A Pokémon Cinematic Universe could be the first major franchise to rival the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It’s very early but Warner Bros. and Legendary might be onto something with their Detective Pikachu movie. If the film itself is as good as the first trailer which dropped on Monday, the studio has a sure-fire hit on its hand. Either way, the movie is really going to rake in cash at the box office with a trifecta of Ryan Reynolds, Pokémon, and Pikachu already going for it. A high-quality film is simply the icing on the cake for this to go from a film to a franchise.
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Depending on the level of success which Detective Pikachu reaches when it hits theaters on May 10, 2019 (two weeks after Avengers 4 is slated to release in the U.S., which is why the headline used “rival” instead of “competitor”), this could be the beginning of the next big cinematic universe.
Just like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this movie is launching with no announced plans of expansion. There is a sense of one good movie being focused on here, just as there was with 2008’s Iron Man, and creative decisions could then spawn from what works and what doesn’t work as the franchise moves forward.
From there, hardcore fans can offer up plenty of ideas from the wealth of Pokémon games or animated series for future stories. This, of course, prompts sites like this one to begin speculation, wishlists, and interviews which offer insight to that future, promptly building a buzz which only comic book or video game movies can because of their rich narrative histories. In Pokémon’s case, a beloved history over the course of multiple decades allows fans old or new to research, engage, and look forward to spending their dollars at the box office with each additional outing if the first entry is a hit.
There are loads of Easter eggs hidden in the film’s first trailer, like the plethora of Pokémon for the title’s cross-generational fans to identify whether they’re familiar with the original 151 or have a wider-ranging knowledge — it could be Charmander strolling by in the opening moments or a newer creature like Greninja swooping at the camera later. When the film releases, a reference to popular human characters like Ash, Misty, Brock, or Professor Oak would only set the fandom ablaze with excitement as a confirmation of these characters existence would mean an inevitable expansion is on the way.
Looking back at the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it started with somewhat grounded stories. Launching with Iron Man, it was followed by outings for the Hulk, Thor, and Captain America. Each film would ease moviegoers into more outlandish tales, as Iron Man and the Hulk began with technology based origin stories before Thor took them to the cosmic corners of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Then came The Avengers and an alien invasion in New York City was widely accepted before the studio branched into Guardians of the Galaxy territory to introduce a talking raccoon and tree.
Pokémon movies will never be quite as grounded as a weapons manufacturer trapped in the Middle East using his technology to develop an armored suit and releasing during a time where the U.S. was at war with said Middle East. This Pokémon franchise has to embrace singing, furry little puff balls and fire-breathing dragons right out of the gate. However, it is introducing these characters which mainstream audiences are hugely familiar with and pairing them with a human tale: Detective Pikachu is about finding a man who has gone missing. Audiences might accept this more easily than a boy who leaves home with his creatures in Pokéballs on a quest to be the best trainer there ever was. We can get there, in time.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has garnered incredible box office numbers since launching in 2008. It has hauled in more than $17 billion in 10 years through 20 movies and is showing no signs of slowing down.
Pokémon has an opportunity to rival those numbers.
It’s most popular outing recently has been Pokémon Go, the augmented reality game which people of all ages have been enjoying since it launched in 2016, prompting more than 500 million downloads. The game itself has garnered close to $2 billion, with dozens of other handheld games having set records in the 20 years of gaming before the iPhone and Android platforms. Combining its video game sales, box office numbers for animated movies, and merchandise totals, Pokémon could well keep up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s box office numbers (and quite easily) if it cranks out high-quality films, maintaining its appeal to cross-generational audiences.
There are plenty of questions about the big screen Pokémon franchise (especially when only one film is on the way). Can it create 10-years worth of films? Can there be 20 Pokémon movies which don’t get redundant? Will it appeal to more mature audiences and their children? Only a psychic could tell, but Detective Pikachu could WB’s new fire, as they break ground in electric fashion, eliminating any dark cloud over the franchise’s big screen possibilities and providing a fighting chance to rock the box office for years to come.
Detective Pikachu hits theaters on May 10, 2018.
