Top 10 Fourth Movies in a Franchise: From Rocky IV to Mad Max: Fury Road

The fourth installment of a franchise can be a risky proposition, but it can also be an opportunity for reinvention.

Apr. 11, 2026 at 11:15am

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A striking, minimalist illustration featuring jagged, geometric shapes in high-contrast colors, conceptually representing the creative risks and rewards of a fourth movie in a long-running franchise.A fourth movie in a franchise can be a risky proposition, but also an opportunity for reinvention, as seen in the bold, abstract visual metaphor.Seattle Today

This article explores the top 10 fourth movies in various film franchises, from Rocky IV to Mad Max: Fury Road. It discusses how the fourth installment can be a make-or-break moment for a franchise, with some films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers: Endgame proving to be critical and commercial successes, while others struggle to find their footing. The article provides an in-depth analysis of what makes these fourth films stand out, whether it's their ability to reinvent the franchise, their cultural impact, or their technical achievements.

Why it matters

The fourth movie in a franchise is a crucial moment that can either solidify a series as a cultural juggernaut or send it into decline. This article examines the factors that contribute to the success or failure of these fourth installments, providing insights into the creative and commercial challenges of sustaining a long-running franchise.

The details

The article highlights several notable fourth films, including Mad Max: Fury Road, which the author considers the greatest fourth film ever made. It explores how Fury Road functions as a soft reboot, a legacy sequel, and a canonically coherent extension of the Mad Max mythos. The article also discusses Avengers: Endgame, which the author argues is the 22nd Marvel Cinematic Universe film and not just the fourth Avengers movie, and how it perfectly caps off the arcs for the core Avengers characters. Other films discussed include Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Toy Story 4, Jurassic World, Rocky IV, and John Wick: Chapter 4.

  • The fourth Mad Max film, Fury Road, was released in 2015 after a decade of development.
  • Avengers: Endgame, the fourth Avengers film, was released in 2019 as the culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's "Infinity Saga".
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was released in 1986, following the darker, more serious tone of the previous two Star Trek films.
  • Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol was released in 2011, five years after the previous installment in the franchise.
  • 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, the fourth film in the 28 Days Later franchise, was released in 2022.

The players

George Miller

The director of Mad Max: Fury Road, who spent over a decade developing the film.

Leonard Nimoy

The director of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, who took the franchise in a more comedic direction.

Chad Stahelski

The director of the John Wick franchise, who has created the greatest original action movie series of the 21st century.

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What they’re saying

“Fury Road ambitiously explores what hope humanity has in the face of rapacious barbarism. It's uncomfortably prescient, to say the least.”

— The author

“To be sure, Endgame perfectly caps off the arcs for the core Avengers, so much so that even the less-celebrated Avengers: Age of Ultron feels more meaningful in retrospect.”

— The author

“The most impressive thing about Toy Story 4 is how imaginatively it reckons with the deceptive finality of Toy Story 3.”

— The author

The takeaway

The fourth installment of a franchise can be a make-or-break moment, but the best fourth movies in a franchise are those that manage to reinvent the series, explore new creative territory, and solidify their place as cultural touchstones. This article highlights the films that have succeeded in this regard, providing valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities of sustaining a long-running franchise.