The success of Marvel’s comic-hero movie franchise has brought forth Hollywood’s next big trend that movie execs have tried duplicating. And what’s that trend, exactly? The shared universe concept.
Marvel: The Box Office Success of Shared Universe Franchises
Because of Marvel’s success, other film studios have tried their hand at creating shared universes to attract audiences to mixed results.
The DCU, another popular movie franchise for comic book superheroes, couldn’t catch up as they failed to reach the heights that Marvel was able to surpass, ending the DC cinematic universe altogether.
Another cinematic universe that came and went was the Dark Universe. This movie franchise would focus on popular classic monsters, such as Dracula and Frankenstein, but would be abandoned after The Mummy failed at the box office in 2017.
As popular as Marvel has been, it seems that no other film studio will be able to capture as much fan interest as Marvel’s cinematic universe did.
However, that doesn’t mean the concept of shared universes has died in the Hollywood movie industry.
The Next Great Horror Film Franchise?
There are film studios out there, big and small, who are still fighting the good fight, believing that they can accomplish the success that Marvel achieved.
One such film studio attempting to create another great shared universe movie franchise is Jagged Edge Productions founder, Rhys Frake-Waterfield, with the Twisted Childhood Universe (TCU).
So what is the TCU all about, you ask? Well, it’s a series of horror slasher films reimagining beloved fairy tale characters as sadistic monsters who torture and kill people.
Oh, and by the way, you can thank, or scorn, if you prefer, Rhys Frake-Waterfield for creating this shared universe of fairy tale monsters, as it’s only growing in popularity among movie audiences.
The TCU’s Psychopathic yet Humble Beginnings
The TCU began with the 2023 low-budget horror movie “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.” This film would begin the TCU, reimagining Winnie the Pooh and his friends, who have become sadistic, predatory monsters.
The plot focuses mostly on Pooh and Piglet, who terrorize a group of young women, as well as Christopher Robin when he returns to the Hundred Acre Woods after leaving for college five years prior.
As you can expect, the zany premise of Winnie the Pooh and Piglet being rampaging psychopaths went viral on the internet with mixed reactions. Because of its boosted popularity and interest, the low-budget film received a major worldwide theatrical release.
Yet, despite its online popularity, critics panned the film altogether. In addition to the negative reviews, the film won five Golden Raspberry Awards, including Worst Picture.
However, the critics wouldn’t sway audiences from catching the movie in theatres. As a result, “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” became a commercial success, grossing $5.2 million worldwide, which more than doubled its original budget of only $50,000.
The Future of The TCU
The success of “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey” turned into a sequel being released the following year. Likewise, its success pushed the shared universe of other fairytale characters becoming violent killers to continue.
Other classic characters, such as Snow White, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, and many more, will also be featured in the TCU shared universe.
With TCU’s success, our inner child may walk out of theatres as traumatized as the characters who face these monstrous fairy tale characters on screen. And we’ll be okay with it.
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