By
Jan Saxton

Four of the top five titles coming out in the US in April are riding on the coat-tails of predecessors; only The King's Speech is a new and unique property. Of course, once it hits theaters, a film succeeds or fails on its own merits, but Hollywood can't be blamed for trying to hedge its bets. With both theatrical and video revenue showing the combined impact of a deep recession and expanded competition for consumers' leisure time and entertainment dollars, studios are looking for every opportunity to extend their brands and build on their successes. It's no secret that they are trying to create properties they can build into lucrative franchises.

The movie franchise concept isn't new, studios have been milking children's franchises ever since the video market was born. But over the last decade, studios have been looking for film properties aimed at adult audiences, not just children, families and teens, that can be built into successful franchises - although for broadest appeal, filmmakers generally try to keep potential franchise properties within a PG13 rating. American Pie and other R-rated comedy franchises aimed at older teens/young adults have proven, though, that an established fan base of any age is worth big bucks.

Disney will surely be watching Tron: Legacy's video performance to gauge the public appetite for more of the Tron series, the second title on April's list. Tron: Legacy benefitted enormously from the advances in computer graphics technology since the original film earned $33m in theaters in 1982. The subject seems a natural fit for another futuristic chapter - unlike another huge Disney franchise that sets sail again this summer: The Pirates of the Caribbean. How they've managed to resurrect the same dead pirates several times over is just one of the great mysteries of film, but the formula for a successful series is more straightforward: a cast of great characters and fresh stories adding new, creative elements that are still in keeping with the original concept.

Topping April's list is one of the biggest franchises of recent years. Warner will certainly be sad to see the end of Harry Potter, although the young child stars are young adults now and the book series was long ago completed. With The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 due in theaters this summer and on video in the fourth quarter, the studio will be looking at some challenging comparisons in 2012.

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