Hollywood’s Sequel Factory Churns Out Worrisome Duds This Summer

More than a month into the summer movie season, one thing has become clear: Many of Hollywood’s sequels, reboots and reimaginings are falling flat.

Some films have missed analysts’ forecasts by tens of millions of dollars. They include last weekend’s new releases — Walt Disney Co.’s “Dark Phoenix” and Universal Pictures’ “The Secret Life of Pets 2.” Though Paramount Pictures’ “Rocketman” topped studio forecasts, the Elton John biopic came in below outside estimates. Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla” sequel also missed industry projections.

So far, the shortfall hasn’t claimed any of the summer’s biggest tentpole films. And Eric Wold, an analyst at B. Riley FBR, still expects higher ticket sales through the balance of the year to deliver a record 2019. But the results also show that fans are getting pickier about the glut of sequels that Hollywood studios have force-fed movie moviegoers for years.

“Audiences are savvy enough to wait for the home market, especially with so many great streaming choices this summer,” said Jeff Bock, an analyst with Exhibitor Relations Co. “That’s something Hollywood will be contending against for years to come.”

Sequels and reboots need to be more compelling to draw in fans, Bock said. “Many of them aren’t upping the ante or raising the stakes significantly enough,” he said.

Hollywood studios have turned movie serials, now dubbed franchises, into an art form — with film series built around comic-book figures, action-hero revivals and classic cartoon characters. And no one has been more successful at this task than Disney.

Dem ‘Epstein class’ attack backfires as top candidates funded by Epstein-tied billionaire

Muslim Dem Candidate Exposes Flaw in Wokeness Allyship, Now Says She’s Getting Silenced Because She Didn’t Embrace LGBT Agenda

Cuba built covert network inside America through spies, activists and universities, State Dept alleges

Pentagon Releases Video of Latest Strikes on Iran After Trump Orders Revenge for Fallen US Troops

Two House races take center stage as conservative PAC launches multimillion-dollar Big Tech push

Jeff Clark’s yearslong disbarment fight tests reach of DC Bar over Trump DOJ

Trump’s GOP clout faces Arizona test with House majority, governor’s race at stake

DOJ’s creative solution to transgender prison case would move male inmates into specialized unit

DOJ opens probe into Harvard’s financial aid for alleged discrimination against American students

Bodycam catches Sunny Hostin invoking her legal chops as cops cite Harvard-grad son for trespassing

Trump says first call with new UK PM Burnham went ‘very well,’ pledges US support

Lindsey Graham’s Sister Announces She’s Running for Full Senate Term

Rand Paul releases docs that reveal FBI halted border inspection of virus researcher over Wuhan lab links

Johnson’s strategy to bypass Democrats’ SAVE Act blockade survives key vote, handing GOP big win

Socialist insurgents force moderate Democrats into high-risk showdown over must-hold races

Second Place

But even Disney’s biggest hits aren’t doing quite as well as predicted. The Marvel finale “Avengers: Endgame” racked up $2.73 billion in box-office sales globally and looked likely to dethrone “Avatar” as the top-grossing movie of all time. Now — following a drop-off in attendance — it will have to settle for second place.

“It looks like ‘Avatar’ will hold onto the title,” Bock said, “unless Disney snaps their fingers and springs an alternate ending re-release in the near future.”

Bock cites a number of reasons for all of the misses. No one cared about the humans in “Godzilla,” he said, and “The Secret Life of Pets 2” didn’t “bring anything new to the table.”

Missing estimates in a debut weekend doesn’t necessarily mean a feature won’t be profitable. Movies like “Rocketman,” with smaller production budgets, are expected to make money.

‘Dark Phoenix’

“Dark Phoenix,” an X-Men film, is emerging as one of the summer’s bigger duds. It suffered from production and story problems, along with muddled marketing that left audiences confused by the trailer, Bock said. The film cost about $200 million to make, plus tens of millions more to market, suggesting it will have trouble turning a profit.