When crafting the best movie franchises, making a great second entry is a huge challenge for filmmakers who have to refine what worked in the first film while pushing the story into darker territory, and raise the stakes in convincing ways. Think The Dark Knight, The Empire Strikes Back, or Spider-Man 2—all sequels widely considered superior to their predecessors. But is the second movie always the best in a trilogy? According to Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes director Wes Ball—whose film can be streamed with a Hulu subscription—the answer is a resounding yes. But I’m not so sure I agree.
Wes Ball isn’t holding back his excitement about where the franchise of some of the best sci-fi movies ever could go next, especially since Kingdom marks the start of a new chapter. And it sounds like he’s already considering where to take these characters next. While keeping specifics under wraps, he made it clear in a Collider interview that talks for a sequel are already in motion:
Yeah, we're talking about it. That's all I can say, really. But I'm greedy. I've got multiple things that I'm playing with right now. I'd love to do all of them, but there are so many cool places that we could go with the next one. We have these ideas of where we want it to go. Things are set up in this movie that you don't even realize are setups. But movie two is almost always the best one of the trilogy. That's the way it works. That's where all the drama is, where all the conflict is, and that's where this really dark stuff happens, or really consequential stuff.
And look, I get where he’s coming from. Plenty of legendary second movies support his theory (The Godfather Part II, Star Trek II). Sequels are where things can get more intense, the stakes skyrocket, and the characters face their most demanding challenges. And hey, I can’t argue with that logic.
But let’s be honest: second films aren’t always the best. Sometimes, the third movie sticks the landing in a way that leaves the rest of the trilogy in the dust.
Third Films That Outshine the Rest
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – Swept the Oscars and remains one of the greatest cinematic achievements ever.
- Logan – Technically the third Wolverine solo film, but come on—this was peak X-Men.
- Revenge of the Sith – The most emotional and action-packed of the Star Wars prequels.
- The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – Took the Dollars trilogy to a new level.
- Toy Story 3 – You felt those tears in the incinerator scene.
- Avengers: Infinity War – Thanos won in this third outing of Earth's Mightiest Heros. Granted, this Empire Strikes Back moment comes in the third of a technical quadrilogy.
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade – Harrison Ford and Sean Connery made this one a classic.
- Thor: Ragnarok – The most fun Thor movie by a mile. Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that this tone is also set up for the mess that is Thor: Love & Thunder.
Ball’s logic is solid on the whole. Second films often benefit from not having to do all the setup of a first movie while avoiding the pressure of wrapping up an entire trilogy. But there are plenty of examples where a trilogy’s grand finale is the one that truly sticks the landing.
Of course, whether Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes’ sequel — reportedly eyeing a 2027 release — ends up proving Ball’s theory remains to be seen.
Speaking of sequels, the 2025 movie schedule is stacked with follow-ups to some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood—Avatar, Jurassic Park, and plenty of upcoming superhero movies. Will they live up to their predecessors or even surpass them? Only time will tell.
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