Spencer Harrison

Arne Carlsen

Miha Škerlavaj

<article-ideainbrief class="article-ideainbrief">
 <h4 class="ideainbrief-title">Idea in Brief</h4>
 <div class="ideainbrief-contents">
  <h5>The Problem</h5>
  <p>In the movie business, sequels seldom perform as well as the originals—with critics or commercially. That makes it very difficult to create a franchise.</p>
  <h5>Why It Happens</h5>
  <p>When making sequels, filmmakers err on the side of caution in balancing continuity with renewal. As a result, they experience diminishing returns.</p>
  <h5>The Solution</h5>
  <p>The Marvel Cinematic Universe, perhaps the most successful franchise of all time, strikes the right balance by (1) selecting for experienced inexperience, (2) leveraging a stable core, (3) continually challenging the formula, and (4) cultivating customers’ curiosity.</p>
 </div>
</article-ideainbrief><p>In just a decade Marvel Studios has redefined the franchise movie. Its 22 films have grossed some $17 billion—more than any other movie franchise in history. At the same time, they average an impressive 84% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (the average for the 15 top-grossing franchises is 68%) and receive an average of 64 nominations and awards per movie. <span class="mediatitle">Avengers: Endgame,</span>released in the spring, has won rave reviews and generated so much demand that online movie ticket retailers had to overhaul their systems to manage the number of requests.</p>

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<p>Marvel Studios has redefined the franchise movie, in part by finding the right balance between creating innovative films and retaining enough continuity to make them all recognizably part of a coherent family.</p>
<p>The authors analyzed 338 interviews with producers, directors, and writers and 140 reviews from leading critics. They digitally analyzed each movie&#8217;s script and visual style and examined its network of actors and behind-the scenes workers. They argue that Marvel&#8217;s success rests on four principles: (1) selecting for experienced inexperience, (2) leveraging a stable core, (3) continually challenging the formula, and (4) cultivating customers&#8217; curiosity.</p>

Marvel&rsquo;s Blockbuster Machine

Marvel Studios has redefined the franchise movie, in part by finding the right balance between creating innovative films and retaining enough continuity to make them all recognizably part of a coherent family. The authors analyzed 338 interviews with producers, directors, and writers and 140 reviews from leading critics. They digitally analyzed each movie’s script and visual style and examined its network of actors and behind-the scenes workers. They argue that Marvel’s success rests on four principles: (1) selecting for experienced inexperience, (2) leveraging a stable core, (3) continually challenging the formula, and (4) cultivating customers’ curiosity.

Marvel’s Blockbuster Machine

Summary.

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