After TLJ, Is "Franchise Fatigue' now Plaguing Star Wars?

[Campe]

By the time it hits On-Demand, streaming, home video (Blu-ray/digital downloads), premium cable, standard cable, merchandising... I'm pretty sure Disney will turn a decent profit on it.

I'm sure it will be disappointing for Disney that the movie won't turn a profit before leaving its theatrical run, but they won't take a hit on it over the long run.

And that's something that a lot of people don't get. A film's profitability doesn't end when a movie leaves a theater. There is so much life in a film after that. I recall having arguments with Fred Archer (the greatest fan of Star Trek ever!!!... who questioned choices and attacked every new thing to come out regarding this) regarding the profitability of the JJ films and he would constantly spout a formula he read somewhere from some "expert" not realizing how much the marketplace has changed.

Is this disappointing for Disney? Sure.
Is it going to drown them and will they fire anyone over this? Despite what the OP believes, probably not.

 

[BillJ]

The Growing Emptiness of the “Star Wars” Universe

"Growing"? It has always been a thematically basic (good vs. evil on the most superficial level), action-oriented franchise. When it did try to go "deeper" in the prequels many fans openly rejected it.

 

[Gavin70]

I don't think the issue is fatigue so much as a general disinterest in the story. I just don't get the impression that many people were interested in Han Solo's backstory. And the change of directors and rumours about an acting coach for the lead probably made people wary about rushing in to see it. And I suspect people may be struggling to see the role recast. Harrison Ford pretty much is Han Solo (and Indiana Jones) and its hard to really consider anyone else in the role. I know all of the above apply to me. I enjoyed TLJ so that didn't make me reluctant to see this. And I'll probably watch it when its out on DVD or Netflix. But if I'm gonna spend money at the movies ($50 for the family plus snacks) I've got to really want to see it and there are just too many other things coming out soon that I'd rather spend money on. Incredibles 2!!!!!! and Jurassic World 2 and Ant-Man 2 (I'm sensing a theme here - maybe they should have named this one Solo 2 and I'd have been more interested?)

 

[DarKush]

"Growing"? It has always been a thematically basic (good vs. evil on the most superficial level), action-oriented franchise. When it did try to go "deeper" in the prequels many fans openly rejected it.

You could also say the same thing for the 'deconstructionist' The Last Jedi in terms of how divisive it is among fandom.

 

[Campe]

Mark Hamill said:

We were so lucky there wasn't social media when Empire Strikes Back came out.

[snip]

In those days you really had to take a lot of effort and sit down and say, 'Dear Mr. Hamill, why did you turn Harrison Ford into a coffee table? This is not right.' Now, it's wallop and send. It's so easy. Pure hatred can be delivered directly to your home in a nanosecond.

Frank Oz chimes in:

Yeah, there’s a whole backlash. I couldn’t understand that whole backlash. I didn’t get it. I thought it was a great piece of work. I never understood that backlash. I’m somebody that works with the script, and if the script is there and I believe the script is organic and right for the moment and the character, then that’s kind of all I think about. I don’t think about extra powers or anything, I just go with it. I just don’t consider that really.

I'm not going to say that fans can't be unhappy. They obviously are and they have every right to be. But when two luminaries from Star Wars are suggesting the level of backlash is ridiculous, maybe we should believe them. (Cue those who will come in and say Hamill and Oz are being paid off, because CONSPIRACY!)

 

[DigificWriter]

That is true about how damaging failure can be and how we can respond to it in different ways, but at the same time, it didn't feel in character as I saw Han to be. And for it to go on, 4 or 5 years, and let Ren become this mass murderer, it didn't work for me. And when they do have Han come to his senses he is murdered by Ben and tossed off that walkway, it felt unceremonious. Even Kirk got a better ending in Generations.

And then failure is compounded in TLJ, for Luke and for Leia, and it just gets so depressing after a while. The escapism aspects of Star Wars are removed, for what exactly? In one of the You Tube Solo reviews I've watched-I can't remember which-they pointed out how aspirational and inspirational the original trilogy heroes had been. They inspired us to be better, but I can't say the same for how the sequel films have treated the original heroes.

Failure does not make a hero - or heroes - less heroic, aspirational, and inspirational.

If it did, Spider-Man would have lost all value as a character following "The Night Gwen Stacy Died".

 

[Gavin70]

"The Last Jedi" was a huge mistake. The best thing Episode 9 has going for it is the big break between its release, and "Solo". But who cares about episode 9 after "Last Jedi"? That Trilogy can't end in a satisfying way after what Rian Johnson did!

I honestly don't get what the issue is with TLJ. I completely enjoyed it and don't have any worries about episode 9. It wasn't a perfect movie but none of the others have been perfect either. Maybe I just saw a different movie to everyone else?

 

[Campe]

Maybe I just saw a different movie to everyone else?

Nope. Unless two of us saw different movies.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I'm amused at the transition that occurs from "I don't like it" to "It was a huge mistake." Oh, I'm sure connecting up with like-minded individuals is involved, but ignoring the fact that there are plenty of people who don't agree is also part of the process.

 

[Vger23]

I'm amused at the transition that occurs from "I don't like it" to "It was a huge mistake." Oh, I'm sure connecting up with like-minded individuals is involved, but ignoring the fact that there are plenty of people who don't agree is also part of the process.

The nerd outrage over TLJ is simultaneously hilarious and disgusting. It's unreal. It's amazing how people will react to entertainment that doesn't give them what they want.

