In the cinematic world with superhero sagas, a recent newspaper article flagged a potential concern: audience fatigue with Marvel’s ever-expanding superhero multiverses. These movies now ask viewers to have extensive background knowledge to enjoy them thoroughly. It may alienate viewers and highlight the importance of closure each time for a sustained engagement. Closure is something movies need for the continued association and hunger to engage.
Marvel’s success story is not without challenges. And it is true for its challenge to fight fatigue and keep the viewer’s interest alive. Indian cinema, though more familiar with remakes, has been late to such sequential exploits and franchise build-up.
The current Indian cinema is attempting to create multi-universe and demi superheroes like the Spy drama of SRK and Salman, War of Hrithik, Brahmastra and Animal of Ranbir Kapoor and top of the charts – the police universe of Rohit Shetty and Gang.
They work best as a standalone movie with a teasing twist and reminder of something to come in future or very little of what happened in the past. When it does refer to the past, there is a well-managed short flashback; they do not allow the coordinates of the past to catch up and become a constraint to enjoyment.
Shetty knows it best; not only does he have cinematic experience, but he also hosts one of the popular running reality shows on Indian television, Khatron ke Khiladi. The soft intrusion of the next chapter with a tinge of the past keeps his set of franchises alive. We need not add that their being successful is a definite advantage.
Bridging the Gap: The Art of Timing in Cinematic Universes
More than the question of when to kill the franchise, the multiverse grapples with the desirable and manageable gap between the two releases. Rohit Shetty has managed to understand and explore it the best in the Police and the out-of-mind, senseless laugh-a-minute Golmaal. Other films like Hera Pheri, Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Hungama have just managed to keep the interest alive and create a partial world of followers. However, it cannot be said about Brahmastra for two reasons- one, the franchise is yet to take shape, and two, the indicative gap suggests that the makers may be overestimating the viewer interest- taste and memory.
Balancing Act for Enduring Appeal
We heard of a possible sequel to Munnabhai, but the lack of feasible content and subject has closed the chapter. It is like Dhoom, which cried for continuity but failed to live the promise. On OTT, only a few have managed it right. The criminal justice series and the Delhi Crime have worked well. However, the constraints and the need to explore new areas and subjects have become daunting for creative teams.
Rohit Shetty – A Lesson in Universe Fatigue Management
Rohit Shetty has understood the model, and he keeps it simple- there are no surprises. He works and serves on the franchise’s promise and exploits the audience’s faith in jumping, blasting, twisting cars and a no-nonsense bold police character.
The director keeps the imagery alive whenever he has a presence in a reality show. He has been so well associated with his brand of films and audience expectations that similar dialogue and imagery get used in product advertisements featuring him.
Enjoy his films as standalone of a sequel: they work. The minor twists to the plot and introduction of new characters keep the frames rejuvenated while keeping the old ones under a support system to be revived if needed.
Net-net
There is no set pattern. And like in mutual funds, the past performance is not a guarantee for future performance- the filmmakers must understand the complete script and possible audience reaction before making the film. However, a few solutions have worked selectively in the past. No one can be sure of their aftereffects. Look no further than the franchise of Star Wars, James Bond, Pink Panther, Fast and Furious, Mission Impossible, Jumanji and Indiana Jones. Each has used and exploited the canvas in different ways. Here, Star Wars and 007 are outstanding in managing the audience’s interest, engagement and expectations. However, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
Adrift or Afloat: Brands that Endured and Those that Faltered.
Finding a true purpose and a long-serving brand proposition is tough. Advertising and marketing also face this problem. The brands continue to remain in the same framework without rejuvenating and recrafting the proposition- risk fatigue at multiple levels. It is a delicate balance that needs exposure control and newness to the plot- in terms of execution to keep interest and relevance alive and make sense to the audience.
Ariel share the load, Surf- Daag Acche hai, Happydent, Santoor, Tata Tea, Santoor, Policy Bazar, CRED, and the Make My Trip are examples of handling them right. Surf and Make My Trip are my favourites with respect to keeping the thought alive.
What examples come to your mind? Brands that have brilliantly extended the brand proposition and which have failed in the process?