In today's world, franchises dictate the film industry. This has been the case since the 1970s when The Godfather and Star Wars dazzled us at theaters across the country. 30 years later, Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and Pirates of the Caribbean created a new era of franchises that dominated the box offices. In the following decade, Marvel set records at the box offices by creating an entire universe at the box office which still exists today.
Different franchises have different goals and different effects on people, and some are valued more based on their relevancy. Today, we'll be going over the top five franchises right now and looking at the top five movies/franchises that really need a sequel.
Top 5 Right Now
#5 - Inside Out
Inside Out took the box offices by storm this year with the release of Inside Out 2. The idea of animating and explaining different emotions is a great way to teach kids about how their feelings work and how to explain them. Joy is an iconic character that deserves her spot in Pixar royalty. She is the new Dory, the energy that makes Pixar run.
What Inside Out really does for people is demonstrate how families are supposed to work and how different situations can be hard for children. Riley's battle with depression and her eventual bittersweet moment are relatable moments that outline exactly what kids go through during childhood sometimes. Inside Out 2 expanded on this in a completely new way, but I'm not going to spoil the whole movie for you. You'll have to go watch it.
#4 - Spider-Man/Marvel
While the Marvel Cinematic Universe has hit a rough point without Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, or Scarlet Johansen at the forefront, Marvel had some temporary success with Spider-Man and Shang-Chi in late 2021. These two movies created a future for Marvel that it should continue to grow off of.
Spider-Man: No Way Home was the best Spider-Man movie that we have ever seen. Bringing all three Spider-Man actors together into the same universe was an amazing way to tie the series together. The ending twist was the most unique way to end a Marvel movie yet with the entire world forgetting who Peter Parker is. That is a great a sacrifice as Iron Man giving himself up for the greater good.
As for Shang-Chi, who choreographed that movie and why are they not choreographing all Marvel fight scenes? This was the most well done film in Marvel's entire library. They took a regular character with no previous fanbase and turned him into the greatest superhero o the big screen overnight. I would love to see more of Shang-Chi in the future.
#3 - The Monster-Verse
The recent release of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire made critics look stupid. In fact, critics will forever look stupid when it comes to rating Monster-Verse films. These movies are way better than Rotten Tomatoes has been ranking them. The most recent entry came in at 54% according to the experts and 91% according to audiences. We don't care what the critics say. WE LOVE THIS FRANCHISE!!!
This may be the franchise with the most still to offer. It's the equivalent of Marvel right after The Avengers. There is still a lot to unpack here and Warner Bros has some tome to unpack it. This is the most underrated franchise right now.
#2 - Top Gun
Pre-pandemic, we thought this franchise was a one and done film that put Tom Cruise on the map. We never expected him to return to Top Gun and we never expected the film to be better than the original. Now that is a great franchise. Top Gun feels like watching the exact same movie, but the nostalgia is somewhat ignored a little bit. Yes, Goose's son Rooster is there with Maverick, but the two don't really delve into the past as much. Accepting it is really done in the air in real time. It isn't until Rooster experiences what Maverick and Goose went through in the air that he realizes the reality of the situation decades before. It allowed him to move on with his life and accept the past that haunted him and Maverick.
Overall, I could have put this one into the category of a possible sequel, and one has been pitched with Rooster as the lead, but I'm happy with this franchise as it stands. We waited 40 years for part two. We can wait another 40 for part three.
#1 - Dune
The king of the movies right now has to be Dune. This is a well done film franchise that keeps people guessing during every second. When two worlds collide into one, it creates a lot of complicated plot lines that only turn up the heat. When you go through those plot lines in a very slow and methodical process, it only adds to the drama and suspense of the film.
This franchise is at the top for a reason. These films are Academy Award worthy. I could see one of them being at the top of the box office and the Best Picture winner at the Oscars in the same year. We haven't seen that in over 20 years. Dune will go down in history as one of the most amazing franchises to ever hit the big screen. It truly is a masterpiece.
Top 5 That NEED a Sequel
#5 - The Batman
This is a good iteration of Batman that deserves to go on another round. Yes, there is a sequel already planned, but the need for one outranks its existence. It needs to happen and it needs to be something extremely good. You could introduce Robin, Harley Quinn, and create a new Joker, but I would go after others considering Arthur Fleck has made a great impression on the big screen. Batman is one of the most popular franchises for a reason and multiple Batman's on the screen at the same time isn't unheard of, nor is it really a bad thing. Let's keep this one going.
#4 - Ready Player One
This one might be difficult due to Olivia Cooke's role in House of the Dragon, but Ready Player One deserves to have a second movie. You would also have to get Stephen Spielberg on board, and he's not really into sequels right now. There are so many undeveloped parts of characters that could be expanded on in a second film. What about Wade and Samantha's relationship? Can Wade handle another challenger entering the Oasis and taking him on for control? How will the dynamics of the team be now that everyone knows each other? This could be a really fun movie idea.
#3 - Free Guy
Do you know how many content creators are out there waiting for this one? Sure, the movie was carried by Ryan Reynolds, but the appearances of Jacksepticeye, Ninja, and Pokimane were amazing as well. There are so many other content creators that could be grabbed for this movie including Markiplier, Valkyrae, Disguised Toast, Sykkuno, Ludwig, KSI, Kai Cenat, MrBeast, BotezLive, GothamChess, and so many others. Also, let's not pretend like Guy and Buddy don't need another adventure in his new world. Millie and Keys' relationship could also be put to the test here. There's a lot you could do with this one.
#2 - Super Mario Bros
This franchise has so much potential!!! When Mario finally hit the big screen, we all flocked to the movies to see it, and we weren't disappointed. Now we need a sequel and spinoffs for fun. We need a Donkey Kong movie, a Luigi movie, a Peach movie, and so many more. There are tons of movie ideas that could come from this franchise. You could also bring in another character to challenge Mario or provide another man to compete for peach. There are a number of different things you could do here that would get people back to theaters. Universal has finally found their ultimate franchise.
#1 - Frozen
We've gone too long without a Frozen movie. We still need clarification on a few things before we can wrap this franchise up. First of all, Anna and Kristof are getting married, right? Secondly, is Tangled connected to this franchise? Are we creating an entire world of Disney Princesses now? Also, is Elsa ever going to find a man? What about Hans? Does he fit back into the picture at all?
Overall, this franchise is too popular to not have another sequel coming. Sure, Disney has something working for this franchise, but it's need for a third movie is bigger than any other franchise in history. You've opened too many doors to leave us hanging now. This has to be a priority over there.
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