In a year of epic finales, 'Star Wars' and 'Game of Thrones' stumbled while 'Avengers: Endgame' soared
- "Avengers: Endgame," "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker," and "Game of Thrones" season eight all delivered finales (of sorts) for their respective franchises this year.
- "Endgame" is the least divisive of these finales because the MCU had a clear ending in mind for this era of the franchise and the next few years are already mapped out.
- The "Star Wars" franchise has suffered from production woes and a lack of a long-term plan, while "Game of Thrones" outpaced its source material.
- These weren't ultimate endings for the franchises, though, and streaming services like Disney Plus and HBO Max will play a big role in reshaping these franchises in the years to come.
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"Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" is in theaters, concluding the Skywalker Saga that began in 1977 - but it's been met with a tepid reception.
The movie arrived with the worst critics reviews for the "Star Wars" franchise in 20 years, middling box office, and a B+ Cinemascore (which surveys audiences on a movie's opening night), the lowest grade of any live-action "Star Wars" movie. It has a "rotten" 57% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned $176 million domestically over the weekend - far from bad, but below its predecessors in Disney's new trilogy. And it flopped hard in China, where the franchise has struggled to build an audience.
"The Rise of Skywalker" caps off a year of highly anticipated finales that included the highest grossing movie of all time, "Avengers: Endgame," and the polarizing final season of HBO's "Game of Thrones." These aren't ultimate endings for the franchises. The Marvel Cinematic Universe will continue long after "Endgame," HBO has already ordered a "Game of Thrones" prequel series, and there is a new "Star Wars" trilogy on Disney's release slate.
But they are all conclusions to major eras for their franchises that reflect just how hard it can be to "end" something in Hollywood in the age of online fandom - when, for example, vocal detractors take it upon themselves to tank Rotten Tomatoes audience scores. Expectations are high, which makes it all the more satisfying when something sticks the landing ("Endgame") and all the more frustrating when something misses the mark ("Game of Thrones," "The Rise of Skywalker").
Sure, there are plenty of people who like the "Game of Thrones" finale or "The Rise of Skywalker" and some who didn't enjoy "Endgame." But overall, two of these finales have proven to be more reviled or divisive than the other.
Why is that and what lessons can Hollywood learn from their successes and failures?
What went wrong (and right)
The failures of the "Game of Thrones" final season and "The Rise of Skywalker" come down to a lack of a long-term plan.
When "Game of Thrones" passed its source material - author George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books - the cracks started to show. While series creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss knew the general ending based on conversations with Martin, the main criticism facing the final season was that they hadn't set it up properly.
As for "Star Wars," behind-the-scenes issues paint a chaotic picture.
Benioff and Weiss were attached to a new "Star Wars" trilogy before departing the project due, in part, to fear of the franchise's toxic fandom after receiving harsh backlash for their "Game of Thrones" finale, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The first movie in that trilogy is still on Disney's docket for 2022, but the duo's exit highlights what's been a major issue for the company's "Star Wars" movies.
- The "Jurassic World" director Colin Trevorrow was originally set to direct the final movie in the new trilogy, but Abrams - who originally declined to direct the entire trilogy when approached by Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy - was hired to replace him in September 2017.
- "Michael Clayton" director Tony Gilroy was brought on "Rogue One" to assist with script changes and reshoots.
- "The LEGO Movie" directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller were fired from "Solo" late into production and replaced by Ron Howard.
- Director Josh Trank was fired from a "Star Wars" spin-off movie because of concerns about his "erratic" behavior on the "Fantastic Four" set, according to The Hollywood Reporter, though Trank has denied this.
Compare that to the MCU's smooth sailing, and the differences in execution between Disney's two biggest franchises become abundantly clear and somewhat perplexing. The MCU experienced a few bumps early on, but is a well-oiled machine at this point, with "Endgame" capping off 11 years and 22 movies of universe building. Meanwhile, Disney CEO Bob Iger has expressed regret about pumping out too many "Star Wars" movies in too short a time, something the MCU - which has released three movies a year recently - isn't concerned with.
