Today, studios have begun plotting out "franchises" and entire "cinematic universes" before even dropping the puck on a first film. Franchise fever obviously makes sense in a business driven by sequels, one that seeks to hedge against failure by replicating what worked before. "Wonder Woman," which just premiered to better-than-expected returns, has somewhat redeemed DC. Admittedly, grousing about franchise creation's cynicism or lack of creativity risks looking hopelessly naïve, given the business imperatives driving it. Back in 2004, for example, Universal announced a multi-faceted monster franchise built around the release of the movie "Van Helsing."

Source: CNN June 07, 2017 14:03 UTC