This week, I'm going to talk about three different movie franchises. One is struggling and one in the process of making a huge return.
Lets start with the struggling one: How To Train Your Dragon. A month ago, many predicted that the highly-anticipated animated sequel would be huge, opening to the numbers of Despicable Me 2 and Monsters University, in the $80-85 million range, and easily topping 22 Jump Street in the process. But tracking served as a small warning, as buzz wasn't great by all means. Boxoffice.com predicted in the end that it would be neck-and-neck with Jump Street, with each opening to around $65 million.
But, by the time numbers came out, it turned out Dragon 2 only pulled in $50 million. Yes, that is ahead of the first film, but nowhere near the monster numbers analysts were expecting. And it had around 50% drops in the next two weeks, compared to the first films' drops of around 30% in weeks two and three. So, one has to ask, WHAT HAPPENED?!
There are many different reasons. Perhaps Fox's marketing campaign wasn't engaging enough (the first one came from Paramount). Maybe the critical acclaim wasn't enough. Maybe the Gobber controversy kept some families at home? (that's a reason that I actually would agree with) Also, the TV series has kept movie demand surprisingly low.
But its too late for DreamWorks to pull the plug here. They already are well into production on the third movie, which is set for June 2016 (though that could be delayed since DreamWorks is in a slump and it shares release dates with none other than Finding Dory). They also have the bridge, the third season of the TV series already ready to air on Netflix next year.
Yet, they shouldn't pull the plug. These films are the best-reviewed in the animation studio's history. And with an expected worldwide turn-out in line with the first film (the budget was also $25 million less this time around), this will still turn a much-needed profit for the studio after write-downs with Rise of the Guardians, Turbo and Mr. Peabody and Sherman. But, a turn-out similar to that of Kung Fu Panda 2 in comparison with the first film isn't something worth shouting about (maybe an Oscar win for Best Animated Feature with no competition from Pixar will? [though The LEGO Movie could easily snag it]).
But how do you make the next one better? First, I would stop the TV show. Give fans something to WAIT for rather than to say (oh ok, I might wait since I'm watching the show). Demand needs to be higher in order to have a successful run. Also, they shouldn't dive into controversial subjects (yes, Gobber might have subtly come out as gay, but they shouldn't explore this further) to keep some families away. Finally, they need to have more [right style of] comedy and more cutesy dragons (and emphasize it in the marketing) to bring in younger children without possibly scaring them.
I enjoyed How To Train Your Dragon 2 (you can read the review in the "Movie Reviews" section) enough to own eventually, but some of these complex issues did bother me a little. So, if they want me to come back for a third movie, they need not be so complex and yet, much more in demand than usual.
Now its on to the franchise everyone's clamoring to return: Star Wars. Headlines were made last year when J.J. Abrams was signed on to direct Star Wars: Episode VII, set for December 2015. And since the franchise is one of the biggest in history, why not continue to add onto it? Disney certainly took an opportunity after buying Lucasfilm a couple years back. Episodes VII-IX will serve as a sequel trilogy, taking place years after the events of Return of the Jedi. In addition to that, we're getting spin-off, stand-alone films, the first one being directed by Gareth Edwards (the recent Godzilla) for a December 2016 release date. Josh Trank (director of Chronicle and the upcoming Fantastic Four reboot) will tackle a second spin-off, presumably aiming for 2018 (Episode VIII might arrive in 2017).
Yes, this is all mind-boggling information. I'm not a huge fan of Star Wars so I haven't watched all of them (but I might before this continuation kicks off). But, the fact Disney is bringing it back is going to make some fans wait to see if they either do George Lucas justice or ruin the franchise's legacy. I think Abrams is a great choice for a director, as he has some experience with the Star Trek franchise (a third movie is on the way from a different director in 2016 or 2017). And based on filming images so far, things are looking pretty darn impressive. But, can it open to record heights?
It all depends on how trailers are received as well as how buzz mounts up. If the marketing successfully builds excitement, then it looks as if we might see records shatter. But, its all a long ways off, so I can't tell for sure. And opening in the same year as Avengers: Age of Ultron? Some moviegoers that stick to one movie a year (for instance) may not want to come back again before the start of the next year. But opening in December (like The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings before it) will serve it well throughout the holidays and January (if it gets good word-of-mouth).
As for the spin-offs, I don't think franchises should crowd the marketplace too much. Marvel and DC are looking to perhaps over-crowd their own slates, so why should Lucasfilm? There could be some cannibalizing between films if audiences can't do more than one film at once. Again, its all in due time. But grabbing Trank and Edwards are again, great choices, given their resumes. But who will tackle Episode VIII and IX? Will Abrams stay on? Or will they go for big names such as Steven Spielberg? Bryan Singer? Perhaps Gore Verbinski? Or new to live-action/mainstream filmmakers such as Brad Bird? Could Kathleen Kennedy possibly direct her first film? I don't know what to say on the issue, but there's a lot going for this franchise and the news will only become more expansive between now and Episode VII's release date.
