Derick Tsai

Aug 298 min read

6 Stages of the Media Franchise Lifecycle

Updated: Oct 22

"What story do we tell? When do we tell it? And why?"

These are the big questions that often come up when we collaborate with partners to create a content roadmap or develop their slate. Crafting a roadmap is no easy task. There are no simple answers, and the path forward can often feel overwhelming. A solid starting point, however, is understanding the stages of the media franchise lifecycle and where you currently stand. Then, you can start to figure out what story to tell (and in what order) to achieve your objectives.

If your goal is to chart a roadmap that addresses the unique opportunities at each stage of the media franchise lifecycle to ensure the long-term success of your IP, then this guide is for you.

The 6 R's

The 6 R’s—Root, Rise, Reap, Reinvigorate, Retain, and Reboot—represent the key stages of a media franchise's lifecycle. This strategic framework helps guide IP management, creating a content roadmap of expectations, rewards, and payoffs that keep audiences engaged for years.

Basically, if I were starting a media franchise or managing an existing one, these are the key concepts I'd be thinking about.

Much like the 10 Keys to Creating Great Entertainment IPs, the 6 R's are built around our Core Principles: Capturing Attention, Deepening Engagement, and Driving Growth to build long-term fandom and affinity for IPs.

Let's dive in!

Media Franchise Case Study: The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)

To illustrate the 6 R's, let’s look at one of the most successful IPs in the entertainment landscape today—the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). A quick note—while there are amazing Marvel comics and games, for the purposes of this piece I'm going to be focusing mainly on the MCU's theatrical and streaming output.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), The Infinity Saga

Stage #1 - Root

"Let's plant a seed."

Objectives & Priorities: At the "Root" stage, your goal is to "create a fan" by establishing the franchise's core ingredients in terms of tone, major concepts, characters, locations, and storylines. The key here is to create an entry that stands on its own as an entertaining and satisfying experience. While you can lay the foundation for and hint at future installments, it shouldn't be at the expense of the current story being told. There are numerous examples of would-be franchise starters that never got off the ground because they were too focused on starting a universe instead of telling a cohesive story that landed with audiences.

MCU Example: Iron Man was a masterclass in establishing the MCU:

Tone: Iron Man sets the "Marvel template"—quippy banter mixed with a sentimental heart, world-altering stakes, and slick superhero action. This trademark tone was later applied across future installments in the franchise.
Team-Ups, Format & Ritual: The post-credit stinger featuring Nick Fury’s introduction of the "Avengers Initiative" set the stage for future team-ups and a shared universe, creating excitement for fans to return for more. It also started the now iconic Marvel tradition of post-credit scenes, encouraging audiences to stay through the credits for potential hints at what’s next. This innovative storytelling technique not only fostered a communal ritual, but helped build anticipation for each new franchise entry.
Science: The film positioned scientists as heroes and used science as a grounding lens for exploring more fantastical ideas (like magic and space gods), a theme that carried through subsequent films and later stages of the franchise.
Character-First: Tony Stark's journey from a successful, but selfish weapons manufacturer to a man with a crisis of conscience gave audiences a relatable human heart to connect with, making them eager to see his growth and evolution.

Insight: In the "Root" stage, it's crucial to establish audience goodwill. This affinity is the bedrock for future engagement and growth in the "Rise" stage. It's also important at this phase to figure out whats working and resonating with audiences so you have something to build upon for later stages.

Iron Man: In the "Root" stage, it's crucial to establish audience goodwill. This goodwill is the bedrock for future engagement and growth, setting the stage for the "Rise" stage.

Stage #2 - Rise

"Let's grow this thing."

Objectives & Priorities: At the "Rise" stage, your focus shifts to building upon the core ideas, characters, and storylines introduced in the "Root" stage to grow the IP's audience and deepen engagement with existing fans. Ideally, each new entry acts as a gateway for new fans to enter the franchise ecosystem while expanding our understanding of the characters and world.

MCU Example: The following films in Phase One adhered to Iron Man's character-first approach, successfully introducing the rest of the Avengers as humans first, superheroes second:

Captain America - A man out of time, struggling to adapt to a new era.
Thor - A god learning humility.
Hulk - A man battling his inner demons.
Black Widow - A spy trying to outrun her past.
Hawkeye - An ordinary guy navigating extraordinary circumstances.

Each new film in the franchise also expanded its universe, seamlessly introducing new concepts and ideas—often through the lens of science.

