How important are film franchises for audiences and producers?

How important are film franchises for audiences and producers?

In this essay I will be writing about how film franchises are important for both audiences and producers.

For audiences, film franchises can be an important and iconic part of their lives. They are more influential on a personal level for fans than producers. They can become a social experience. An example being that whenever a new arc of a series comes out the same group of friends go out to watch it. Likewise, certain films can become more than a mere picture, evolving into a key aspect of influence for some people. This could be like the Star Wars saga, teamed with horizontal integration, reaching out to multiple generations. Elder ones will remember the initial release of the films while younger members will know it from the prequel films, toys and television series like the Clone Wars. Horizontal integration is a key aspect for franchises in the audience’s case as it allows them to engage more on a multitude of levels, not solely relying on the release of films to sate their needs to consume a favourite piece of media. This film franchise and others allow audiences to bond over a shared experience, which is important in a society like our own where relation and belonging is fundamental.

In comparison, producer’s interest in film franchises could be seen as more fiscal than an individual relationship. Popular film franchises generate a huge amount of revenue, financially securing a company. The Walt Disney Company follows the business ideology of Horizontal integration. Horizontal Integration is the process of expanding in to other sectors of one industry. This means that a company can produce one product and sell and produce it over a wide variety of platforms. This allows for the ability to share resources and products across many different forms. This is known as synergy.  When Disney bought Marvel Comics, they gained the rights to character films such as Thor and Captain America. These comic book films made way for the release of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, which grossed the company $1,518,594,910 worldwide. A further $5.6 billion was made on Marvel related merchandise in 2012. This financial numbers show the importance of film franchises for mega-corporations such as The Walt Disney Company as they create an enormous income for them. In the release year of Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, The Walt Disney Company made over $44 billion in profits.

Additionally, franchises are important to producers as they allow a never-ending way of making earnings. Producers know fans will loyally see the films despite negative reviews or publicity as they have an emotional and sentimental attachment to the series. An example being the Alien film franchise. On its initial release, the original Alien was hugely popular and made $203,630,630 at the box office. It gained a cult following, thus a huge buzz generated from the announcement of a sequel.