Not all three-quels are created equal. For every Bourne Ultimatum, we have to sit through a dozen or so films of the quality of X-Men: The Last Stand. But even with the VAST chasm of difference in quality between those two films, they do share something in common - they were inevitable. The Bourne Supremacy and X2: X-Men United were huge hits, a lot of their stars came back for the next film, and, most importantly, the fans downright demanded they be made. We're not here to discuss bad three-quels. No, these are "WTF" sequels, the kind that no one really asked to be made, a lot of the creative team from the first two had already left, and fans met with head-scratching more than declarations of "it's about time."

We haven't seen Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - and if ten movies are held back from critics, nine are going to be crap - but, even if it's good or not, was anyone really dying for an Underworld prequel? And one without Kate Beckinsale? There's a certain logic that a movie needs to justify its existence. On paper, we're not sure Lycans does. We hope it's great, but it certainly qualifies as a three-quel no one was begging for. And the same goes for the ten movies on this list.

So, what doesn't qualify? Before you go crazy about how much you hate Alien 3 or Spider-Man 3, think about it for one minute. There was absolutely no stopping those movies from going into production. They were as inevitable as the neverending Saw franchise (and, logically, the awful Saw 3 doesn't make the list either, as horrible as it is). The third movies in the Back to the Future, The Godfather, Terminator, Resident Evil, Blade, Jurassic Park, and Final Destination franchises are the worst of their bloodlines and do we really need to talk about Batman Forever? But they were all as inevitable as the sunrise and featured most of the stars and characters we wanted to see. We asked for it. They gave it to us. Yes, we didn't get exactly what we asked for, but that's not the focus here. We also excluded straight-to-video or very low profile three-quels. So, all you Leprechaun 3 haters can move on.

You can find dozens of "worst three-quel" lists out there. There are bad three-quels and then there are three-quels that never should have happened either because the film before it sucked or all the talent had moved on. Here are the most useless three-quels of all time.

by Brian Tallerico

Runner-Ups: Children of the Corn III, Ernest Goes to Jail, Friday After Next, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Major League: Back to the Minors, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Police Academy 3: Back in Training, Rambo III, and Superman 3

10. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

The first two Fast and the Furious movies had their problems, but did anyone on Earth think that this was a franchise that could go on without stars and change locales to overseas? We know that all action franchises eventually try to appeal to the international market but this was a little too blatant. One of the more forgettable sequels of all time led the producers to return to the stars of the original - Vin Diesel and Paul Walker - for the upcoming re-boot, Fast & Furious. If a three-quel forces a reboot for a franchise that’s not even a decade old, it delivered what nobody asked for.

When the cute kid that is the screaming face of your franchise gets old and acne-ed, it's time to end the franchise. Home Alone 3 is one of those movies that I bet most people barely even know exists. No Culkin. No Pesci. If you can't even entice Daniel Stern to come back for part three, change the name and realize that it's not a part of the same franchise. Only a young Scarlett Johansson went on to do anything notable after this mess. Director Raja Gosnell would go on to direct Big Momma's House, both Scooby-Doo movies and Beverly Hills Chihuahua. The nightmare started here.

8. Rush Hour 3

Yes, the first two Rush Hour movies made enough money to warrant a third flick, so I suppose there were some financial people at New Line looking for a third one, but was anyone else? And it's not like the awful Rush Hour 3 came shortly after the second one. It was six years later, Chris Tucker was too busy counting the money from the first two flicks, and Jackie Chan was officially too old to still be doing martial arts humor, and yet they all answered the phone when Brett Ratner called. (Why does anyone answer the phone when Brett Ratner calls?) Red Dragon, The Last Stand, Rush Hour 3 - he's the king of the crappy three-quel. Someone needs to pass a law making Ratner-directed sequels a crime. Yes we can.

