In 2023, seven out of the global top 10 highest-grossing box office hits were part of franchises, such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony) and Fast X (Universal Pictures) or well-known narratives like Little Mermaid (Disney). When looking at TV series, Netflix had Wednesday (2022) and Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (2023) performing among the content with the most hours consumed in H1 2023.

In this Olympic year, momentum continues to move in this direction. Almost 80% of the titles displayed on the Rotten Tomatoes anticipation report include franchises or already-on-screen stories. Expectations are high for Warner Bros. theatrical releases, including Furiosa (2024), which marks the return of the Mad Max saga after nine years since the six-time Oscar winner and IMDB top-rated Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) hit theaters. Additionally, Todd Phillips is poised to shake up the scene once more with "Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)" by integrating musical elements into the HQ adaptations recipe. After Heath Ledger’s Oscar victory for his legendary supporting role in The Dark Knight (2008, Warner Bros.), Joker (2019, Warner Bros.) was the first DC title to win a main category of the golden statuette ceremony - under Phillips' command as well.

As pointed out by Parrots Analytics, the Lindy Effect can be applied to the entertainment environment. The concept states that the life cycle of a non-perishable element is directly connected to its current age. In other words, if a TV show or movie continues to thrive long after its initial release, the likelihood of it resonating for an extended period doubles. A contributing factor is often the nostalgia sentiment that tends to surface in conversations. When looking at the Inflight entertainment scenario, passengers take for granted the presence of consolidated IPs in the catalog. This is because, throughout the years, one of the highlights of the onboard experience has been the opportunity to consume these outstanding titles. This is pretty much reflected in the performance data we have seen so far.

Airlines can take advantage of this trend by grouping titles in synergy and guiding passengers' experience throughout a flight. This can be achieved by displaying entire saga collections, related documentaries, cast biographies, and more in groups of six, eight, or even more hours of content. An even smarter delivery can be promoted by combining this with an intuitive user experience, such as sequel recommendations after the first title exhibition and category position on the graphical user interface (GUI).

With that being said, it seems highly likely that franchises will maintain their strength in 2024. The remaining question is: Who will keep the breath to emerge victorious in this competition?

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