 2, here I come. Horror comedy Ready or Not was a solid critical and commercial success when it released back in August 2019. And though many expected its highly specific story to be a sure one-off, in March 2024, Search Light Pictures confirmed that they were pursuing a sequel. But it was another 2 years after that before Ready or Not to Here I Come was released, bringing the gap between sequels to a stoning 6 years and 7 months. This might have been less problematic for a sequel that picked up many, many years later, but considering that Ready or Not 2 kicks off basically seconds after the first film, the almost 7-year wait was less than ideal. While producer James Vanderbilt stated that the creative team took their time to find the right story and didn't merely want to repeat the first film, this is absolutely a case where they really needed to strike while the iron was hot and the original was still in recent pop cultural memory. All that said, Ready or Not 2 was decently received by critics, but it also catastrophically underperformed at the box office and will likely gross barely half of what the original made by the end of its run.

[00:31:58]on more than double the budget, no less.

[00:32:02]And last up, we have The Wicker Tree.

[00:32:05]Oh, Lord. Oh, Jesus Christ. It's my impression of being burned alive in The Wicker Man.

[00:32:12]Yeah. And finally, we have 1973's The Wicker Man, which is one of the greatest horror films of all time, albeit one that categorically did not need a sequel, and especially not almost four decades after the fact. Though original screenwriter Anthony Schaefer wrote a sequel treatment in 1989, which hilariously was also like 15 years after the original came out, it never went into production after Wickcomand director Robin Hardy expressed no interest in making it. In 2006, the infamous Nicholas Cage starring remake was produced, after which Hardy finally decided to develop a spiritual sequel, The Wicked Tree, based on his own 2006 novel, Cowboys for Christ. Yeehaw! The Wicked Tree was released in 2011, some 38 years after the original, by which point the very idea of even a spiritual successor just felt incredibly tired.

[00:33:15]For one, original star Christopher Lee was well into his late 80s the time that shooting began. So, he was only able to appear for a brief cameo, and it was also abundantly clear that Hardy, who hadn't directed a film in 25 years, just didn't have the film making flare anymore. A Wickerman sequel would have maybe made sense in the 80s or '9s, but by the 2010s, the energy just wasn't really there.