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Another summer weekend, another round of box office disappointment. In a summer where Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Dark Phoenix, Men in Black: International, and Shaft have performed abysmally, the internet is claiming that franchise fatigue has set in. Yet, Avengers: Endgame just proved that a blockbuster sequel can still dominate the box office. Aladdin, based on a pre-existing IP, is putting up some serious dollars. And both Toy Story 4 and Spider-Man: Far From Home, two big-budget sequels, are looking to make a lot of money. So what’s really going on with these tentpole films?
It’s Disney. They’re always successful.
No, not really. The Disney banner doesn’t guarantee success with critics and success. For proof, just look at the poor reception and low box office receipts for last year’s A Wrinkle in Time and The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Oh, and Solo: A Star Wars Story, while making a profit, wasn’t the runaway success Disney was probably hoping for.
Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum had a franchise-best opening, and has had great legs going forward. Paramount’s Rocketman has been doing exceptionally well for an R-rated “musical fantasy biopic” as eccentric as its subject. Low budget movies such as Glass and Escape Room have also found success at the box office — and Glass was indeed a sequel.
The truth is, Disney does have a lot of IP right now, and it’s only getting bigger. It’s upsetting for a number of reasons, but it’s not the reason that everything else seems to be failing at the box office. Disney simply has more at-bats, so their home runs are more frequent and publicized.
Okay, fine. Critics are targeting these movies.
No, not exactly. The poor critical reception certainly doesn’t help these films at all, but there’s more to it than a green splat on Rotten Tomatoes. Both Glass and Escape Room had middling to…
