Franchises have always been both a blessing and a curse for Hollywood. When successful, they can keep audiences engaged for years, even decades, with iconic series like James Bond, Batman, Star Wars, Mission: Impossible, and Superman. But eventually, audience fatigue sets in, and complaints about the lack of originality surface.
However, summer 2024 was a rare exception. For once, “franchise” wasn’t a dirty word. Big-name brands helped boost domestic box office earnings to over $5.4 billion by early September, still down 13% compared to the previous year, but much better than anticipated.
The turnaround began after a rough May, where The Fall Guy, a potential new franchise, flopped. Yet, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga stormed the global box office with $172 million, building on the success of 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road ($380 million). Another May highlight was Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, one of the properties Disney acquired with its 2019 purchase of Fox assets. This film grossed nearly $400 million worldwide, ensuring director Wes Ball’s vision for a new trilogy would move forward. August’s Alien: Romulus also thrived, earning over $300 million globally—the franchise’s second-best showing behind 2012’s Prometheus.
The real box office rebound kicked off in June with Sony’s Boys: Ride or Die, which far exceeded expectations. In mid-June, Inside Out 2 set a new record for Pixar, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time, raking in $1.675 billion worldwide and ranking as the eighth-biggest film of all time. Meanwhile, Paramount expanded its A Quiet Place franchise with Day One ($261 million), and Universal, alongside Warner Bros., revived Twisters to the tune of $366 million.
Box office analyst Paul Dergarabedian noted that nearly every studio outperformed expectations this summer across a range of genres. Disney dominated with Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Alien: Romulus. Universal saw success with Despicable Me 4 and Twisters, while Paramount rebounded from a shaky start with IF to see the film earn over $100 million. Sony capped off the summer with hits like Bad Boys: Ride or Die and the late-summer success It Ends with Us.
Deadpool & Wolverine was especially significant for Marvel Studios, grossing over $1.287 billion, making it the second-biggest film of the year and the top earner for the franchise. Disney, which had faced stiff competition from Universal the previous year, reclaimed its dominance with $1.5 billion in domestic summer ticket sales, accounting for 42% of the market. Titles like Apes and Alien were particularly rewarding for Disney, as they came from Fox’s library—making their revival a more complex but ultimately successful endeavor.
Warner Bros. also saw success with a rare September blockbuster, Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which earned $147 million globally after its early September release. The next big test for Warner Bros. will be Joker: Folie à Deux, the highly anticipated musical sequel set to release on October 4, with predictions pointing to a $70 million opening. It faces high expectations after Todd Phillips’ 2019 Joker brought in $1.07 billion worldwide.
Franchise Pulse Check: What’s Hot, What’s Not
- Star Trek
After 2016’s Star Trek Beyond underwhelmed with $343.5 million globally, Paramount has developed several new ideas but none have materialized. A more focused, character-driven approach like 1982’s Wrath of Khan could revitalize the series. - Terminator
Despite James Cameron and Linda Hamilton’s return, 2019’s Dark Fate flopped. However, Netflix’s new anime Terminator Zero suggests the franchise could succeed with a fresh approach. - Reign of Fire
The 2002 film starring Christian Bale and Matthew McConaughey was a box-office failure but developed a cult following. A reboot could merge elements of The Last of Us and Game of Thrones for a post-apocalyptic dragon epic. - Pirates of the Caribbean
The Pirates franchise has been sinking since 2017’s Dead Men Tell No Tales. A complete overhaul could tap into audiences’ enduring love for high-seas adventures. - Conan the Barbarian
Arnold Schwarzenegger has long advocated for a “grizzled Conan” film. Could this be the franchise’s version of Logan? - Spawn
The concept of redemption and battling through hell remains timeless. The hard-R version of Spawn has been in development at Blumhouse since 2017—what’s the holdup? - Lethal Weapon
Mel Gibson and Danny Glover are indeed getting too old for this. Rather than a revival, it might be time for a new cop-action franchise altogether. - Halloween
David Gordon Green successfully rebooted Michael Myers, but after almost 50 years, is it time to finally move on from the unstoppable masked killer trope? - The Matrix
Despite its influence, the Matrix series has seen diminishing returns, including the 2021 legacy sequel Resurrections. Maybe it’s time to let this one rest. - The Crow
Attempts to revive The Crow have been ongoing for years, from sequels to direct-to-video releases. It might be time to let this franchise finally take its final bow.