The concept of a cinematic universe has become incredibly popular in recent years. It's a lucrative business model considering it allows studios to continue to produce sequels, spin-offs, and accompanying material like comics, games, and books all in the same storytelling landscape.
While some of these cinematic universes have been hugely successful, others have had to go back to the drawing board. Whether it's due to a lagging level of interest that the audience has in the property, a lack of depth in world-building, or the overall poor quality of the production, not every project manages to completely succeed.
Going Back To The Drawing Board: The Wizarding World
The endangered The Wizarding World as a whole.
After the previous installment, it seems that Warner Bros. has gone back to the drawing board with the project. With the potential for some creative changes, it may be that The Wizarding World is about to turn a new corner when the third Fantastic Beasts film finally releases.
Successful: The Arrowverse
There's been plenty of attempts to bring the multiverse of has featured plenty of crossovers, and it even has links to older TV shows from the DC catalog.
The Arrowverse has managed to bring a wide array of characters to the big screen, and it continues to be successful to this day. It has even played hugely into the Multiverse, actually linking into the DCEU as well. With great performances and even better writing, there appears to be no stopping the Arrowverse.
Going Back To The Drawing Board: The DCEU
While the Arrowverse and the DCEU might be linked with one another, they are also quite separate entities. For Warner Bros., the DCEU has been suffering from a lack of direction in recent years. While there was initially a larger vision from Zack Snyder, this has been changed significantly.
It appears that the company is instead focusing on solo projects, perhaps with the aim of one day crossing them over again. There are a number of interesting movies on the horizon and even a few TV shows in the DCEU, so perhaps the universe is once again on the right path.
Successful: MonsterVerse
Kaiju franchises have always been popular, but something about the storytelling and mythology of the MonsterVerse has intrigued audiences far more than normal. The franchise has been built up by a number of individual projects as well, expanding the opportunities for the universe moving forward.
Going Back To The Drawing Board: The Dark Universe
Despite very honest attempts though nothing has really worked. The latest iteration of The Invisible Man took the concept of a Dark Universe in a new direction, focusing on smaller, horror projects. Perhaps this modern take can eventually become a new shared universe.
Successful: Star Wars
While it seemed as if it was on shaky ground for a short amount of time, in large, the Star Wars franchise has continued to demonstrate how a series of books, comics, movies, TV shows, games, and even audiobooks can be coordinated to all interconnect with one another.
It's an impressive achievement, and while Disney did wipe out the old Expanded Universe to create a new Legends and Canon timeline, the results have been mostly positive. Star Wars is on a roll right now, and fans are eager to see how it plays out, especially on Disney+.
Going Back To The Drawing Board: Game Of Thrones
The famous George R.R. Martin fantasy world has been hugely popular in both its written and televised form, but the season finale of HBO went straight back to work, looking to develop further spin-offs in the same world.
Moving forward, HBO is clearly trying to address some of the mistakes of its past. The franchise is entering new territory though, considering it does not have a book series to closely follow. However, with Martin still offering advice, there's hope that Westeros will be the home of brilliant adventures once more.
Successful: Fast & Furious
Strangely enough, no one would have predicted that The Fast and the Furious would become the franchise it has today. And yet, it's actually grown in quality over the years. No longer is the series just about the cars they drive - now, it's actually become more focused on the family behind the incredible heists.
With a spin-off film already in the books and more on their way, it seems there's no slowing down this juggernaut. It's quite the achievement, and there are countless other directions to take the concept, considering the franchise has moved into the sci-fi world now.
Going Back To The Drawing Board: Middle-Earth
The Hobbit series changed that. Furthermore, with the release of the incredible Middle-Earth video games, it's unclear what's actually canon and what isn't. And now, it's about to get even more complicated.
In the coming months, an animated movie and a live-action TV show will soon be brought into the franchise. It appears that the studio is trying to work out what the best approach is to ensure great storytelling in the world of J.R.R. Tolkien, but there's clearly more work to be done.
Successful: The Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has really become the blueprint for all other major franchises to follow. Interlinking an array of solo and group franchises, both in the world of TV and film, the MCU has continued to amaze audiences with its in-depth storytelling.
Phenomenal world-building aside, the success of the MCU is really due to how well developed the characters are. Marvel Studios have demonstrated they know how to fully form these iconic comic book characters; with fans always eager to see old faces return in new ways.
