The Art of the Modern Movie Franchise
Taking over Hollywood faster than you can say “Martha”.
The franchise bubble has established itself as a mainstay amongst the major studios, building expanded universes based on comic books, novels, and (shockingly) original ideas. Create a film that resonates with audiences well enough to secure a sequel, and you’ve got a cash cow on your hand. Merchandise, theme parks, lucrative brand partnerships. Of course stand alone films are not excluded from this list, though I’m hard pressed to come up with a movie that has assimilated into our (US) pop culture the way that Star Wars, Marvel, and Harry Potter have.
But with the increasing amount of franchise films entering production, how far are we until the bubble bursts? A majority of franchises in 2016 have so far bombed (Zoolander 2, The Huntsman: Winter’s War, Alice Through the Looking Glass), whereas others have solidified their place as the top performing films of the year (Civil War, Finding Dory). As Hollywood continues to churn out tent-pole blockbusters, it will be interesting to gauge the audience response — and how filmmakers continue to tell their stories.
The Sequel Catalyst: Fear of the Unknown
If a film ends up taking flight at the box office, a movie studio could generally see this as an automatic Green Light for a sequel and beyond. Box office sales, critic reviews, and social media data can expedite the development of “Such and Such: 2”. If the first movie performed well, the second has the potential to perform equally as well…right? Can the studios see this as a sort of ‘insurance’ that the same audience will once again take up their seats in the theater?
Then why do studios so frequently bank on this logic? Uncertainty. Given the current flux of the film industry, both online viewing and piracy have made box office predictions much harder to navigate. Creating a sequel offers a sense of security to this, in addition to a quicker and more cost effective path to production. Read: $$$.
Story Repetition Vs. Plot Progression
As studios move to push a sequel out the door, they are inclined to rely on rehashed storylines and character arcs. As a wide known example — The Hangover 2 performed incredibly well at the box office, but was met with harsh reviews. Critics and audiences alike criticized the recycled plot (which was almost identical to the first), and cheap gimmicks. When The Hangover 3 opened, it fell flat, earning less than half of its predecessor.
So what happened here? 1) The Hangover was a hit, solidifying itself as a comedy staple, 2) The Hangover 2 had an even stronger opening weekend due to built up audience expectations, yet ultimately struggled to resonate with fans of the first movie, 3) The Hangover 3 received the green light anyway due to generated revenue 4) The Hangover 3 bombed.
Unfortunately it’s rare to see a franchise find critical success beyond the standard trilogy, let alone the second sequel. Though a select few have been able to draw such wide praise that they develop into pop culture phenomenons. Regardless of genre, these films tend to follow a few common themes:
- Universal (But Relatable) Appeal: The most successful stories aim to develop an emotional connection with the wide audience. Whether it’s addressing a sensitive subject or building a fantasy universe, these films attract multiple demographics through the use of reoccurring themes, plot points, and…
- Character Development: Building strong, identifiable characters to support the overall storyline is essential. Not only does this allow an audience to connect with a particular story arc, it drives sequel interest as fans yearn for a resolution.
- Succinct Premise: At the end of the day, a strong franchise synopsis should not be complicated to explain. The concept is easy to communicate and understand, establishing a backbone narrative that is present throughout the entire film.
Content Consumption & The Rise of International Markets
Streaming video services, piracy, and online media have played a definitive role in shaping audience viewing habits — especially within the past few years. The increase in viewing flexibility along with a massive ‘knowledge share’ (think critic blogs as well as your friend’s Twitter rant on the latest Blockbuster) have enabled movie goers to view content on their own terms, as well as do their homework before investing in the expense of a movie theater experience.
How does this apply to the development of a sequel or franchise? Historically audiences tend to prefer an action or fantasy movie if they are going to spend money at a movie theater. It’s not hard to appreciate great cinematography, sound mixing, and even CGI when in a theater setting. Create a film that can better immerse the audience, and you’re more likely to draw a crowd. Fans of comedies and dramas, which tend to rely more on dialogue vs visual elements, usually reserve this type of movie for a night in on their own screen. Hence why we tend to see a franchise series become bigger and more visually explosive with each sequel.
Though the rise of International Markets, primarily China, will begin to establish new ground rules in how global users watch movies. A movie that tanks in the US might be deemed a money maker across the pond. Whether an international market is more receptive to a certain genre (as the Asian markets are to Fantasy), or the overall marketing of the film solidified its success — segmented audiences are guaranteed to respond to content differently. We’ve seen this with movies such as Pacific Rim (Domestic: $101.8 million, International: $309.2 million), Men In Black 3, (Domestic: $179 million, International: $445 million), and at the time of this writing Warcraft (Domestic: $38.4 million =, International: $340 million).
At The End of the Day, Who Asked for this?
This point is obviously more subjective than hard data, but to each is own here. A little common sense can go a long way when green lighting a film, or even during the production process. Was there such a demand to see a Snow White origin movie that the studio could no longer ignore the audience’s cries? The studio was banking on building a world a la Marvel — intersecting character stories that culminate into one larger universe. But with the lost of key cast (Kristen Stewart) and crew (writing staff), the movie was a CGI spectacle with a plot that just couldn’t bring itself to appeal to the masses.
Regardless, 2016 will be an incredibly pivotal year in defining the future of the movie franchise. In addition to the box office impact, the success (or failure) of these upcoming films will have longstanding implications on the audience and how/why they watch a certain film. It will be interesting to see how this type of content consumption evolves over the course of the next year.
