Just one look at this summer's film releases tells you that franchises are big. Almost all the big blockbusters of the summer are sequels to established franchises: Shrek 3; Die Harder; Spider-Man 3;Pirates of the Carribbean 3; Harry Potter & The Order of The Phoenix; Bourne Ultimatum;Snakes on a Plane 2: Electric Boogalloo (OK maybe not that one).
A successful franchise can make loads of money (Lord of The Ring, Star Wars) and find cross-promotional success in spin-offs, books, comics, video games, theme park rides. With that much money on the line, a movie studio is willing to make the gamble on the next Indiana Jones. But some of those potential franchises end up stalled and dead in the water if the initial film doesn't succeed. A number of failures can be chalked up to the movie being conceptualized as a marketing campaign first and the actual film with a plot and story being secondary.
The Onion A.V. Club covers 13 Failed Attempts To Start Film Franchises, with a list of movies that make you wonder what could have been ("The Rocketeer" and "Buckaroo Banzai"), some that make you wonder what the hell they were thinking ("The Avengers") and some that ended in litigation ("Sahara"). Failed franchises can kill the potential for new installments and end careers (Billy "The Phantom" Zane, where did you go?).
A rarity is the failed franchise that gets a second chance, such as "The Hulk". The first movie didn't break the bank at the boxoffice, but the potential Marvel Comics sees in one of its marquee characters is enough to justify a "re-do". That's a similar justification why we will likely see another "Superman" movie, despite the fact it didn't meet expectations.
Some other magnificent failures that didn't make the list:
Van Helsing. Oy, what a cluster$(*k. It looked good on paper: take "The Mummy" series, use different Universal Studios monsters like Dracula and Wolfman, make loads of spin-offs and sequels, collect the money. Instead, audiences laughed in all the wrong places, didn't buy the story, and the franchise was dead in the water. Another example of "Marketing" priorities being established before "Let's Make a Movie".
Sean Connery, Franchise Killer. Everyone likes him, he headlined a successful franchise as the favourite James Bond (although Daniel Craig appears to be nipping at his heels), so why not get him on screen. In addition to the afore-mentioned "The Avengers" (You're a villain in a bear suit? Really?), I cite "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" as a time where a studio hoped that his star-power would distract from the poorly executed plot. He's a Franchise Killer. Imagine if he did end up as "Gandalf" in the "Lord of the Rings"? He was offered the role, but turned it down on account of he had no idea what the hell it was about.
Also:
V.I. Warshawski, based on a successful book series about a woman detective, starring Kathleen Turner.
Hudson Hawk: Bruce Willis is lucky his career didn't go down with this bomb.
Leonard Part 6: a film so bad that star Bill Cosby bought the TV rights, insuring it would never be re-broadcast again.
Lost in Space: William Hurt admitted he did it for the paycheque.
Pluto Nash. Oh Eddie Murphy. Once so good in "Trading Places" and "Coming To America"
Any other wasted franchise potential? Comments are open.
A successful franchise can make loads of money (Lord of The Ring, Star Wars) and find cross-promotional success in spin-offs, books, comics, video games, theme park rides. With that much money on the line, a movie studio is willing to make the gamble on the next Indiana Jones. But some of those potential franchises end up stalled and dead in the water if the initial film doesn't succeed. A number of failures can be chalked up to the movie being conceptualized as a marketing campaign first and the actual film with a plot and story being secondary.
The Onion A.V. Club covers 13 Failed Attempts To Start Film Franchises, with a list of movies that make you wonder what could have been ("The Rocketeer" and "Buckaroo Banzai"), some that make you wonder what the hell they were thinking ("The Avengers") and some that ended in litigation ("Sahara"). Failed franchises can kill the potential for new installments and end careers (Billy "The Phantom" Zane, where did you go?).
A rarity is the failed franchise that gets a second chance, such as "The Hulk". The first movie didn't break the bank at the boxoffice, but the potential Marvel Comics sees in one of its marquee characters is enough to justify a "re-do". That's a similar justification why we will likely see another "Superman" movie, despite the fact it didn't meet expectations.
Some other magnificent failures that didn't make the list:
Van Helsing. Oy, what a cluster$(*k. It looked good on paper: take "The Mummy" series, use different Universal Studios monsters like Dracula and Wolfman, make loads of spin-offs and sequels, collect the money. Instead, audiences laughed in all the wrong places, didn't buy the story, and the franchise was dead in the water. Another example of "Marketing" priorities being established before "Let's Make a Movie".
Sean Connery, Franchise Killer. Everyone likes him, he headlined a successful franchise as the favourite James Bond (although Daniel Craig appears to be nipping at his heels), so why not get him on screen. In addition to the afore-mentioned "The Avengers" (You're a villain in a bear suit? Really?), I cite "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" as a time where a studio hoped that his star-power would distract from the poorly executed plot. He's a Franchise Killer. Imagine if he did end up as "Gandalf" in the "Lord of the Rings"? He was offered the role, but turned it down on account of he had no idea what the hell it was about.
Also:
V.I. Warshawski, based on a successful book series about a woman detective, starring Kathleen Turner.
Hudson Hawk: Bruce Willis is lucky his career didn't go down with this bomb.
Leonard Part 6: a film so bad that star Bill Cosby bought the TV rights, insuring it would never be re-broadcast again.
Lost in Space: William Hurt admitted he did it for the paycheque.
Pluto Nash. Oh Eddie Murphy. Once so good in "Trading Places" and "Coming To America"
Any other wasted franchise potential? Comments are open.
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