7. Psycho III

This one just makes us sad. The second film barely justifies its existence, but the third one actually hurts, particularly because it was directed by Anthony Perkins and Norman should know better. When he echoes lines from the original like "We all go a little mad sometimes," something within me dies a little bit. Psycho is one of the best movies of all time and the drop-off from sequel to sequel is astonishing. Really, the first posting on the IMDB message board for the film says it all, "Which is better this or Superman 3?" 'Nuff said.

6. Beverly Hills Cop III

Beverly Hills Cop II was bad but it looks like the original compared to this crime against comedy that absolutely no one was begging for seven years after the last film. Eddie Murphy had made some bad movies before this one, but this was the beginning of the end. And we’re still suffering fourteen years later. Featuring none of the wit of the great original film and all of the shtick that Murphy would hammer like a kid with a mallet for the next decade and a half of his career, Beverly Hills Cop III can be used by film teachers as an example for students of the mid-point of an actor's career. In that sense, maybe BHC III does justify its existence. In it, you can watch a career on its way up turn and head in the other direction.

5. Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles

Of all the three-quels, this is probably the one that most people don't even remember happened. Honestly, it took me a minute when I was doing research to remotely remember this exists. I must have repressed it, but according to IMDB it opened on over 2,000 screens in April of 2001. Was it an April Fool's joke? They even have a cast list and a poster. It must have happened. Who knew?

4. The Omen III: The Final Conflict

Like Psycho III and Beverly Hills Cop III, The Final Conflict is another case of a franchise that had already shot itself in the foot with a second film and decided to take aim again with another attempt on the life of a beloved original. The original Omen is about a man dealing with either his own fractured sanity or a child of the devil. It's an underrated horror film, one of the better ones of its era. The sequel is a mess, but it at least tries to keep up the theme of the horror that would result from not recognizing your own family as even human. The Final Conflict follows an adult Damien trying to take over and end the world. I’m getting bored even writing about it… Yawn.

3. Halloween III: Season of the Witch

The funny thing about Season of the Witch is that it's not THAT awful a film if judged outside of one of the most influential franchises of all time. It's only when you imagine yourself buying a ticket to see another Michael Myers movie that you realize how aggravating Halloween III must have been. Imagine going to see Saw VI and it has NOTHING to do with the previous films. There would be riots. It wouldn't matter if it was good, bad, whatever; it's the false advertising that makes this an easy choice to place high on the useless three-quels list.

2. Robocop 3

Clearly there's a pattern - when the first film is a classic, it's almost impossible to make a third one that's any good. Think about it. With the Bourne movies, there was room for improvement after Identity. But where do you go after Psycho, Halloween, or Robocop? You sure as hell don't go to Robocop 3, one of the worst sci-fi movies of all time. The worst thing about Robocop 3 is that they went for a PG-13. Watch Robocop again and imagine a PG-13 sequel. Just think about it. Don't ever, ever watch it. It is the ultimate case of a company thinking that all they need to do is use a beloved original like a brand name. Well, maybe not the ultimate....

1. Jaws 3-D

There is no bigger drop in quality from first film to three-quel than Spielberg's masterpiece to this piece of junk. If it wasn't for the 3-D gimmick, it would just be a so-so sequel, but the gimmick makes it a movie no one really wanted. Spielberg found a way to make a Great White 3D without glasses and then they go and latch a stupid gimmick on to its sequel? The thing that makes Jaws 3-D the ultimate three-quel that nobody asked for is that it is the complete opposite of one of the best movies ever made. Where Jaws is riveting, Jaws 3-D is boring. Where Jaws uses cinematic tools to thrill, the three-quel uses a gimmick. Nobody on Earth was saying, "You know what we need? A sequel to Jaws without any of the cast members or the original or even the sequel director! And let's put it all in 3-D!" Well, nobody but the idiots who made it. The funniest thing is that if we ever do a "Four-quels Nobody Asked For," we all know that the film that followed this one would probably top it. But it started here. Think about that. Without Jaws 3-D, there would be no Jaws 4: The Revenge, arguably the worst movie ever made. Nobody asked for that one either.