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Disney ’s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise has yielded undeniably irrefutable results , but withSolo’sunder - execute routine suggesting hearing fatigue , we look at the missteps they ’ve made with the franchise .
It is impossible to deny thatThe Walt Disney CompanybuyingLucasfilmand theStar Warsfranchise was a brilliant idea . So far , the overall grosses for the films made in the franchise have far surpass the $ 4.05bn Disney pay for the property . While that does n’t necessarily translate into pure profit just yet , it will eventually . Two of those additions to the ever - popular saga -The Force AwakensandThe Last Jedi- are in the top 11 highest grossing films ever made , with the former being one of only three cinema to pass $ 2bn worldwide . On top of that , the franchise has never been more critically beloved , nor have its chance for enlargement across multiple mediums been so vast . OwningStar Warshas made Disney one of the most powerful entertainment companies on the planet , and despiteSolo : A Star Wars Storyunderperforminga at the box office , Disney ’s selection to buy Lucasfilm still looks like a smart one .
That ’s not to say that their mistakes should be overlook or entirely dissolve . A company this strong and extend by mass as illustrious as Bob Iger and Kathleen Kennedy is not above business criticism . As celebrated as this dealership is , and for as long as it ’s been around , it ’s important to think of the current era ofStar Warsas a young venture , separate from the George Lucas geological era . The decisions made over the past several years could only be made in this current flow of Hollywood , and the mistakes made in those years reflect that . The disappointment ofSolohas revealed something many of us recall impossible : Star Warsis fallible .
What is the Sequel Plan?
Lucasfilm claims to have a sequel plan for Star Wars . As Kathleen Kennedy discussed in a2017 consultation :
" We ’re sitting down now , we ’re talking about the next ten year of Star Wars story , and we ’re looking at narratively where that might go . next stories beyond Episode IX with these new fictional character : Rey , Poe , Finn , BB-8 . But we ’re also looking at working with people that are concerned in fare into the Star Wars world and take us to places that we have n’t been yet . "
Whatever that plan is , it does n’t seem to have been in place since the kickoff of the new trilogy . George Lucas famously made up major beats of the original trilogy as he went along , but this is a different eld of filmmaking and off - the - turnup conclusion about drastic game points does n’t always work any longer . As noted by Rian Johnson , there was no set plan in placewhen he was given the job of directing Episode VIII :
" I had figured there would be a big map on the wall with the whole report place out , and it was not that at all . I was fundamentally given the script for “ Episode VII ; ” I got to ascertain daily of what J. J. was doing . And it was like , where do we go from here ? That was awesome . "
When asked in an consultation with the New York Times whether he was instructed to stay put to specific story arcs , he said,“Nothing like that . “Johnson discussed the level of immense creative freedom he receive with the photographic film , even as it was reveal that in the early stages of exploitation of the unexampled trilogy , J.J. Abramshad written drafts for Episode VIII and Episode IX , in addition to Centennial State - writing the script forThe Force Awakens , yet Abrams is not credited as a screenwriter or story donation onThe Last Jedi .
Giving directors originative exemption over the franchise is a good idea , and it ’s worked well in the most recent phase of the MCU thanks to directors likeTaika WaititiandRyan Coogler . However , those directors worked within clearly defined parameters and a franchise programme thatStar Warsdidn’t seem to have in property from its revitalization . Now that Abrams is directing Episode IX , the hand has switch hands once again , move from Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly toAbrams and Chris Terrio . It is strange how much will commute in term of narrative or character , or if this will adhere more to Abram ’s original draft than what Johnson laid out before him . That disarray is part of the trouble . The issue is not helped by the now frequent changes of directors to the franchise .
Page 2:Star Wars is No Longer Special and Has Director Issues
Star Wars is No Longer Special
The original trilogy kick - started the modern blockbuster era , while the prequels premier during the start of the billion buck Summer season , with competition likeThe Matrixtrilogy , The Lord of the Ringstrilogy and theHarry Potterfranchise . By the clip Disney had the rights , the expanded universe age of franchise picture palace was in full swing thanks to their other major property , Marvel . It made sense for Disney and Lucasfilm to try and replicate that example . On top of the central Skywalker focused trilogy , many spin - offs were announced , starting withRogue OneandSolo , with rumored plans for flick centered onBoba FettandObi - Wan Kenobi .
