Source: Unsplash
In the middle of July, one of the oldest, most familiar, and most important stories ever told was put to film backed by a huge budget, all-star cast, popular director, and an all-IMAX selling point. It passed $1 billion worldwide, but was obliterated by a certain franchise entry that launched two weeks later.
Franchising in film is somewhat of an odd phenomenon, given how it was treated just a couple of decades ago. Yet, it’s now seen as the goal, with several other entertainment mediums also looking to get in on the action where they see room to do so.
Inspiring Franchising Across Entertainment
See it across the mediums, especially in arenas where it’s quicker to create the products. In iGaming, for example, a hit from back in 2014 – a long time ago in this fast-evolving medium – was rediscovered recently by its developers and picked to be its tentpole franchise.
If someone were now to try Fishin’ Frenzy The Big Catch Gold Spins online, they’d experience the most popular mechanics that were infused in previous instalments. It’s very much an entry that combines the best bits rather than previous ones that looked to expand on the formula in new and unique ways.
Books have long seen many of their biggest hits, particularly in the realms of fantasy, essentially franchise out. Even as far back as The Lord of the Rings, you’ve got The Hobbit and all of the legendarium texts, like The Silmarillion. These grand sagas in fiction continue to sell well and may have laid the groundwork for cinema’s franchise boon.
A New Age of Franchising at the Cinema
There was a huge amount of hype behind The Odyssey. Fully knowing that IMAX tickets cost much more, fans were ready and hyped to see Homer’s epic brought to life in what were essentially the best possible conditions to do so. It opened to hundreds of millions worldwide and eventually crossed the $1.1 billion mark after a month.
As the figures from The Numbers show, The Odyssey with its IMAX emphasis still trailed off swiftly from its opening weekend – down around 50 per cent from 17 July to 24 July domestically. A likely cause would be word of mouth. Paying a premium for The Odyssey, people expect The Odyssey, but certainly didn’t with this film.
Just two weeks after it released, a superhero franchise film hit cinemas. For context, the franchise has been struggling for quality writing since its last saga ended, and box-office returns have shrunk next to massive budgets. Even so, the returning superhero swung to nearly $1 billion in its opening weekend and blitzed past $1.6 billion in just two weeks.
Even in the face of a classic tale that essentially has major brand appeal, the franchise entry wins at the box office. There was a time, and not that long ago, the sequels would go straight to video and the franchise style was essentially looked down upon. Horror was the main suitor of the franchise, with five or more sequels and crossovers.
Now, even horror franchises are being celebrated. Where Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween, Child’s Play, and many more would now be ridiculed for how they expanded, now the likes of Insidious, The Conjuring, and Evil Dead receive praise for their endurance as franchises.
It’s a strange time for film when an adaptation of an integral story falls flat, relatively speaking, while an increasingly tired superhero franchise that’s done away with coherent, inter-connected storytelling can fly to what’s likely the biggest movie of the year. For now, barring monumental errors in judgement, the franchise rules entertainment.
