Revenge of the Franchises
iconic characters such as Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor, the MCU culminated in its highest-grossing film, "Avengers: Endgame", which raked in $2.798 billion worldwide.
What makes MCU different from others is an extremely detailed process of planning. Having Kevin Feige as the producer, Marvel Studios planned a roadmap for Marvel movies for ten years. It was such a long-term vision which achieved continuity, consistent character development and overriding plot across multiple phases. Moreover, Marvel changed the meaning of post credits scenes where fans are hinted at other forthcoming film releases and teased with plot development of later movies.
2. Star Wars
No discussion of film
franchises would be complete without "Star Wars." From its humble
beginning with "A New Hope" in 1977, the "Star Wars"
universe has expanded into three trilogies, spin-off films, TV series, novels,
comic books, and more. Though the franchise has seen its fair share of highs
and lows, it is still one of the most iconic and popular there has ever been.
Recent "Star
Wars" sequels and spin-offs, such as "Rogue One" and "The
Mandalorian", epitomize Disney's strategy in ways that wield the power of
nostalgia with the introduction of new characters and storylines to rally
today's audiences. "Star Wars" fares so well because it can reboot
itself without losing any feel for its core audience.
3. Fast & Furious
What began in 2001 as a
merely moderately low-budget street-racing movie has expanded into a
high-octane, worldwide franchise. The 10 films combined in this franchise have
grossed over $6 billion worldwide, and each ups the ante: bigger stunts,
crazier action, and an ensemble cast that grows bigger with each new outing,
including Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Vin Diesel, and Jason Statham.
This helped the
franchise move with the times by evolving away from street racing toward the
heist and action film genres. Embracing the concept, as many successful
franchises do, of a "family" of characters created an emotional
through-line that let audiences invest in its characters. Debate Around
Franchise Fatigue
While audiences love
franchises, there are lots of debates concerning franchise fatigue. Since so
many franchises have been releasing year after year, it cannot be avoided that
viewers get overwhelmed or bored. There are those critics who would say that
franchises choke Hollywood of its creativity, as this gives less room for more
original storytelling.
But again, it doesn't
even matter; the franchises aren't going anywhere. Admittedly, a few bombs,
like "Justice League" or "Dark Universe". But all in all,
it is basically coming back to the point of how it manages to retain a lot of
profitability and cultural currency within the industry between the MCU and
"Star Wars". What is more, new ways of telling stories-like streaming
platforms-have allowed franchises to expand beyond regular film releases and
give fans even more content to devour.
The Future of Franchises
Franchises have a
bright future influenced by several general trends underlined, which are likely
to shape their development:
1. Service Streaming:
Disney+, HBO Max, and Netflix join the leading sources in franchise
storytelling. The shows "The Mandalorian" and Marvel's
"WandaVision" give these studios the opportunity to dive much deeper
into their established universes without being constricted to smaller audiences.
Additionally, streaming allows for more room for flexibility in telling stories
methodically.
2. Diversity in
narrations: Films like "Black Panther" and "Wonder Woman"
have proven that the audience craves more diversity in the stories Franchises would
tell. As Hollywood is becoming even more inclusive, we will start seeing more
voices and points of view from underrepresented groups in many franchises.
3. Cross-franchise
collaboration: Expanded franchises might cross over with other franchises. For
example, MCU has already teased the multiverse concept-a concept promising an
eventual crossover with two of the most notable Marvel properties that aren't
part of the MCU, X-Men and Fantastic Four. That would serve as an interesting
lead toward storytelling across cinematic universes.
4. Fan-Centric
Experiences: Other than in the box office studios are obviously thinking about
engaging fans. From theme park attractions-evidenced with Star Wars: Galaxy's
Edge-immersive experiences such as virtual reality experiences based on
"The Matrix," franchises do everything to further intertwine the
connection between the audience and the world of the film.
Conclusion: The Undeniable Power of Franchises
Whereas the
"Revenge of the Franchises" once changed Hollywood in ways that few
could have anticipated, today franchises rule at the box office, driving most
of the biggest profits in the film industry, with modern pop culture made in
their mold. It runs from blockbuster movies and streaming shows to video games;
it would appear that as far as the franchise is concerned, this is the model
proven to pay off for studios.
Where the future of
franchises will lie, however, is less a question of fatigue. This may suggest
that the future of franchises will be more engaging and innovative than ever as
these universes keep expanding and diversifying. Be it superheroes, wizards, or
fast cars, nobody can deny how massive power and influence the franchises hold
in today's world of entertainment. Well, now franchises have had their revenge,
and they're here to stay.
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