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.

Watch: US Soccer Player Takes Possibly Worst Dive Ever Caught on Camera After Mexico Player Barely Taps Him

Child Dies After Freak Accident in Playground Tube Slide

Denver man’s escape exposes chilling Tren de Aragua kidnapping plot that lands trio in prison

Former TV anchor who pleaded guilty to killing mother last Halloween gets life sentence

Trump says Putin call coming ‘very soon’ as US tracks suspected plague death in Russia

Ex-CIA official admits to $194 million fraud scheme involving gold bars

Cornell Appoints Former Acting Attorney General Who Was Fired by Trump for Insubordination to Lead Investigation

Foreign adversaries running ‘psyop’ to fuel anti-AI and anti-data center movement, war official says

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis Sucks Up to ‘The View’ by Threatening to Dox Trump’s Personal Phone Number

Unearthed social media posts contradict El-Sayed’s ‘capitalist’ narrative

Christa Pike now conscious and talking after surviving 2 doses of lethal injection drug: report

Delta Air Lines jet clips Air Canada plane on Los Angeles International Airport tarmac

Israel claims Hamas is planning Oct. 7 anniversary attack. Does it have the means to do so?

Immediate Impact Seen at CNN HQ as Paramount and Warner Bros. Finalize Controversial Mega Merger

Nebraska’s Dan Osborn says mocking Trump voters ‘came from a place of passion’

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.