Why "Shrek the Third" broke records : Netglimse.com News

Why 'Shrek the Third' broke records

Three, or "The Third," or sometimes simply "III" has traditionally been a tricky number for Hollywood's great film franchises. By the time the third film in a series rolls out, any number of adverse conditions can combine forces to make it a flop. Some, if not all, of the stars usually opt to move on to avoid typecasting (Michael Keaton after "Batman Returns"). The director, sick of having made the same film twice, moves on to other challenges (Steven Spielberg after "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"). Or, a pathetic attempt by the studio to keep the franchise "fresh" results in the addition of a character with no other purpose than to pander to the audience (Richard Pryor's attempt to "hip-up" "Superman III" or the cute and furry, but fan-loathed, Ewoks in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi").

Often the failure may be considered artistic in nature, but when it comes to disappointed fans, they can quickly hit Hollywood where it hurts. The third "Matrix" film, "The Matrix Revolutions" made $100 million less than "The Matrix: Reloaded." "Alien 3" made $23 million less than the first film in the series. And "Jaws: 3-D" made $115 million less than "Jaws." But this summer Hollywood seems to have finally beaten the Threes.

"Spider-Man 3" out-grossed both its predecessors on opening weekend was not an anomaly. "Shrek the Third" beat the opening weekend of "Shrek 2" by $20 million, and Disney's expectation that "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" will earn more than last year's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" seems entirely reasonable. So what's the secret? How do you convince audiences to fork over $10 a person to see characters they already know inhabit a world they are already familiar with? Change as little as possible.

"Continuity is certainly a plus when it comes to series," said Brandon Grey, founder of Box Office Mojo. "Sequels should have a similar feel as their predecessors and should be in the same universe." Director Peter Jackson understood that when he shot all three "Lord of the Rings" films at the same time, ensuring that the same cast, the same director, the same special effects guys and even the same grips were involved in each film. There was no quibbling from the audience over who made a better Legolas; it was the same fresh-faced Orlando Bloom each time.

Warner Brothers knew this as well, which is why the studio fought to keep Emma Watson, who has played the character of Hermione in the first five installments of the "Harry Potter" films, signed on to the last two, despite rumors that she wanted out of the series. The "Lethal Weapon" filmmakers were meticulous about keeping even minor characters consistent in the series, and that's what helped audiences stay invested in the films and why the final three films each made over $130 million.

Kirsten Dunst got blasted in the press when she told "Entertainment Weekly": "…audiences aren't stupid. [A fourth 'Spider-Man' would] be a big flop without me, Tobey, or Sam. That would really not be the smartest move…." It sounds conceited, but she was right. A new Spider-Man? A new Mary Jane? That didn't work when Keanu Reeves got replaced by Jason Patric in "Speed 2: Cruise Control," (the film made less than half the $121-million gross of the first film) and it won't work for "Spider-Man" either.

Without Cameron Diaz, Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas, "Shrek: The Third" might as well have gone straight to DVD, which is why Dreamworks is already hard at work lining up the same cast for "Shrek: The Fourth" already in production. And whether this formula of leaving a film's primary components intact will continue to make big bucks for the studios going into fourth and fifth installments of the "Shrek," "Spider-Man" and "Pirates" franchises remains unclear. "It is important to note that 'Spider-Man 3' and 'Shrek the Third,' are not a lock to out-gross their predecessors," Grey said. "It is very difficult to maintain these blockbuster levels for these movies."