The cinematographic multiverses are today the fundamental pillar in cinemas, and those who sustain the business after the post-pandemic reactivation. Franchise-based films that even include spin-offs and prequels have proven to be successful in studio marketing over the past two decades, supported by various factors.
At the top of the list is the brand recognition and fan base that one film inherits from the next. Franchise films are usually based on popular books, comics, video games, or previous movies, which have built a strong following of fans over time. And fans of the franchise are logically more likely to engage with the story and characters, and eagerly await the new installments: and this embedded audience leads to higher ticket sales in theaters.
This is a tried and tested marketing strategy in which movie studios invest millions to create excitement that equals or exceeds the drag effect, supported by continuous communication and interconnected storytelling: Franchise films often feature interconnected stories. that motivate in the public the “obligation” to see the film to keep abreast of the story, as it happens with serial fictions on television.
This narrative continuity also encourages repetition (some go to the movies more than once), as audiences may want to capture details they missed, or revisit their favorite moments. Shared experience matters here: Watching franchise movies in theaters provides an ultimate experience for fans, who share excitement, reactions, and discussions surrounding the movie and its characters.
And theaters reinforce that communal atmosphere with special events that add to the flowery show already embodied by these films, which often have larger budgets compared to independent films, resulting in higher production values, visual effects and action sequences. These movies are designed to be the tanks of the big screen, offering immersive experiences that are enhanced when viewed in a theater. A round strategy that shows proven effectiveness.
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“Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Top Gun: Maverick” demonstrated the success of the franchises in 2022, when they also add a significant share of nostalgia (Tom Cruise returned to his iconic character 35 years later and James Cameron released the sequel 13 years from the original).
It is true, however, that even the powerful genre of superheroes is not bulletproof, and other genres, such as horror, which also responds to the logic of sequels, have different market dynamics that affect their success. Any discussion of the movie industry in monolithic terms is too simplistic. And it has been crossed especially in recent years by the growth of digital launch modes, including SVOD for home entertainment.
That said, the recent success of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” which far exceeded previous projections that suggested Marvel’s animated sequel would fetch $80 million to $90 million in its launch weekend. , are an incentive for the web-like ramifications of the big movie franchises.
The story that follows Miles Morales, the African-American Spiderman who takes over from Peter Parker, raised US$121 million in his debut and opens possibilities for a new line of animated films within the MCU, in the Marvel Universe that retired its great warriors after “Avengers End Game”.
Furthermore, it comes as a surprise to the industry, where 75% of executives don’t expect the box office to exceed its pre-pandemic highs for at least five years, and almost half of those surveyed by the specialized media Variety expect it to get worse.
But the movies are holding out, still defending the health of theatrical release: the hit of the year in its debut is Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” with $146 million.
Another movie based on a franchise, perhaps the most famous of video games.
Something that translates into a financial bailout for theaters in the US and the world: the owner of Regal Cinemas, Cineworld, is emerging from bankruptcy, and AMC Theaters, and the leader, has significantly improved its income. But the industry is cautious and does not believe that this progression from the lows of the pandemic constitutes a full recovery. Which puts even more pressure on this group of upcoming films, the “franchisees”, to take over the boreal summer, our winter holidays.
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“Mario” clearly rejuvenated the public’s hunger for animated movies at the box office, adding even more interest to the sequel to “Spider-Verse,” whose first installment garnered critical acclaim and nearly $400 million worldwide. in 2018.
“Across the Spider-Verse” is now also among the top 10 openings of the post-pandemic era. Although analysts didn’t expect it to open as strongly as it did, it’s still the same factory behind the success of 2021’s “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” which remains the best opening since March 2020 and, along with ” Avatar: The Way of Water”, enters among the top 10 titles in the history of the world box office of all time.
Data that Hollywood calculations take into account to dream of a great performance of “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One” (which will arrive in July) to become the most financially successful blockbuster this summer, surpassing even “ The Flash”, the great premiere of the DC universe this week in Argentina (the film directed by the Argentine Andy Muschietti brings back Michael Kaeton as Batman), and the Disney revival of “The Little Mermaid”.
And here it points to the unalterable power of Tom Cruise at the box office, 27 years after the premiere of the film that started the film franchise with Brian de Palma as director. A global take of $3.57 billion is expected to reach the top of the financial mountain during the movie world’s traditionally lucrative season, in light of the effect of last year’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” which not only attracted record numbers moviegoers to theaters at a precarious post-pandemic time, but it also reignited the cultural love of sharing a community spectacle.
But Hollywood can be wrong. Predicting which titles will make it big—at the box office, in speech, in the hearts of critics, and on award lists—in the hottest calendar months can be a fickle affair. And like Mission 7, the tenth installment in the $6.6 billion-grossing “Fast and Furious” street racing series, it’s another hit in sequel mode. Fast X will seek to repeat the success of 2015’s “Furious 7,” which grossed $1.5 billion worldwide, and “The Fate of the Furious,” with $1.2 billion.
And it does so with a large cast, pitting new arch-villain Jason Momoa against Vin Diesel, as well as a trio of Best Actress Oscar winners: Brie Larson, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron. “This is a movie that appeals to multicultural audiences,” said Fandango CEO Erik Davis. “The cast is huge. It is by far the most diverse set we are going to see this summer. And that broadens the terms of who you’re presenting to.”
And that July will also bring the fifth installment of Indiana Jones (“Dial of Destiny” opens in Argentina on June 29); the fourth part of “Expensables” with Sylvester Stallone; “Barbie” with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the Mattel dolls; and “Transformers: The Awakening of the Beasts” which premiered on Thursday, June 8 and is the seventh film in the franchise developed by Michael Bay. A sustained commitment to the serial stories and the cinematographic multiverse that draws fans to the theaters.
by RN
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