All the reasoning behind such decisions is reasonable , but what it has done is ensure thatStar Warsmovies are no longer the long - anticipated consequence they once were . Once upon a meter , buff had to waitress years or even decades for a newStar Warsfilm : Now , they ’re vouch a novel one every twelvemonth , with the possibility of multiple annual releases , television set show , and much more . Marvel pulled it off with their cinematic universe , but the cultural context was far different from that ofStar Wars , as were the pressures . The expansive nature ofStar Warswas more rooted in its expanded universe beyond the movies , admit books and video games , which were popular but did n’t always reach the general consultation who check the flick . bring the franchise ’s focus outside of the Skywalker Saga and doing it with increasing absolute frequency shit the serial plentiful and common . Lucasfilm and Disney seem to have assume that consultation would mechanically care about these prequels or twisting - offs , and that does n’t seem to be the grammatical case . Even the ever popular Han Solo could n’t entice fan to see a prequel . If these picture lead off coming out two or three time a class and are concenter more on side - characters whose entreaty is more frozen in the hardcore fan - base , the franchise could further drop off that special shine it used to have when it was a rarer goody .
Star Wars Has a Director Problem
It has become inconceivable to discussStar Warswithout delving into their repeated take with hire and firing directors . First there was Gareth Edwards , hire to directRogue Onebut replace in the re - shoots withTony Gilroy , who later admit toextensively rewrite the film . Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were fired fromSolowith only a few weeks of shooting left and replaced by Ron Howard , who reportedly re - shot around three - quarter of the film ( bring the final budget to around $ 250 m , making it one of the most expensive films ever made ) . Colin Trevorrow leftStar Wars Episod IXbefore production begin andThe Force AwakensdirectorJ.J. Abramstook over his duty . Josh Trank departed an undisclosed twirl - off movie- bruit to be a Boba Fett story - after his adaption ofFantastic Fourperformed poorly with critics and audience , withrumors of disasterous behind the scenes issues .
It is not uncommon for projects to lose conductor , be it through a resignation or firing . Disney has a history with this in their animation department , including Brenda Chapman being murder from Pixar’sBrave , and Jan Pinkava being replaced onRatatouilleby Brad Bird . Such dramatic event does not always signify tough things for a film , but regardless of what you think of the finished product ofSoloandRogue One , it ’s clear that a pattern had started to spring at Lucasfilm .
Lucasfilm ’s original program seems to have been similar to Marvel ’s in term of hiring natural endowment : take some burnished young rebel whiz on board and permit them fiddle in the sandbox ofStar Wars , redact their singular impression on the cloth while adhering to the wider plan . However , Rian Johnson away , it ’s become obvious that Lucasfilm would choose a secure bet . They replace those young red-hot - shots with reliable sure-enough bridge player whose robustness and familiarity with the major studio organisation made it easier for Lucasfilm to get the results they want . Ron Howard may not be the cool director , but his advance is more in occupation with the one-time - school studio arrangement Lucasfilm is more smashing to double . The rumour that a Boba Fett film will be helmed byJames Mangold(Logan ) and the news that the first live - activeness serial will be run byJon Favreau(The Jungle Book ) advise this is the route they wish to continue taking for their retentive - term plan .
This hack and changing tactic is messy , make Disney and Lucasfilm bet scatterbrained , and cost a lot of money . It does n’t urge on much confidence in audiences , much less possible talents looking to contract onto the next projection . It should n’t have taken the studio this long to realize that this was the tactics they wish to use .
Page 3:The International Box Office and Marketing Problems
The International Box Office Problem
As with most major blockbuster , cost have get up and domestic audience interests have plummeted . 2017 learn the North AmericanSummer boxwood officefall to its lowest taxation in over 20 long time . film that were supposedly sure - fire wager with homegrown audiences scarce made a dent with their domesticated handout . To compensate for this problem that has affect all the major studios , distributors have become more and more reliant on international box office grosses , with the aureate goof of the globe being China . The Chinese box office can make or break up a film : See how theystoppedWarcraftfrom being a major washout , or how the gross for the 5thTransformersmovie was around $ 400 yard less than its herald in large part due to disinterest fromChinese audiences . Disney has get along especially well in the nation , with theMarvel franchiseand animate films likeZootopiabreaking record oversea .
The braggart job here is thatStar Warshas never been a big deal inChina , and increasingly , it ’s become manifest that the country ’s hearing have little investment in take in more of this universe . Each unexampled installation has grossed progressively less in China , withSoloonly get $ 3 m there in its opening twenty-four hour period and debut in third place at thebox office . Historically , Chinese audiences have no fan connexion to the dealership . The original trilogy did n’t even get a theatrical release in the country . Other franchises like Marvel have fared better under similar fortune – Disney ’s films were even concisely ban in the nation for a menstruum of sentence , so their all-encompassing brand edifice in China is one of their more ambitious business hobby . However , Marvelhad something in the country that theStar Warsfilms never had : Appropriate marketing .
