10 Movie Franchises That Died In 2021

Love it or hate it, Paranormal Activity has been one of the horror genre's most impressive and unexpected success stories of the last 20 years.

Between 2009 and 2015, the series' original run of six movies grossed $890.5 million on a combined $28 million budget, representing a frankly phenomenal return on investment.

Even though the franchise wrapped up with the critically reviled 3D finale Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension, in 2019 Paramount decided the series was fit for the reboot treatment.

Despite originally being intended for a theatrical release, Paramount ultimately decided to release the seventh movie, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, direct to their Paramount+ streaming service.

And honestly, it seemed like a relatively smart move: found footage as a genre has long since fallen out of mainstream popularity, and factoring in the impact of the pandemic, these sorts of low-fi horror movies feel much better-suited to streaming anyway.

But much like Home Sweet Home Alone, largely negative reviews and a lack of public viewership figures seem to suggest that Next of Kin wasn't the surging rejuvenation of the franchise Paramount was expecting.

With nobody involved with its production even hinting at a sequel, it's fair to assume that the IP is going into "hibernation" once again, having been sacrificed at the altar of streaming.