7 Incredible Recent Movies That Should Have Launched Franchises

In the modern era of movies, it’s not uncommon for a new movie to come along with the promise of its future even before it has been released. The success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars has given way to franchise planning by studios that often put the cart before the horse. This is what makes some movies that come around so special, films that arrive knowing they only have one story to tell and doing it well before wrapping up with a neat little bow. When a movie manages to capture our attention and leave us wanting more while also denying us that temptation, it can give in to desires that lead to greed.

Sometimes “The End” has to have meaning, and sometimes the fade to black should be it. That said, the 2020s have blessed us with wonderful films that not only left the door open for more, but which would give audiences something they’re not getting elsewhere. It’s understandable why each of these movies was a one-and-done affair, but we can all dream, and the thought of these becoming staples of cinema in the years since is too good to resist.

7) Bad Trip

On the surface, a film where Eric Andre makes a fool of himself in public, like putting his hand in a blender, having his clothes sucked off by an industrial vacuum, etc., is immediately a recipe for success, and Bad Trip succeeds on that front. Where the movie excels, however, and which would give it an actual springboard for sequels, is that it’s a heartfelt movie about friendship and the kindness of strangers. No matter what horrible thing Andre does to embarrass himself in the movie, someone always tries to lend him a hand.

Between the giant puzzle piece that is filming a movie like this and the cost of it, it’s easy to see why Bad Trip did not spawn a franchise; the entire thing hinges on tricking an unsuspecting public into being on camera and witnessing outlandish things happen in front of them. That said, at least one or two more movies would be good for all of us, truly.

6) Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo created a winning formula with these two Midwest BFFS that can never let a moment of silence be found and always have something to talk about. The fact that the world got one movie with them is a gift, but the dynamic between the two and the larger comedic beats of the movie aren’t just perfect on their own; they’re proof of concept for a full-blown comedy franchise, something that the world is lacking. Perhaps the biggest hurdle here isn’t coming up with jokes and situations for Barb and Star to be in, but places that rhyme with “Star” (Qatar? Zanzibar? Gibral-tar?). Send them to outer space, anything to give us more.

5) Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

A key component of Marcell’s success is that the character himself is naturally very curious. As great as the conclusion of the movie is for his personal journey, the door is clearly left open for any number of developments out in the world that Marcell has yet to experience. The charm of Marcell the Shell is that he’s inspired by every new thing that he encounters, meaning any number of new questions will come to him. The good news is that the film itself is tied to the shorts of the same name, so even if we didn’t get a proper follow-up movie, there’s even more to Marcell the Shell than just the feature film.

4) The Mitchells vs the Machines

Thrown onto streaming amid the pandemic, The Mitchells vs. the Machines is one of the most heartfelt and personal animated movies of the decade, offering a style and jokes that are wholly modern but never lean on dated references. Between its unique animation style and its broad sense of humor that has yet to be replicated, it left the door open for this family to take on something else.

In the time since the film was released, however, generative AI has become a major inflection point online for creatives, with battle lines drawn over its ethical nature. This larger conversation feels like the perfect place to take The Mitchells, and like their fight with the machines, they’d come out on top.

3) Nimona

Very nearly a casualty of the Fox and Disney merger, we’re just thankful that one Nimona movie exists. Like the other animated films here, Nimona has a specific art design that is unparalleled, not to mention comedic chops that are appropriate for all ages. Like the comic it’s based on, Nimona tells a complete story, but leaves the door open with a sly wink about the future of the character and what other adventures they might get into. The world is richer for having gotten the Nimona movie at all, but the potential for what it could have become is not lost on us either.

2) The Pope’s Exorcist

If you’ve seen one exorcism movie, you’ve largely seen them all, and even though The Pope’s Exorcist is largely playing the hits of the genre, it has a secret weapon: Russell Crowe. The power of the film is not in bringing any kind of innovation to the horror genre, though it does a serviceable job in building tension and providing scares, but Crowe himself has inhabited the character and fully become a wacky persona that would have defined anyone else’s career. Sometimes Crowe isn’t even pretending that he’s in the same movie as his scene partners, as if a Mel Blanc-voiced character has suddenly marched his way into a serious horror film.

It’s one thing for horror movies to set up a sequel with the final moments, but this movie sets up 199 sequels, and that level of ambition should be applauded. For the sake of everyone involved, we’ll settle for just one of those sequels.

1) Rebel Ridge

Jeremy Saulnier’s 2024 thriller is lightning in a bottle with a career-defining performance by Aaron Pierre. Rebel Ridge has both a wicked sense of humor and an air-tight screenplay, one of the best to ever come out of a Netflix original movie. It’s the rare original movie in Hollywood, the kind of thing that audiences claim to want more of. In a world where Knives Out gave way to the continuing adventures of Benoit Blanc and his murder mysteries, Terry Richmond should be riding across the American South, running into any number of wild small towns and the corrupt people that live there.

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