Franchises have hit the big time. Whilst the ‘90s were king of the recurring slasher film and the early ‘00s saw the resurgence of the never-ending slacker film, the 2010s are very much the time of the superhero franchise. Or any franchise, for that matter. When it comes to the cinema, it seems that we are very much comfortable with the status quo and whilst things don’t look to change any time soon, it seems that modern audiences are okay with that.
The franchises which have the biggest monopoly over our cinema screens and wallets seem to be those which are constantly able to reinvent themselves, to add in extra and unforeseen elements to guarantee a large scale interest. Whilst, cynically speaking, the perpetually-continuing sequels can seem a little ridiculous (how many times can one person almost die?) they spell big money for film producers everywhere. It seems like the sequel is here and it is here to stay. The sequel can hit us in various guises and whether it’s the regular sequel, the prequel, the sequel which turns out to be a prequel or the prequel prequel, we apparently couldn’t care less. If the new installment means that we will be able to see our favorite characters on screen, battling it out yet again for something that we only half understand, that’s okay with us.
When we talk about franchises, the superhero series are really where it’s at and whether the stories are new, rejuvenated or taken from the deep archives of cinema, we can’t seem to get enough. The original franchise monster has to be Godzilla. From the film series’ inception in 1954 right up to last year’s Hollywood remake, the giant lizard just won’t seem to die and 60 years on, continues to terrorize cities across the world. Whilst the original Japanese film was said to have been inspired by the events at Hiroshima, commenting on the destructive power of nuclear war without coming out and saying anything, later adaptations lost a little of the early politics. Since the series was picked up by America in the late ‘50s, Godzilla has really been about one thing and one thing only: Smashing stuff up. And that’s okay. Where Godzilla fares, there is very much a lasting market, one which will follow the lizard’s footsteps wherever it may go.
If we’re talking relevant franchise movies, then it is virtually impossible to overlook the Star Wars series. The first movie series to play into the wider market of movie merchandise, Star Wars arguably made its name away from the cinema screen, gaining the interest of children through its production of take home toys and models. Since the ‘70s, of course, the film series has become practically iconic and whilst later adaptations of the story were less than successful (here’s looking at you, The Phantom Menace), it hasn’t fazed the public’s interest at all. Whilst this summer’s seventh episode The Force Awakens has been hugely anticipated for some time now, its level of success is anyone’s best guess. And with Star Wars, does it even matter?
Planet of the Apes is proof that, when you find a story that works, hold on it to and never let it go. Whilst the story of man’s dismissal from his own planet has been told time and again, in a number of different guises, we just don’t seem to tire of hearing about our own downfall. Since the original film in 1968, there has been a multitude of cinematic retelling, each hoping to shed a new type of light on the story. The film series has been remade for television, books, comics and within its very own toy series. 2011’s slick remake saw the franchise’s prequels and with a number of complicated scientific back-stories, it’s anyone’s guess as to how long the whole thing will go on. Perhaps POTA will be a sisyphean retelling of our own downfall, one which we will be obliged to bring up every two decades to remind ourselves not to get too comfortable. Maybe though, when the money stops coming in, the apes will finally give up the game.
The biggest franchise war currently seems to be being played out between the two biggest comic books series and whilst it is fair to say that one is very much outplaying the other, it’s not for a lack of trying. DC Comics seems to be taking influence from Marvel and this year, will pit two of its biggest superheroes against each other. Although the prospect of Superman vs. Batman seems a little strange (I mean, they both fight the bad guys, right?) it’s pretty clear that audiences are expected to just go with it. Both Batman and Superman have been subject to some pretty hefty sequels and the next film looks like DC Comics could have bigger plans for the both of them. The success of this sequel? Only time will tell.
Saving the biggest and most dominant player for last, Marvel seem to really have got a hold of the whole franchise sequel game. With plans for practically all of their characters to have their own film series, Marvel know that when a good thing comes along, you squeeze it until it’s bone dry. The X-Men series alone has 7 films to its name and counting. The Avengers series seems not to be letting up anytime soon, either, with another film planned for release this year and countless character offshoots connected to its name. In modern day franchise series, it seems that Marvel is responsible for around 80% and won’t give up the title to anyone.
The franchise sequel trend seems to be indicative of our cinema and whilst it is something with which we seem to be happy, it doesn’t necessarily spell great things for cinema’s future. Whilst we’re enjoying the story now, things will dry up eventually and when that happens, what stories will we have to listen to? Franchises are a great thing for current cinema but as soon as we start to lose interest, the future of cinema will look very different indeed.