One of the curious things that has happened in the last 2.5 years has been this weird realization that while I certainly enjoy Big Franchise Properties, their reduced profile in that time period has left me somewhat "meh" about the whole thing.
There have been some arguments going around that they're stifling creativity (sorta kinda but not as much as claimed) or drawing out alternative modes of storytelling (definitely) or are just not nearly as satisfying as other narrative styles (too subject). My view...
To be honest, I don't know that Big Franchise Properties have run their course yet, but I am, as a consumer of genre media, more exhausted by incessant reboots and remakes and re-dos and re-whatevers than I am by More Franchise Things. But...
...I'm ALSO not nearly as enthusiastic about Big Franchise Properties as I was 2.5 years ago. Once we got Avengers: Endgame, I thought my enthusiasm would remain, but really I just wanted to see less Big Franchise Things From Existing Properties By the Same Places.
Part of that has been the fact that Marvel's output post-Endgame has honestly not been that interesting. Black Widow was 10 years too late. The Eternals felt like Marvel having a DC moment. Falcon had good ideas but a somewhat weak delivery. And I don't know where it's going...
The other Big Boy, Star Wars, has had one stellar show, The Mandalorian, but even that has been beset upon by shoehorning references and connections in that we didn't need and which I find a bit tiring even if I think some of this is exceptional SW Stuff.+ SW movies = dead-ish.
And then we can go elsewhere. I don't know what DC is up to, but I mostly find anything there to get excited over. Star Trek has been great at times but also falls into enormous traps of its own making...and I really just need ONE good show, not 15 OK ones.
I think what is going on for me is that I'm finding less to draw me in to the Big Franchise Properties, and yet they continue to occupy a massive portion of the creative space/conversation while other compelling works don't get the same push and support.
And once I commit myself to streaming, I'm just drawn to the smaller projects or to retreading the past for the comfort that media provides. Like, I've watched way more small-scale or indie or weird old stuff the last year than streaming Big Franchise Property stuff.
Anywho. I'm still a Star Wars fan, and I'm still gonna watch Star Wars things. But unless there's something I really desperately need to see, I'm not gonna jump over fences for the other Big Franchise Properties. I'll watch some of them, but it'll be haphazard...
The other part of this: while I don't really want to go to my local theater for personal reasons (the audience is a nightmare there), it's not like I'd have many options other than Big Franchise Properties because it's a small town theater...and the only one for a long distance.