So far this year the highest grossing film not based on an existing property (Guardians Of The Galaxy doesn't count because it was still pushed by Marvel) is Edge Of Tomorrow, the fun, if ultimately formulaic Tom Cruise sci-fi that mashed Groundhog Day with Starship Troopers. Were the likes of Maleficent or The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which made more money, better than it? No. Did it have any major flaws that would lead to a mediocre box office run? No. Did audiences steer clear because it was a new concept. You can bet your mech suit they did. It's a sad paradox that general audiences moan so much about franchise cinema, but then only go to see films that are sequels, spin-offs or reboots. Pacific Rim may not have been a blockbusting game-changer, but it didn't deserve to be discarded by audiences to just about scrape its budget back. When Godzilla can get a sequel on opening weekend , but another, equally competent film takes until fans mass-buy the DVD is ridiculous, particularly when the majority of audience's brand recognition with Gareth Edward's monster movie was the terrible nineties version. This has always been true to some degree, with more auter-led film-making losing its box office grasp once the double-whammy of Jaws and Star Wars set up the blockbuster model, but it was never the case a film needed to be part of something pre-existing to get audience's attention. What can you do: Take a gamble. At worst you waste a couple of hours, at best you help nurture a new franchise.
