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.

Trump administration touts ‘most secure border in history’ as 2.5 million migrants exit US

DOJ’s Epstein disclosure draws fire for website glitches, missing documents, redactions

Bill Gates Pictured with Females in New Epstein Files Photo Release

Just In: Epstein File Dump Features Bill Clinton Next to Redacted ‘Victims and/or Minors’ in Multiple Pics

Brown University, MIT shooting suspect likely died days before body found: autopsy

Fox News Politics Newsletter: Trump admin targets Maduro’s inner circle, family

Fox News Poll: Views on the year ending are merriest since 2020

Veteran Aussie Cop’s Shot Targeting Hannukah Mass Murderer Being Called ‘Once in a Lifetime’ Takedown, But Was It?

Cynthia Lummis becomes 11th senator to walk away from upper chamber in 2026

Fox News True Crime Newsletter: Brown and MIT shooting suspect, Nick Reiner’s lawyer, Brian Walshe’s sentence

Epstein files explode open as DOJ details discovery of powerful figures and more than 1,200 victims

DOJ publishes trove of Epstein files, says more to come after Friday deadline

Trump has light-bulb moment as he announces on the fly he will pressure insurance companies into 80% price cuts

Rubio crusades for Western civilization, warning European mass migration could threaten future of NATO

Must See: Jibbering Dem Sen Plunges Into Sheer Panic as FCC Chair Brendan Carr Produces Letter Senator Once Wrote and Is Desperate to Keep Quiet

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.