 

[fireproof78]

They inspired us to be better, but I can't say the same for how the sequel films have treated the original heroes. One can argue that it's 'real', but we also have to look at 'being real' in a science fantasy film.

For me, being able to step up and face failure is just as inspiring as it is real. The original characters when from mythic icons to highly relatable people. And that's far more important to me, because we still have the Original Trilogy. Those events still have significance, still have impact, and are not diminished by future failure. At least, in my mind, they shouldn't be.

On a larger note, the PT had addressed this earlier. In the OT, the Jedi were highly romanticized, and we longed for them to come back, and celebrated Luke's famous "I am a Jedi, like my father before me." But, in the PT, the reality was much messier. We saw the Jedi with flaws, and failures, and outright terrible choices. We saw Obi-Wan and Yoda take a very cowardly reaction to their failure and run away.

If the ST follows anything, it follows a theme already set in the PT.

Nope. Unless two of us saw different movies.

Possibly three of us

 

[BillJ]

You could also say the same thing for the 'deconstructionist' The Last Jedi in terms of how divisive it is among fandom.

I didn't really see anything deconstructionist about the movie. Did we expect these characters to be on heroic cruise control for thirty years? That to me would've been wildly uninteresting.

While I'm not what one would consider hardcore, I saw the original movie in 1977 at the age of six.

 

[Campe]

I didn't really see anything deconstructionist about the movie. Did we expect these characters to be on heroic cruise control for thirty years? That to me would've been wildly uninteresting.

That's (one of) my (many) issues with this backlash. Sure, it might be "kewl" to have Luke be a badass Jedi who can control the whole situation from his island on Anch-To.

But it wouldn't be dramatic.

Star Wars, as much as I hate to admit it, is a family space opera. Its far more interesting (and realistic) to have him and his friends face issues within his family over the course of time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. I don't believe there's really anything called "happily ever after." There's "happily ever after... for awhile." You can find joy and happiness but there will always be that next thing. Even the EU always had a next thing. Just reading the description about what went on after Jedi there, how many frikkin Sith or superweapons did Luke and company encounter? There was always something. I know Jacen apparently became a Sith. I don't understand how Ben Solo going to the dark is any different.

And the idea that our hero who did amazing things in life (and in death) failed but came back to prove that he truly was the greatest of all of the Jedi by not fighting and at the same time sacrificing himself for a greater cause, is actually a pretty awesome thing dramatically for an audience and within the story.

I'm sorry that some fans can't see that.

 

[BillJ]

Star Wars, as much as I hate to admit it, is a family space opera. Its far more interesting (and realistic) to have him and his friends face issues within his family over the course of time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. I don't believe there's really anything called "happily ever after." There's "happily ever after... for awhile." You can find joy and happiness but there will always be that next thing. Even the EU always had a next thing. Just reading the description about what went on after Jedi there, how many frikkin Sith or superweapons did Luke and company encounter? There was always something. I know Jacen apparently became a Sith. I don't understand how Ben Solo going to the dark is any different.

I think an interesting story to tell is how the First Order regained a foothold on the galaxy. Obviously, Leia and the Rebellion were so poor at governing that the First Order was able to thrive after going underground for a while.

 

[fireproof78]

Star Wars, as much as I hate to admit it, is a family space opera. Its far more interesting (and realistic) to have him and his friends face issues within his family over the course of time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. I don't believe there's really anything called "happily ever after." There's "happily ever after... for awhile." You can find joy and happiness but there will always be that next thing. Even the EU always had a next thing. Just reading the description about what went on after Jedi there, how many frikkin Sith or superweapons did Luke and company encounter? There was always something. I know Jacen apparently became a Sith. I don't understand how Ben Solo going to the dark is any different.

This is a great point. The EU was never a happy affair. The Big 3 were always facing down a reborn Empire, a reborn Emperor, superweapons and the like. Someone tell me were Luke got his "happily ever after" that lasted, because I have yet to read it.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

And that's something that a lot of people don't get. A film's profitability doesn't end when a movie leaves a theater.

No, but the box office returns are surely the biggest portion of a film's revenue. In what world do pay-per-view and Blu Ray sales outpace the former? That's desperate thinking: if a film tanks in theatrical release, there's no saving it through follow-up merchandising. In fact, quite the opposite: if the film does poorly in first run, it's doubtful that people will buy it later on for home viewing. I know I'm not going to be pre-ordering the Solo Blu Ray...

 

[EnsignRicky]

If a movie tanks at the box office then suddenly thrives on video and television, it's called a cult classic.

Solo is not The Big Lebowski. Hell, it's not even Weekend At Bernie's.

 

[Campe]

No, but the box office returns are surely the biggest portion of a film's revenue. In what world do pay-per-view and Blu Ray sales outpace the former?

You're absolutely right. The largest portion of revenue comes from the theatrical release. My point is the revenue may move in slowly after that but it still comes in. But when you do take home video sales, merchandise, and other ancillary deals (TV, etc.), that ain't exactly a small number. Its not half a billion. But I bet its more than you think.

 

[BillJ]

I know I'm not going to be pre-ordering the Solo Blu Ray...

I haven't even seen it yet, and I have no doubt I will end up owning it on UHD disc.

 

[Campe]

I haven't even seen it yet, and I have no doubt I will end up owning it on UHD disc.

This may be the first Star Wars movie I don't own on disc.

I'll probably buy it on streaming.