10 Major 2014 Films That Will Probably Kill Their Franchise
8. Muppets Most Wanted
A very somber addition to this list. Following the deliriously enjoyable The Muppets, which smartly targeted both diehards and greenhorns to become the franchises biggest cinematic outing thus far. That fact seems set to stay the same after Muppets Most Wanted opened to a gross of less than $20 million after the first week, making it a resounding disappointment for all involved. Initially the problem seems to be competition. With Disney wanting to place it ahead of the superhero-dominated blockbuster season (which is kicking off earlier and earlier each year), a time which is itself getting more saturated withstudio-pushed, medium-range budget fare (think 300: Rise Of An Empire), meant there were just too many films directly competing with it. Released opposite Hunger Games wannabee Divergent sets things off poorly, but when the key child audience is still enraptured with cash-magnet The LEGO Movie its no surprise Constantine and co. struggled. But will a flop actually kill the forty-year-old franchise? Quite possibly. The first film was lightning in a bottle, released at the right time, featuring (subsequently) Oscar winning songs and starring the endlessly watchable Jason Segel. It may not be dumb luck that stifled Most Wanted; maybe both Disney and fans got an inflated sense of the Muppets' wide appeal.