The Marketing Problem
While this problem is particularly relevant to Chinese publicity campaigns , it ’s one that ’s also had an impact onSolo . In China , theStar Warsname was completely hit from the film ’s title and marketed more asRanger Solo . It made sense to remove all connections of the pic ’s prequel status give how small audiences were enthrone in theatrical role like Han Solo , but it still did n’t wreak .
Back in North America and English - speaking hearing , Sololeaned heavy on its prequel position and connection to the wide-cut universe ofStar Wars , a tactic not dissimilar to Marvel’smarketing . What that finally did was hide the true nature of the film : An erstwhile - school infinite Western that ’s at its best when it be given out from the descent story of Han Solo . IfStar Warsis to become an annual custom or have a freeing framework standardised to Marvel , then Lucasfilm and Disney need to market the film as out-and-out necessities for audiences to see . General audiences may love Han Solo but not care all that much about a young interlingual rendition played by someone who is n’t Harrison Ford . Much has been made about the coming Boba Fett moving-picture show but the merchandising issuance environ that could be immense – do audiences have that much investment in the fiber , and what is the bait to his level ?
Solo had a similar marketing plan to the rest of the dealership in that it rivet more on concept than character or story . Most of the trailers forSolohide what the film is actually about and do n’t seem all that concerned in Han himself . This scheme can work if there ’s enough investment in the material but this is a prequel with none of the original trilogy ’s worker , like the new trilogy , or a write up multitude know , likeRogue One . It was n’t enough for any audience to just see the concept of a Han Solo prequel , with no wind at what the film itself was like . audience needed more than a shot of the Millennium Falcon to manage about the picture . Assuming audience desire anything and everythingStar Warsrelated ignores why devotee like the franchise in the first place .
Page 4:Star Wars Films Are Expensive
Star Wars Films Are Expensive
Blockbuster filmmaking nowadays is a costly investment . It used to be a sign of disaster when a film ’s budget ballooned past $ 100 m. Now , that number is weigh surprisingly low for a major franchise release . 9 - figure of speech budgets are the average and studio expect cost upwards of $ 150 m on average . Films likeStar Warsand theMCUare investment for Disney : They create unanimous foundation for expansion in other region , be it merchandising , television , gaming , theme parks or advertising .
The obvious downside is that now moving-picture show have to work even harder to break even on basic costs . Rumors swirled that the most recentPirates of the Caribbeanfilm had a budget that soared past $ 320 m ( official study have it at $ 230 m , which is still major money).Justice League ’s most conservative budget estimates set it at $ 300 m , whileSolocost $ 250mor so . It ’s not impossible to make a profit – The Last Jedimanaged it with ease and without make to use the Chinese boxwood office as a crutch – but with margin getting slimmer , the era ofToo Big to break down blockbuster cinemamakes it harder for studios to try out or take unfeigned jeopardy . Disney has the big bucks to rive something like this off , but it ca n’t be a repeating mistake .
NEXT:Alden Ehrenreich Wasn’t Just Good As Han - He Was The Best Thing In Solo
Episode 9is coming soon , as is a new trilogy from Rian Johnson that ’s disjoined from the main series . Benioff and WeissofGame of Thronesfame will have their accession to the franchise , and on top of the Fett and Obi - Wan prequels , there will be a TV series sole to Disney ’s upcoming cyclosis service . Their plans are to construct upon the Skywalker Saga but permit room for expansion beyond those established characters . This is a smart move but it ’s also really the only one they have to go with , especially now that the core three of the original trilogy has been pare down to zero , with Chewie and the droids being the only left stamp . Having a strict and elaborated plan in office is good business for a company and franchise this bragging , but it allows little elbow room for error or change if things do n’t go as plan . So , when you end upremoving directorslate in the game and have to expend tens of trillion of dollars to stick to the design , it becomes a less stout investment as a whole . modification is necessary forStar Warsto thrive , as is its enlargement beyond its core cast . But that plan is not unshakable , and evenStar Warscould be fallible , or , at least as frail as a multi - billion dollar dealership of interminable influence can be .
Whatever fault have been made , they ’re not about to allow the franchise molder , and their safety net of endless John Cash menstruation grant for the casual computer error on a major scale . Disney may be the only studio on the major planet who can afford a $ 250 one thousand oopsie , but it ’s not something they desire to get in the habit of repeating . The true trouble lies in how they have taken one of the most iconic cinematic franchises and made it just another series of films . It ’s not just thatStar Warsis no longer extra : It ’s not the only game in town offering what it does to audience . For the enfranchisement to have prospicient - term staying might in an more and more crowded blockbuster field , Disney and Lucasfilm need to make it special again , and they require an understanding of not just what audiences want but what they themselves wish to get from this dealership .
