How franchises and branded films killed independent and creative thought.
Avengers: Endgame is now the highest grossing film of all time. It’s earned over $2.7 billion at the box office, and has solidified the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s place as the highest grossing franchise of all time, with Spider-Man: Far From Home proving that the formula is not yet tired, and audience are keen to come back for more. It’s clear now more than ever that superheroes rule the box office. Which begs the question — where do we go next?
The film industry is currently dominated by franchised and branded films, that are led by existing characters and properties. These films cover a wide range of genres, from universe-building films such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and series-based films that produce sequel-mania such as Resident Evil. Audience show up, pay money, and continue the fad. While independent filmmakers and creative ideas in film suffer and never see the light of day. And without realising it, filmmakers are sacrificing creative merit in order to churn out basic, repetitive and unoriginal films, all the while viewers watching these franchised films are limiting their own creative thought and imagination.
When 8 out of 10 of the highest grossing films worldwide are all franchise films, and sequels to previously existing films, we see that audiences have clearly spoken by spending most of their money on franchise films. Not to mention that half of them are superhero films, and 7 out of 10 are distributed by Disney (talk about the monopolisation and world domination of the entertainment industry by one entity), but I digress.
At the time of writing this, the films Titanic and Avatar, are the only exclusions to the rule. That being, they are only films in the top 10 highest grossing worldwide that are not from a wider franchise or brand. Both Titanic and Avatar are directed by James Cameron.
It comes as no surprise that Cameron has an opinion on the matter. He speaks often about his disdain of franchised films, and in particular the superhero film phase Hollywood seems to be going through right now. He said publicly in 2018 that he hopes, and expects that audiences will eventually get “superhero fatigue”. Expressing the opinion that audiences have gone into a state of only watching the same superhero, blockbuster, franchised films which tell the same story over and over again. Cameron, however rudely he may have put it, is right. Repeating the same stories and drawing on existing properties for new films limits the creative merit of filmmakers and shuns true independent thought in film that sparks new ideas from the limelight.
Side note: in an ironic twist, Cameron will release four forthcoming Avatar films, on the pre-Christmas weekend every other year beginning in 2021 — turning Avatar into a franchise itself.
Yet it doesn’t look like superhero fatigue will come true any time soon. If we look at the most recent numbers, the year of 2018 was dominated relentlessly by superhero films, and franchise sequels more widely. The top 5 are exclusively franchise films, and all made over $1 billion. From Avengers: Infinity War, to Jurassic World, and Aquaman they all broke the $1 billion-dollar mark, and they were the only films to do it that year. Audiences have proved time and time again, that they’ll continue to show up for a superhero fist fight, and to see their favourite character battle it out again. Franchise films continually prove that audiences have a seemingly unlimited demand for them. This extends to even trailer viewership and interests in a film before it is released, with 289 million viewing the Avengers: Endgame trailer in just 24 hours. We only ought to look at the data of the most viewed trailer in 24 hours, with 8 of the top 10 being franchised films.
So where does the problem with franchised film ultimately lie, and how do we fix it? Films reflect the tastes and interest of the demographic of the time, the reason these films are so successful, ultimately, is that we as the film watchers can’t get enough of them. And it’s not just sequels we’re are obsessed with anymore, its franchises, that seem to go on forever, its expanded movie universes, with interlinked characters, and overarching storylines. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a perfect example of this, with the franchise grossing a combined total of over $20 billion worldwide. These types films have undoubtedly engulfed and dominated the film landscape, being the disproportionate offering of studios.
On the surface level, it doesn’t seem too bad to head down to the cinema and soak up the latest bombastic superhero film, it seems pretty attractive actually. Yet, when we look deeper, what we start to realise is that we are killing creative and independent thought not only for filmmakers, but also the general population.
Filmmakers are hurt
First off, the filmmakers are hurt. Young, upcoming, and true creative thinkers, who have brilliant ideas for films, are being turned down and ultimately ignored by both audiences and studios. This is because, ultimately, in the film industry, money, and box office numbers, decides what is produced. When audiences choose to spend their money at these franchised films, studios respond by increasing budgets, production, and greenlighting even more sequels to the already successful sequels. This means that independent and creative thought in filmmakers is suppressed because when young filmmakers have bright ideas, studious shut them down because audiences have proven that profits are small, if any. Filmmakers with ideas for films that send truly meaningful messages and have the potential to spread love, joy, and spark original thoughts, are supressed, shelved, and ignored, time and time again in this new era of the franchise film.
Our own creativity falters
It doesn’t stop there though. When we consume franchise film relentlessly and go through life being exposed to limited and basic stories in their nature and content, we end up limit and crushing our own ability to be creative and imaginative. We as a human species are becoming less creative, and less imaginative, because we are limiting to the same stories, as opposed to diverse and unique storytelling. Diverse and unique stories spark unique ideas within us, and spark creativity further. We don’t bother thinking deeply about the purpose and meaning of a franchise film, because of the nature of its very direct and particualr storyline.
Franchise films tend toward more bombastic storylines with physical conflict and clear heroes and villains as opposed to other films which comment on mundane things we encounter in every day life. Dealing with ordinary concepts in imaginative and metaphorical ways, and sending a message is what films, and art more widely, should do.
Children don’t go home and imagine what happens next in a franchise film, or interpret it in their own way. They don’t bother, because they’re better off just waiting until the next instalment, where they’ll go down to the movie theatre again, and be told what happens next.
Our own creativity and unique ideas are inspired by other people’s brilliant creations. It is true, and always will be. No great fantasy storyteller in the modern world has not been influence by Tolkien, it simply isn’t possible. In the same way, everything we consume forms the canvas of our own diverse and colourful imagination, leading to the spark of our individual thoughts and ideas. Yet, when we only consume the same things, and constantly fill our minds with run-of-the-mill, basic, repetitive in nature, franchised films, we dull down this canvas, and become less creative. Eventually, what we see, is a detrimental effect on the general population, and especially younger generations, ability to think creatively for themselves.
Audiences, filmmakers, and studios need to wake up and begin realising that films can be better. Large sprawling franchises that build on previous films may bring in obscenely huge profits in the short-term, but if the sacrifice we have to make is our own creative and independent thought, that’s not one we should be willing to make.
