The Art Of The Perfect Crossover Movie
7. Make Sure There's The Demand
Simply put, there's zero point a studio or studios investing their time, effort, and finances into a crossover when nobody actually wants to see said crossover.
Like any basic business model, there's has to be demand to warrant the supply. If people don't want to see it, don't bother shooting it.
With something like 1994's Star Trek: Generations, this is a fantastic example of striking while the iron was hot. Whilst fans had been championing Star Trek: The Next Generation since it premiered in 1987, there was always that wish to somehow, some way see the characters of TNG share an adventure with the cast of the original 1960s Star Trek show and the subsequent movie series that show spawned.
By the time the call was made to bring these two beloved series together in one collaborative movie, those who had invested so much time in the larger, all-encompassing world of Star Trek were chomping at the bit to see James T. Kirk and Jean-Luc Picard share the screen.
On the other end of the spectrum, by the time the decision was made to have the Ring franchise butt heads with The Grudge/Ju-on in 2016, nobody gave a solitary sh*t about seeing these two horror powerhouses colliding - as reflected in the lack of theatres running the movie, the poor critical and fan response, and the fact that the film went straight to VOD in most markets.