Reply to Topic
1 film - standalone film
2 films - duology
3 films - trilogy
4 films - quadrilogy
other- franchise/saga
2 films - duology
3 films - trilogy
4 films - quadrilogy
other- franchise/saga
Anything that gets a sequel is now a franchise
Franchises are just todays movie stars. No one cares about movie stars anymore. Hardly any exist (who werent about since the 90's) and films are sold as franchises (in part because there's so few mid tier budgeted films now in H'Wood) and because everyone is looking to make $100m's rather than millions or even tens of millions because the gamble isn't worth it otherwise.
__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.
5-time MoFo Award winner.
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
I mean, the Frankenstein monster has been in more than 65 films.
Universal had him as the headliner or a main feature of 8 films. And then Hammer did it again.
The OG Universal Monsterverse (and I'm gonna stick to what I think of as The Big 6) was a Marvel-like twenty-six films.
Franchises ain't nuttin' new.
Universal had him as the headliner or a main feature of 8 films. And then Hammer did it again.
The OG Universal Monsterverse (and I'm gonna stick to what I think of as The Big 6) was a Marvel-like twenty-six films.
Franchises ain't nuttin' new.
The Beetlejuice franchise even has its own Wikipedia page
X
Favorite Movies
I still think the one interesting thing this thread turned up was the etymology chart of the frequency of the word usage "film franchise." I'm still wondering how it would have comparatively felt in the 60s/70s where the absolute usage of the term was lower, but growing at a much faster rate vs the 80s/90s where the absolute usage of it was higher, but the growth was only a little above flat.
Like, were the 60s/70s an era where we became cognizant of films being franchises and labeling them as such or was it a consequence of also seeking out new ones? I'm trying to recall the 80s and 90s (but can't), because apparently we did say "film franchise," but I don't have any recollection of where it seemed to live in the zeitgeist. We were really big on movie stars then. As opposed to the 00s and 10s where there's been an active attempt to foster them (though I don't recall that really taking off until Iron Man with the MCU and that would have been late 00s).
Like, were the 60s/70s an era where we became cognizant of films being franchises and labeling them as such or was it a consequence of also seeking out new ones? I'm trying to recall the 80s and 90s (but can't), because apparently we did say "film franchise," but I don't have any recollection of where it seemed to live in the zeitgeist. We were really big on movie stars then. As opposed to the 00s and 10s where there's been an active attempt to foster them (though I don't recall that really taking off until Iron Man with the MCU and that would have been late 00s).
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
I still think the one interesting thing this thread turned up was the etymology chart of the frequency of the word usage "film franchise." I'm still wondering how it would have comparatively felt in the 60s/70s where the absolute usage of the term was lower, but growing at a much faster rate vs the 80s/90s where the absolute usage of it was higher, but the growth was only a little above flat.
Like, were the 60s/70s an era where we became cognizant of films being franchises and labeling them as such or was it a consequence of also seeking out new ones? I'm trying to recall the 80s and 90s (but can't), because apparently we did say "film franchise," but I don't have any recollection of where it seemed to live in the zeitgeist. We were really big on movie stars then. As opposed to the 00s and 10s where there's been an active attempt to foster them (though I don't recall that really taking off until Iron Man with the MCU and that would have been late 00s).
Like, were the 60s/70s an era where we became cognizant of films being franchises and labeling them as such or was it a consequence of also seeking out new ones? I'm trying to recall the 80s and 90s (but can't), because apparently we did say "film franchise," but I don't have any recollection of where it seemed to live in the zeitgeist. We were really big on movie stars then. As opposed to the 00s and 10s where there's been an active attempt to foster them (though I don't recall that really taking off until Iron Man with the MCU and that would have been late 00s).
So it's not like Hollywood started doing things all that differently, really - they've just adjusted their production to people's changing preferences, but they've always tried to build a brand or franchise or whatever you want to call it to produce a steady flow of hits.
It really hasn't changed in the last 100 years or so, and it probably never will.
Look, I don't know that discussing the use of a specific term continuously really gets us anywhere. No matter what they're called, film franchises have been with us since the beginning of Hollywood. There were a bunch of movie series being made back then, too. Look at the Thin Man series, or the Andy Hardy series, or the Mexican Spitfire series, or the Charlie Chan series. Comic stars like Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd were like a brand onto themselves - and so were the Marx Brothers and several others. People used to look forward to their next film like today's moviegoers might look forward to the next MCU or the next Dune or whatever.
So it's not like Hollywood started doing things all that differently, really - they've just adjusted their production to people's changing preferences, but they've always tried to build a brand or franchise or whatever you want to call it to produce a steady flow of hits.
It really hasn't changed in the last 100 years or so, and it probably never will.
So it's not like Hollywood started doing things all that differently, really - they've just adjusted their production to people's changing preferences, but they've always tried to build a brand or franchise or whatever you want to call it to produce a steady flow of hits.
It really hasn't changed in the last 100 years or so, and it probably never will.
Doesn't get us anywhere in terms of what, though? I find the subtle difference in the use of the terms to be interesting. Sometimes it's just an observation of just the word choice falling in and out of fashion, but sometimes it also captures subtle differences in the currents of how things are being perceived and thought of within the greater tides of time. Get to see which things came into, went out of, and then came back into fashion.
If I was more curious, I'd also probably start trying to find comparative usage stats on, "film series," "(film) crossovers," and "(cinematic) expanded universe."
I remember hearing the first (horror?) crossover in terms of the franchise horrors was Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, btw and fwiw (somewhat tangential statement made out loud in reference to things I'm contemplating, of which, I might be the only person contemplating).
X
Favorite Movies
X
User Lists
Doesn't get us anywhere in terms of what, though?
People have enjoyed certain kinds of movies in the past. People currently enjoy certain kinds of movies. And people will enjoy still other kinds of movies in the future (I'm just trying to be positive and assume movies won't simply disappear completely). And through all of it, Hollywood and other content providers will try and give the people what we want.
Doesn't get us anywhere in terms of enjoying movies.
People have enjoyed certain kinds of movies in the past. People currently enjoy certain kinds of movies. And people will enjoy still other kinds of movies in the future (I'm just trying to be positive and assume movies won't simply disappear completely). And through all of it, Hollywood and other content providers will try and give the people what we want.
People have enjoyed certain kinds of movies in the past. People currently enjoy certain kinds of movies. And people will enjoy still other kinds of movies in the future (I'm just trying to be positive and assume movies won't simply disappear completely). And through all of it, Hollywood and other content providers will try and give the people what we want.
I think we're on two different wavelengths in terms of the tangents of the conversations in this thread, and am not really following the angle, context, or train of thought that yields this response.
X
Favorite Movies
X