Universal Will Make More Franchise and Animated Films

Steve Burke says animation and franchises are key for Universal

     Steve Burke, chief executive of NBCUniversal, announced that they would like to make more franchises and animated films. In the past 18 months they had seen great losses in movies such as "Battleship" and "The Five Year Engagement," but an increased in franchises and animated films they released earlier in the year such as "The Lorax" and "The Born Legacy". He says they are going to increase their output of animated films with the help of Illumination Entertainment, who will be releasing the "Despicable Me" sequel later this year. They hope to incorporate these new animated films into Universal's theme parks to increase profits.
      This is a very drastic change for NBCUniversal. If they focus on animated and franchise films, there will be little room for change in that studio. They will be so focused on these films, that they might stop making films of other genres completely. This can also potentially be the downfall of NBCUniversal too. If people become sick of  these franchises or animated films, they might stop seeing Universal's movies all together.
     As a consumer, I personally hate most animated and franchise films. Animated films are aimed at children, not adults. They fail to entertain most adults and teenagers. Franchise film are ranged at a pretty wide audience, but are usually dull and unentertaining, or they just get too repetitive. A perfect example is "Prometheus". It was a prequel to the "Alien" franchise, but was poorly written and thought out. These kinds of movies just aren't in my list of things to see. As a future filmmaker, It drastically effects me. With the more franchises and animated films being produced, it leaves less room for original films to be made. This makes it much harder to get hired, let alone make a major motion picture at Universal.
    When I read this article, I couldn't stop thinking about the downward spiral the movie business has taken in the past few years. What happened to originality? We deserve better than this. Hollywood seems to only accept sequels, prequels, remakes, and fairytales nowadays. I mean seriously, who thinks it's a good idea to make "Jack the Giant Killer","Red Riding Hood", or "Snow White and the Huntsman"? Hollywood is making crap, and it saddens me to see it in the shape it's currently in.