Thanks to the success of Ajay Devgn’s ‘Drishyam 2’ (a unique hybrid of being both a South remake and a sequel) and Ranbir Kapoor’s ‘Brahmastra’ promising the arrival of a superhit Hollywood-esque franchise, the audience’s hopes are soaring sky-high. People are already contemplating if SRK’s ‘Pathaan’ and Salman’s ‘Tiger’ will unite with Hrithik Roshan’s Kabir from ‘War’ as Yash Raj Films’ spy universe expands.
But are sequels, franchises, and movie universes the answer for guaranteed success? Have the coffers of Bollywood’s originality become empty? Is the audience only going to shell out hard-earned money on familiar characters? In this week’s Big Story, ETimes explores B-Town’s new-found passion for sequels and we examine if this trend is another bubble waiting to burst. There’s lots of big money riding on a bevy of sequels.
What are the stakes?
If you tally all the sequels and franchise films in production right now, you will end up with a number higher than a dozen. Trade analyst Atul Mohan does the math and says, Many film studios are currently planning a number of sequels, franchises, and cinematic universes. While there are rumors swirling about the number of films that will be made, some reports suggest as many as 10-12, it is best to wait for official announcements to confirm these figures. This year, we can expect the release of four highly anticipated franchise films – Yaariyaan 2, Dream Girl 2, Gadar 2, and Tiger 3 – which are expected to gross around 450-500 crores collectively.
Most of these heavy-duty sequels and franchises feature big stars like Shah Rukh, Salman, Akshay, Hrithik, and Kartik, who all demand big sums and in return offer big box office haul, too. Add up all the numbers and the total money at stake could be jaw-dropping. Trade Analyst Komal Nahta dares to speculate as he says, Making an assumption, one could say perhaps a 1000 crores is riding on the fate of these franchise films. Distributor and Analyst Raj Bansal gives credence to the claim and says, Thousands of crores of rupees are riding on sequels and franchises.
Source:- Bollywood Keeda
Sequel or original, where is B-Town’s focus?
Are Bollywood’s producers placing all their big bets on the franchise model? Anees Bazmee, who’s given Bollywood the ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’ franchise thinks its originality that breeds franchises and sequels. He says, A franchise is created when a film becomes a hit. So, the first film doesnu2019t have a franchise, you see. ‘No Entry’ and ‘Welcome’ were not franchise films. When a film becomes a hit and generates goodwill among the audience, you feel like taking it forward. If you feel like you can make a sequel with the same passion and love with which you made the first film then you should definitely make a franchise. After a hit film, audiences have bigger expectations from its sequel, too.
Komal Nahta is succinct in his opinion when he says, ‘Pathaan’, the biggest hit of recent times, is not a sequel. Film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi supports the argument by saying, The focus is not on franchises alone. There are upcoming originals such as ‘Maidaan’, Neeraj Pandey’s next, ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’, ‘Jawan’, ‘Dunki’ and a couple of Akshay Kumar’s films which would be worthy of the audience’s time, money, and intelligence.
Raj Bansal says, I donu2019t think Bollywood is banking on a franchise model. Unfortunately, certain films were made as remakes and all didnu2019t do well, except for a few. The success rate of sequels is higher because itu2019s established by the fact that the earlier film did really well. So, the producers feel that making another film on the same pattern will guarantee success.
It’s easier to sell a sequel
Sequels and franchises are built on the popularity of established stories and characters. The audience is already in the mood to root for their favorite heroes while watching a sequel. Komal Nahta explains, With established and popular characters the groundwork has already been done. From an audience perspective, you feel the urge to see more of a character and story that you are already invested in.
Anees Bazmee reasons, Baburao Apte from ‘Hera Pheri’, Majnu and Uday Shetty from ‘Welcome’ are iconic characters. People love to see them again and again. Films in any franchise should be made without corruption and giddy ambition. Make a film from your heart. If you don’t, people will come to know that youu2019ve done the mathematics of business and are trying to fool the audience.
Source: Malisha Jarin
Akshaye Rathi speaks of the flipside of making a sequel and explains, The familiarity of a franchise film obviously helps when it comes to the awareness that’s there from Day 1. People who have already enjoyed the previous version are already invested in the new film. But on the flip side, there are also the expectations created by these franchises. If you don’t scale up every installment of a franchise and increase its entertainment quotient, then it becomes a bane.
Raj Bansal feels choosing the right films and characters for sequels is also key. He says, As an industry man, I would have expected a ‘Dhoom 4’. I would have expected another ‘Munnabhai’, ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Singham’ film. Unfortunately, nobody is planning on those lines. Other films that are not so successful are being planned for sequels. Atul Mohan elaborates further and says, Films need to be crafted and presented well, otherwise, they can end up like the two franchise films from 2022 that performed poorly – ‘Heropanti 2’ and ‘Ek Villain Returns’.
Finally, Anees Bazmee offers a simple yet final perspective when he says, I donu2019t think that sequels and franchises will work only if they have big budgets and big stars. There are many big-budget sequels and originals that have flopped. Films, whether a sequel or original, have to have a heart and they need to connect with the audience emotionally. That’s a million-dollar thought alright.
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