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 admin wants to require tax filers to disclose citizenship status to IRS

Lawyers, experts urge Tennessee governor to commute Christa Pike’s sentence after botched execution

AOC’s dramatic retelling of Cornell rape allegations collides with complaint details

Trans NYT Executive Faced Child Cruelty Charges Before Shooting Death – Police Say In-Laws Opened Fire

Texts cited by Eric Schmitt at Jack Smith hearing lacked team names: Report

Breaking: Trump Economy Notches Win as US Jobless Numbers Plummet to Half-Century Low Last Seen in 1969

College professor accused of sending explicit Snapchat messages in child solicitation case: sheriff’s office

EXCLUSIVE: Supreme Court prayer grotto case could impact ‘every single zoning law’ in America, attorney says

DOJ reindicts DC pipe bomb suspect after FBI confession transcript released

‘Conspiracy’ Speculation Erupts After Botched Execution of Christa Pike: ‘There’s No Way’

Rerun of ‘America’s Most Wanted’ Leads to Arrest in Cold Case That Haunted Detectives for Decades

Multiple People Dead As Medevac Chopper Crashes Off LA Coast, Weeks After News Helicopter Went Down

Mamdani pledges millions to combat antisemitism while leaving key question unresolved

Democratic Senate Candidate Begs Kamala Harris to Stay Away from His Campaign: ‘Please, No’

Sleeper Senate race emerges as unexpected headache for Republicans ahead of midterms

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.