Excitement around a returning movie franchise always rivals a debut film, but does that mean they are always better?
As film studios revive and add on to beloved classics, viewer satisfaction seems to follow a downward trend. Today, the mere mention of an adored franchise means that viewers aren’t guaranteed a quality film.
Call it corporate greed, preying on the viewers’ desires to return to a familiar world, or a slipshod job, where studios rely on the popularity of the brand name to rack it up in the box office. Either way, studios continue to produce additions to big name franchises in an increasingly sloppier and dissatisfying way.
So, how many movies does it take to ruin a franchise?
“Despicable Me”
The “Despicable Me” franchise has found success in viewers of all ages. The simple and effective humor of Gru and the Minions never fails to make a cultural impact. However, the latest addition, “Despicable Me 4,” finally found the franchise’s limit.
The first three were immensely successful and entertaining, presenting intriguing and engaging villains and plot lines, but the fourth settled to be outright boring. The main focus of the movie was the newly formed family (with a new addition) trying to find their place in domestic life after being placed under something resembling witness protection. From that premise alone, there is bound to be some lulls in the action, however, while it was amusing to see the family try and fail to blend in, it wasn’t worthy of the silliness and chaos of the “Despicable Me” name.
So, sadly for the Minions, this franchise fell off at four movies.
“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”
Catering to the demand for Harry Potter content, Warner Bros. Pictures returned to the Wizarding World with “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” This prequel follows Newt Scamander, a magical creature enthusiast, and his beasts as they find themselves caught up in a conflict with Grindelwald, the main evil wizard before Voldemort.
While the first movie provided new insight into the world of Potter, introducing new creatures and reintroducing characters (but younger), the following movies significantly failed to produce quality sequels. The fact that this franchise was originally supposed to be a five film collection, but was cut off at three with a sloppy conclusion shows the failure to meet expectations.
The demand for new Potter films spooked Warner Bros. Pictures to throw together a plot not directly written by the author, J.K. Rowling, resulting in massive plot holes and undrawn conclusions.
Currently, there is a confirmed Harry Potter television series in the works, and hopes are high. However, the attempted extension of HP, the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, faltered after the first installment.
“A Christmas Story”
The beloved 1983 Christmas classic, “A Christmas Story” is a staple film for the holiday season. However, a recent 2022 installment, “A Christmas Story Christmas,” follows Ralphie as an adult with kids of his own. While this was a decent idea, it is a significant undertaking to trump the original and it failed to do so. Honestly, it never stood a chance. Why make a sequel almost 40 years later when it was a successful stand alone already?
This franchise failed with an unnecessary addition.
Overall, as movie franchises go on they get sloppier, relying on the name only to make the money, not the quality.
So, how many movies does it take to ruin a franchise? Just enough to get messy.
