Franchisography

We pity the fool who skips this episode! As Stallone puts it, Rocky made him famous, but Rocky II made him rich. And with this newfound success, he wanted to give his underdog boxer character a similar trajectory, turning him … Continue reading →

Ain’t gonna be no rematch? We’ll see about that…  After its immense success, the writer and star of Rocky found himself dealing with sudden celebrity status and knew just where to take his Italian American hero on his next adventure. … Continue reading →

Crack some raw eggs into a glass and start your morning run because thanks to our listeners FRANCHISOGRAPHY is getting into the ring to go the distance with the most successful sports movie franchise of all time, starting with the … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Evil Dead mini-series, speculate about next year’s Evil Dead Rise, and discuss the start of the listener-chosen Rocky mini-series beginning next week. FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: Bubba Ho-Tep … Continue reading →

The body might stay the same, but the laughs are few and far between in the film that might have invented the modern “elevated horror” genre: Don’t say it, don’t write it, don’t hear it, it’s 2013’s EVIL DEAD. Between … Continue reading →

We’re falling through time to pay off a cliffhanger as Ash Williams goes up against the Medival Dead in 1992’s ARMY OF DARKNESS. After the success of DARKMAN, Sam Raimi was ready to turn EVIL DEAD into a studio picture, … Continue reading →

Strap on your chainsaw and hop in the Classic because we’re headed back to the cabin for 1987’s EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN. After his sophomore effort proved to be a financial flop and creative misfire, Sam Raimi was … Continue reading →

Fire up that reel-to-reel tape recorder and stay out of the woods because FRANCHISOGRAPHY is back with the ultimate mini-series of grueling terror, and it all begins with 1981’s THE EVIL DEAD. In the winter of 1979, a group of … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Jurassic Park mini-series, take a look at the Extended Cut of Jurassic World: Dominion, and prepare to ring in the spooky season with the start of … Continue reading →

In the summer of 2022, the Jurassic franchise finally came to a close with nearly a billion dollars at the worldwide box office and even more negative reviews. Fresh off of being unexpectedly outed from the director’s chair on Star … Continue reading →

JURASSIC WORLD was a massive success at the box office, but critical and fan reaction was divided, to say the least. For the second part of their legacy trilogy, Universal would sign on celebrated Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona to … Continue reading →

After over a decade of false starts and abandoned ideas, the Jurassic franchise finally released its fourth installment in the Summer of 2015 to both enormous box office success and criticism that this once intelligent and thrilling franchise had become … Continue reading →

The Jurassic franchise continues as Nick, Scott, and guest Andrew Darowski are on an ill-fated rescue mission to save the lost son of two divorced parents from the genetically engineered theme park monsters of Isla Soma. With The Lost World … Continue reading →

In the next chapter of their journey through the Jurassic era, Nick, Scott, and returning guest Phil Dragash take a slow-moving boat ride of a different kind to the mysterious Isla Sorna, Site B of John Hammond’s infamous and deadly … Continue reading →

FRANCHISOGRAPHY comes roaring back with Season 2 for an adventure 65 million years in the making. Director Steven Spielberg’s 1993 masterpiece, Jurassic Park. Michael Crichton’s 1990 bestseller had already been courted by some of the biggest directors in Hollywood before … Continue reading →

It’s Franchise Potential! The Patreon exclusive podcast that digs deep into the history of Hollywood’s biggest film franchise failures. In this special bonus episode from our Patreon feed, we’re joined by Chris O’Connor (Geek By Night, True Believers) to discuss … Continue reading →

It’s a Finale-sode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Pirates of the Caribbean mini-series, look back at Franchisography’s First Season, and look forward to Season Two, coming this fall. Franchise Potential: THE LONE RANGER (2013) … Continue reading →

Six years after the sequel that was supposed to restart the franchise, Walt Disney Studios was finally able to release its fifth PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie in the summer of 2017, DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES. It was not … Continue reading →

Disney began the 2010s at the start of a very different era than the one it found itself in just eight years prior. Marvel was in its clutches, a deal with LucasFilm was on the horizon and its seminal PIRATES … Continue reading →

If you thought Dead Man’s Chest was too long, too weird, and too convoluted, we have terrible news about PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END. Director Gore Verbinski ends his gonzo pirate trilogy in typical maximalist fashion: Gigantic sets, … Continue reading →

In the wake of The Curse of the Black Pearl’s unexpected success, Disney was finally in the live-action blockbuster game. Two sequels were commissioned to shoot back-to-back, and director Gore Verbinski and Oscar-nominated star Johnny Depp were given carte balance … Continue reading →

Set sail for adventure on the high seas as the latest series of FRANCHISOGRAPHY begins. It’s 2003’s PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK OF PEARL. In the early 2000’s, Walt Disney Pictures was in a very different … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Matrix mini-series, prepare for the start of the Pirates of the Caribbean mini-series next week, and make some announcements about the future of the podcast. Franchise … Continue reading →

FRANCHISOGRAPHY concludes its dizzying Matrix series with the unexpected and sometimes baffling epilogue to the series that changed reality as we know it: Lana Wachowski’s THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS. After over a decade of pestering from a restless Warner Bros., Wachowski … Continue reading →

Just six months after THE MATRIX RELOADED divided audiences and blew up the box office, The Wachowskis concluded their trilogy with the most complex, dizzying chapter yet, THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS. The Path of The One is clear; Neo must journey … Continue reading →