Ever since James Bond fired his Walther PPK and Luke Skywalker flipped on his father’s lightsaber, franchises have been a cornerstone of the movie business. But as theaters still struggle to return to pre-pandemic revenues, how film studios are managing their crown jewel franchises — most of which are multiple decades old — has come under greater scrutiny than ever. “It’s not why anyone wanted to be in this business, to make the 12th version of something,” says one veteran studio executive. With that tension in mind, Variety has launched its first-ever franchise scorecard to assess the overall
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