10 Movie Franchises That Probably Just Died

6. Downton Abbey

Fantastic Beasts the Secrets of Dumbledore
Universal

As much as Hollywood might want us to forget it, sometimes it's totally fine for franchises to just... age out and end.

That's certainly the case with Downton Abbey, which following the massive success of 2019's spin-off movie from the hit TV show, dropped a second movie earlier this year - Downton Abbey: A New Era.

And while the sequel still grossed over $90 million worldwide, that's quite a tumble from the first, which grossed more than double that figure on just half the budget.

And so, Universal may well read the writing on the wall here, that general audiences are basically over Downton Abbey, as much as creator Julian Fellowes has talked up the possibility of a third film in the future.

If A New Era did gangbusters business on streaming then a threequel isn't impossible by any means, but considering that the film felt like a solid farewell to these characters and this world, it'd be a pretty graceful time to bow out.

A franchise ending doesn't always need to be a bad or sad thing - in Downton Abbey's case it just feels right.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.