There was a time when going to the cinema meant discovering something new. A film would arrive, tell its story, and then disappear into the great movie archive. Maybe it would become a classic. Maybe it would be forgotten. Either way, the film itself was the main event. These days, things feel a little different.
The modern blockbuster sometimes feels less like a two-hour story and more like one chapter in a much bigger plan. There is nothing wrong with a good franchise. The example that jumps to mind is undoubtedly the Marvel Cinematic Universe. New releases are hardly judged just based on their single performance. Instead, the audiences would like to know what a particular movie offers in terms of future films, which characters may return, and how it relates to the already released films.
The same observation concerns other big franchises like Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, and Fast & Furious. Even gaming plays a role, with online casino games like, for example, Blueprint Gaming’s The Goonies series, which brings the classic adventure film into the online casino world.
The major driver here is that audiences enjoy going back to well-known universes with the characters that have already made an impression on viewers as great stories.
But sometimes it feels like audiences are being sold the next chapter before they have even finished watching the current one.
Streaming has only increased this trend. A successful film can turn into a series, spin-off or whole universe within a few months. Studios are looking for properties which can attract readers to watch series over and over again, and they believe that an identifiable name is safer than choosing new ideas.
Amazingly, gaming has the same tendencies.The relationship between films and games has always existed, but online gaming has increasingly borrowed from familiar entertainment brands. Casino developers understand that a recognisable theme can instantly connect with players.
It is not just cinema that affects the world of gaming. The world of games has become an integral part of the global entertainment ecosystem. Everything is interconnected, be it characters, plots, or brands, as they easily migrate from the world of movies to TV shows, or computer games.
This way, the entertainment world becomes entirely interconnected today, the film can become a video game, the game can turn into a movie, and an actor can become a character in a mobile phone application.
The question is whether new ideas have a chance in today’s world where people still enjoy new stories. Gamers like fresh stories, but producers understand that a familiar name guarantees attention. Given the competitiveness of the entertainment market, it is hard to ignore the fact.
In the future, the industry might not need to choose between franchises and original movies: there will always be a place for both, even though at the moment it seems that the franchises easily dominate the box office.
The movie may only last two hours, but the franchise can now live forever.
