National Treasure: Book of Secrets

Benjamin Franklin Gates and Abigail Chase re-team with Riley Poole and, now armed with a stack of long-lost pages from John Wilkes Booth's diary, Ben must follow a clue left there to prove his ancestor's innocence in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Critics were largely dismissive, finding the sequel a recycled, improbable retread of the original that squanders its cast. Audiences, however, responded far more warmly — a rare and significant gap between press reception and popular enthusiasm that defines the film's legacy.