From Fast and Furious to Scream – Do Movie Franchises Have an Expiration Date?

When the infamous “Ghostface” made yet another creepy call in 2023, many audience members were wondering just how large his phone bill must be by now.

With the first release in the Scream franchise coming out in 1996, few would have predicted that we’d be sitting down for the sixth installment 27 years later. The franchise has undeniably taken the world by storm, with Ghostface becoming a leading costume at Halloween parties the world over.

Other franchises, like Fast and Furious, have had similar success. While the first movie was released back in 2001, it enjoyed its tenth outing last year, with Fast and Furious 11 scheduled for release in the summer of 2025.

Although these movies still grab the attention of movie-goers, there are many who are growing a little weary. Just how many times can Ghostface make creepy calls before his cell provider gets suspicious? How many times can Dominic Toretto call his friends “family” before he actually visits his real family for Christmas? Think about it… they’re out there somewhere!

Do Movie Franchises Have an Expiration Date?

The real question is: Are movie franchises like Scream and Fast and Furious like corned beef or a carton of milk? In other words, do they have an expiration date, or can they go on forever? The answer to this question depends on how deep-rooted these movies have become.

After all, some movies aren’t just movies. They’re books, they’re fan art, and they’re games. The most popular games at RoyalPanda Canada include The Goonies, John Hunter and the Secrets of Da Vinci’s Treasure, and Immortal Romance – all of which are evidently inspired by our favourite films. The reason this is the case is that these movies, or the ideas behind the movies, have transcended beyond the screen and into our culture.

These are the kind of movies that don’t go away, and in a way, it’s strange that some of them keep appearing in games, fiction, and other forms of media without appearing on the big screen. The Goonies, for example, could have multiple sequels, and fans would love it. Similarly, Scream and Fast and Furious do have multiple sequels, and guess what? Fans love them.

Making People Happy

For the people who are growing tired of franchises like Scream, there is a way to get around your fatigue: don’t watch them! The simple fact of the matter is that people go to watch these movies. Scream 6, for example, earned around $19.3 million on its opening day. Even more impressively, Fast X earned around $67 million domestically and over $300 million worldwide on its first weekend. This only happened because people saw the films, and that means there are millions of people who like franchises like these, no matter how long they have been going.

As long as these ideas and stories hang around in the public zeitgeist, they’re not going to be going away any time soon. Just think about the James Bond franchise. That film franchise began way back in 1962, and it’s still going now, with a lot of debate and discussion surrounding who will play the next James Bond – more than 62 years after Sean Connery took his first mission.

The franchises that are surviving for decades have a reason for doing so. Quite simply, they have tapped into something the audience enjoys and they have run with it, becoming bigger than themselves in the process. We’re not saying that Scream or Fast and Furious are going to run as long as the James Bond franchise. If the audience falls out of love, they’ll stop going to the movies, and the films won’t be made anymore. Until then, however, these films will – and should – keep going.