Son of the Mask (2005)

Son of the Mask is a 2005 superhero comedy film directed by Lawrence Guterman. A standalone sequel to The Mask (1994), it is the second film in The Mask franchise, an adaptation of the comic book series of the same name by Dark Horse Comics. The film stars Jamie Kennedy as Tim Avery, an aspiring animator whose child is born with the powers of the Mask of Loki. It co-stars Alan Cumming as Loki himself, whom Odin has ordered to recover the Mask, alongside Traylor Howard, Kal Penn, Steven Wright, Bob Hoskins as Odin and Ryan and Liam Falconer as Tim’s baby, Alvey. Ben Stein cameos as Doctor Arthur Neuman from the original film.

Plans for a second film started as early as 1996 when an issue of Nintendo Power held a promotional contest, but since Jim Carrey declined to return to the sequel due to his personal experiences with Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, the contest ultimately failed. Development would eventually restart in 2001 with Kennedy starring in the role, and the majority of the film was shot in Sydney, Australia from late-November 2003 to early-April 2004. After being delayed from a tentative Summer to October 15, 2004 release, the film was eventually released in theaters on February 18, 2005 by New Line Cinema in the United States and on March 10, 2005 by Warner Bros. Pictures in Germany. Upon release, Son of the Mask was panned by critics, with large criticism pointed directly towards its script, lack of the original cast, visual effects and moments too inappropriate for a PG-rated film. The film grossed $59.9 million worldwide, less than its $84–$100 million budget, making it a box-office failure, especially compared to its predecessor's critical and commercial success. Since then, it is widely considered as one of the worst films of all time.