The major difference seems to be that the MCU's pioneer, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, had a clear vision for how the saga would unfold. Meanwhile, the many production woes of the "Star Wars" franchise suggest a lack of a clear long-term plan (the "Rise of Skywalker" script was even being reworked, including "major plot elements and whole swaths of dialogue," during filming, according to The New York Times).
But it looks like Disney is finally course-correcting, as Feige is set to produce a "Star Wars" movie alongside Kennedy, though no specifics have been announced.
Similar issues faced "Game of Thrones." While Benioff and Weiss had a basic understanding of where Martin's books would go, the foundation that the first five seasons had fallen back on was gone - and it showed, especially in the finale.
The final season was torn apart by critics and fans alike, with the lowest critic and audience scores of any of the seasons on Rotten Tomatoes. The major criticism was that it seemed like a rush job by creators who wanted to move on to other things (like, at the time, "Star Wars"). It lacked a clear vision once the series outpaced Martin's books.
That didn't stop HBO from developing multiple prequel series, however. One pilot was scrapped and another idea, "House of the Dragon," was ordered straight to series. That announcement was made the same day WarnerMedia unveiled key details for its upcoming streaming platform, HBO Max.
A shot at redemption as the streaming war heats up
These three franchises helped define the 2010s in pop culture, but the next decade will push them into uncharted territory.
With the Skywalker Saga over, the "Star Wars" franchise will step outside of its comfort zone and into television with new stories on Disney's streaming service, Disney Plus. The MCU will move into TV as well, with shows that tie directly into the movies. And while "House of the Dragon" will be based on Martin's "Fire and Blood" book about House Targaryen, there's not nearly as much source material there to carry the show across multiple seasons as there was for "Game of Thrones.'
But "Star Wars" has seemingly passed the first test. With Disney Plus' "The Mandalorian," the franchise has gotten the live-action TV treatment for the first time and it's the biggest show in the world (thanks largely to the Baby Yoda phenomenon).
Disney Plus and HBO Max are the inevitable next steps for the franchises in an industry that isn't known for letting IP die. And as the streaming and content wars rage into a new decade, other companies are launching streaming services of their own that could showcase their franchise IP.
If Disney is concerned about the pace of "Star Wars" theatrical releases, it doesn't seem concerned about too many TV shows. More "Star Wars" shows, including an Obi-Wan Kenobi series starring Ewan McGregor, are in development at Disney Plus, as are the MCU shows. And HBO Max will include everything in the WarnerMedia library, including HBO and its "Game of Thrones" prequel.
So many new stories could increase the risk of "franchise fatigue," but the MCU has challenged that notion. Even "Star Wars" has to a lesser extent. As Feige himself pointed out during THR's Awards Chatter podcast last month, the franchise has still made a combined $5 billion under Disney.
"I think they're doing just fine," he said.
Boxoffice.com chief analyst Shawn Robbins told Business Insider last month that "reaction to 'The Mandalorian' will be indicative of how people feel about 'Star Wars.'"
"This is an important time in the franchise," he added. And the reaction, as noted, has been beyond expectations.
But that doesn't mean audiences will automatically tune in. "House of the Dragon" may have an uphill battle after the "Game of Thrones" finale left the franchise on a sour note, especially since it faces similar challenges as the show's final seasons. The dark side of the "Star Wars" fanbase ranges from "not easy to please" to aggressively toxic. And even in the case of the MCU, there's no guarantee that audiences will want to watch a TV show to understand what's happening in a movie, or vice versa.
After all, other franchises this year showed that fan loyalty isn't a given if audiences have experienced more misses than hits. "Terminator: Dark Fate" flopped despite the return of original stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton, and the most positive reviews in the franchise in years. It could mean the end of the franchise, which is the worst kind of finale of all.