5 Major Movie Franchises That Hollywood Has No Idea What To Do With (#1 Has Been a Problem for Decades)

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As a fan, it felt like Hollywood just didn’t get how to keep the Predator series going for a long time. Predator 2 tried something different, but people didn’t really appreciate it then, and the whole thing went on hold for ages – over ten years! The same thing happened with Ghostbusters II; it felt too similar to the original, and that franchise stalled for almost twenty-five years. Then Dan Trachtenberg came along and totally revitalized Predator! He proved, not just once but three times, that you can shake up a successful formula as long as you bring something new to the table and really focus on the characters. While the newer Ghostbusters movies – Afterlife and Frozen Empire – haven’t hit the same heights as Trachtenberg’s Predator films, they have managed to get people excited about a franchise everyone thought was finished.

It’s hard to say when a beloved movie series is truly over these days. You could blame it on a lack of original ideas in Hollywood, but reboots and sequels to older films are incredibly popular, and sometimes they’re actually great. However, these five franchises seem to have a clear path forward. The bigger question is whether continuing them is a good idea, or if some stories are best left as they are, products of their time.

5) Pirates of the Caribbean

The success of Pirates of the Caribbean ultimately hinges on Johnny Depp’s performance. While Gore Verbinski created a captivating world with the first film, The Curse of the Black Pearl, and perfectly blended humor, action, and fantasy, it was Captain Jack Sparrow – and Depp’s portrayal of him – that turned Pirates into a blockbuster franchise and made the character an icon.

Johnny Depp’s highly publicized marriage to Amber Heard dominated the tabloids for a long time, and it’s still uncertain if audiences are ready to accept him as a leading man again. The future of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise without him is also unclear, and just as difficult to predict. However, it’s probably possible to continue the series with a new lead. There was talk of Margot Robbie potentially taking on the role, which could have worked well. The world of pirates is vast, and Jack Sparrow doesn’t own it entirely. The key will be finding an actor who can create a character as memorable and inventive as Depp’s portrayal – at least in the original three films.

Stream all five Pirates of the Caribbean movies on Disney+.

4) Star Trek’s Kelvin Timeline

Paramount has decided to stop making Star Trek movies set in the Kelvin Timeline, which is disappointing. Those films managed to attract viewers who usually weren’t interested in Star Trek, and that was a real accomplishment.

It’s understandable why plans for the Kelvin Timeline were delayed. While the three movies were popular with both dedicated fans and general audiences, they didn’t achieve the massive success of franchises like Star Wars. The films earned $385.7 million (2009), $467.4 million (2013), and $343.5 million (2016) respectively, indicating a clear limit to their box office potential. Star Trek continues to perform well on television, but it raises questions about the viability of launching another movie series. One possibility could be to bring back the cast from the 2009 films in a film similar to X-Men: Days of Future Past, which would connect the older and newer storylines and provide some resolution for fans of the original Kelvin Timeline movies.

Stream all three Star Trek Kelvin Timeline movies on Paramount+.

3) The Wizarding World

As a huge movie fan, I remember when the Harry Potter films completely took over the world – eight movies over eleven years, it was incredible! Then, five years after we said goodbye to Harry, Hermione, and Ron, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them arrived. It proved that the Wizarding World could still draw audiences and make money, even without the original trio – which was a really smart move for the franchise.

The initial success of Fantastic Beasts didn’t last, and its sequels saw significant declines in viewership compared to the first film—which itself wasn’t as popular as the peak Harry Potter movies. When adjusted for inflation, even the first Fantastic Beasts film performed worse. Now, HBO’s new Harry Potter series seems to be revisiting the same stories the movies already told. This is clearly an attempt to keep the franchise popular, but it makes it difficult for the Wizarding World to move forward creatively. If the show does well, there’s a possibility it could expand into films, similar to how The Mandalorian did, potentially adapting The Deathly Hallows.

Stream every Wizarding World movie on HBO Max.

2) The Matrix

The Matrix franchise suffered because the first movie set expectations incredibly high. While the 2003 sequel, The Matrix Reloaded, generated a lot of excitement following the success of the 1999 original, it didn’t live up to the hype. This quickly impacted the box office numbers for The Matrix Revolutions, which came out only six months later and earned significantly less money. That film also concluded the original trilogy by killing off two of the main characters, appearing to end the war with the machines. However, when The Matrix Resurrections was released 18 years later, it didn’t quite satisfy fans.

It’s questionable whether a significant fanbase remained for The Matrix by the time Resurrections was released. Unlike the strong initial interest in Reloaded, Resurrections didn’t generate much excitement from the start. Despite Lana Wachowski directing, it felt very different and has largely been forgotten in the four years since its release. In April 2024, Drew Goddard – known for his work on The Cabin in the Woods and Bad Times at the El Royale – was announced as the writer and director of a new film, with Lana Wachowski serving as an executive producer. This movie is still in its early stages, but Goddard’s talent suggests it could revitalize the franchise. It will be interesting to see if the new film continues the story of Neo and Trinity. While Keanu Reeves is currently very popular, The Matrix created such a rich and expansive world that exploring new stories outside of Neo’s journey might be the best way to fully develop it.

1) The Terminator

James Cameron’s The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day are considered landmark films in science fiction cinema. Many other movies have attempted to follow in their footsteps and achieve similar success, though their approaches have been quite different.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines largely retreaded the same ground as Terminator 2, following a formula the franchise has consistently returned to. While it performed decently, it wasn’t a huge success with either audiences or critics. It actually fared better than subsequent films like Terminator Salvation, which felt like a diluted war movie with robots, Terminator Genisys, and Terminator: Dark Fate. Genisys leaned too heavily into comedy and, like Salvation, lacked impact, while Dark Fate, arguably the strongest entry since Terminator 2, struggled because audiences felt the story was repetitive. The truth is, the idea of robots disguised as humans has lost its initial appeal. The original films, particularly Terminator 2, were groundbreaking, especially with their special effects, and were directed by James Cameron. It’s possible those two films represent the peak of the series, and that’s enough.

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2025-11-17 01:16