So what is a franchise?
In the film industry, the term “franchise” refers to a series of related films, often sharing characters, settings, themes, or other elements, that are produced and released over time. These films are typically interconnected and contribute to a larger narrative or universe. Franchises are often characterized by their longevity, popularity, and ability to generate sequels, prequels, spin-offs, merchandise, and other forms of media.
Some well-known examples of film franchises include:
- Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): A series of interconnected superhero films produced by Marvel Studios, featuring characters such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the Avengers.
- Star Wars: A space opera franchise created by George Lucas, consisting of multiple trilogies, standalone films, animated series, novels, comics, and other media set in a galaxy far, far away.
- James Bond: A long-running spy film series based on the character created by Ian Fleming, featuring the adventures of the suave British Secret Service agent, James Bond.
- Harry Potter: A fantasy film series based on the novels by J.K. Rowling, following the journey of a young wizard named Harry Potter and his friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
- The Fast and the Furious: An action film series centered around street racing, heists, and espionage, known for its high-octane action sequences and ensemble cast.
Franchises often attract dedicated fan bases and can become cultural phenomena, with merchandise, fan events, and fan communities dedicated to discussing and celebrating the films. They also represent significant investments for film studios, as successful franchises can generate substantial revenue through box office earnings, home media sales, licensing agreements, and other revenue streams.
Ok, so we know what a franchise is, but what the heck is a multi-franchise? Multi-franchises are the next up-and-coming thing in the world of content creation. You can see an interesting example of it with the Star Wars franchise, where new storylines are being included that are not part of the original franchise.
Why is Disney doing this? It’s not that the original franchise has gone sour, but more that it has essentially run its course. You can only save the universe so many times. Disney realised what we at BackStory realised:
If you follow the ‘one world, one storyline’ model there’s only so much juice you can squeeze out of your orange.
There are two ways to solve this problem, either create a whole new fictional world/universe — which is what most people do — or learn how to multi-franchise your content, which is what Disney is learning to do.
Disney came to the obvious conclusion that it was far better (and cheaper) to go into multi-franchising, and they most likely learnt this from their acquisition of Marvel back in the day. The truth is that it’s much easier to go into multi-franchising, because of the rule of the repeat customer.
A new world and franchise storyline starts from 0 when it comes to its fanbase. You have to bump and grind your way to collecting followers, and you need to choose a medium through which you do that. The two common mediums are comics (a la Marvel) or novels/novellas (a la Harry Potter).
There are notable problems with adapting a world that was built around one franchise moving into the multi-franchise model. If your original franchise is all about ‘Saving the world’ — which it invariably is — you end up with a weird add-on franchise that doesn’t really resonate that much with fans.
What’s the secret? Start as a multi-franchise offering from the very beginning! And that’s exactly what we do at BackStory. We built and develop multi-franchise fictional worlds that are chock-full of amazing content for you (and your friends) to read and enjoy.
Does that sound interesting? Why not check us out!
