Hollywood's Franchise Mentality There was a time when most movies had a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end.  When the end credits rolled, that was the last you saw of that movie.

Nowadays, movies are produced with an eye towards sequels and/or building "franchises" (Imagine for a moment a sequel to "Casablanca" ... or "Sunset Boulevard" ... or "Ben Hur".)

To me, there's just something lacking about Hollywood's current franchise mentality.  Whatever happened to the singular artistic vision of a John Ford, Frank Capra, or Billy Wilder?  Given Hollywood's current obsession with capturing the oh-so-important teen audience, could something as violent and gritty as "Dirty Harry" or "The Wild Bunch" even be made today?

IMO, a movie loses something when it's primed for a franchise by default.  It ceases to be art and becomes a mere commodity -- like breakfast cereal or shaving cream.


Enough rambling.

Hey a girl! Welcome!

I think you're right, it's all about business now and not so much about creative direction or social commentary. With box office sales dwindling and people disenfrancaised with the quality of movies, I'm willing to bet there will be at least a short term turn around a year or so from now.