Thor brought space gods into the mix, blending Norse mythology with the idea of advanced alien civilizations. The Incredible Hulk and Captain America: The First Avenger explored the concept of superpowers, grounded in the scientific possibilities of serums and radiation. Ant-Man introduced the mind-bending potential of shrinking particles, while Black Panther unveiled the hidden world of Wakanda, rooted in futuristic technology derived from vibranium.

Doctor Strange pushed the idea of "science" to great lengths, presenting spells as a kind of "source code for reality," bridging the gap between mysticism and quantum mechanics. Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy expanded the universe into a cosmic landscape, blending space exploration with the idea of ancient and powerful cosmic entities.

These scientific underpinnings kept the franchise fresh and dynamic, giving audiences a sense of wonder grounded in the (semi) plausible.

Insight: The "Rise" stage is where your franchise can start to snowball. By expanding your world and deepening your characters, you create more entry points for new fans while keeping existing fans engaged. This stage is crucial for building momentum to the 'Reap' stage of the franchise's evolution and ensuring your franchise remains culturally relevant.

Black Panther: At the "Rise" stage, your focus shifts to building upon the core ideas, characters, and storylines introduced in the "Root" stage to grow the IP's audience and deepen engagement with existing fans. Ideally, each new entry acts as a gateway for new fans to enter the franchise ecosystem while expanding our understanding of the characters and world.

Stage #3 - Reap

"Let's cash in our chips."

Objectives & Priorities: At the "Reap" stage, your priority is to deliver on major storylines and satisfy audiences' long-term emotional investment. By this point, you’re likely at the height of your cultural relevance, and it's time to capitalize on that by making a big bet.

MCU Example: Marvel concluded its 10-year Infinity Saga with:

Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame - Both films delivered on a decade’s worth of storytelling, satisfying fans and generating massive box office and merchandising revenue.

In a similar vein, Marvel also capitalized on generational love for the iconic character of Spider-Man with:

Spider-Man: No Way Home - This film tapped into deep audience nostalgia and affinity by uniting all three cinematic Spider-Men (Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland), resulting in massive box office success.

Insight: Audiences absolutely crave a satisfying climax and catharsis to long-form storytelling. However, it must be noted that time and patience are huge factors in getting to the stage. A lot of franchises try to skip to this stage too soon without properly building a foundation or developing trust with the audience and it just doesn't work. If you build your franchise correctly, the "Reap" stage can yield huge rewards and buy goodwill, allowing you to take risks in the "Reinvigorate" stage.

Avengers: Endgame: At the "Reap" stage, your priority is to deliver on major storylines and satisfy audiences' long-term emotional investment. By this point, you’re likely at the height of your cultural relevance, and it's time to capitalize on that by going big.

Stage #4 - Reinvigorate

"Let's push the limits."

Objectives & Priorities: At the "Reinvigorate" stage, your priority is to push the boundaries of your IP to keep things fresh. Every formula wears out eventually, so it's time to take creative risks and explore new directions. This stage often yields interesting results as you experiment with innovative ideas to attract new fans and reinvigorate the IP for existing ones.

MCU Example Marvel took risks with varying degrees of success in Phase Four:

Spider-Man: No Way Home - Introduced the concept of past Spider-Men teaming up, setting a precedent for cross-cinematic universe collaborations in Deadpool & Wolverine and most likely, Avengers: Secret Wars.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - Brought Asian mythology and Kung-Fu elements into the MCU.
Ms. Marvel - Introduced Kamala Khan, a new viewpoint character for younger audiences.
Eternals - Explored the Celestials, cosmic beings with universe-changing implications.
Loki and WandaVision - Took big swings with new tones and innovative storytelling techniques for the MCU.

Insight: Reinvigorating an IP is necessary to prevent it from becoming repetitive or losing relevance. While not every risk will pay off, it's essential to keep the franchise evolving to maintain audience interest.

Loki: At the "Reinvigorate" stage, your priority is to push the boundaries of your IP to keep it fresh. Every formula wears out eventually, so it's time to take creative risks and explore new directions.

Stage #5 - Retain

"Let's reward the fans."

Objectives & Priorities: At the "Retain" stage, your focus is on rewarding existing audiences by diving deeper into established lore and interconnections. This stage presupposes a high level of audience familiarity with the IP. The goal here isn't necessarily to attract new audiences but to maintain the interest of die-hard fans and bring back lapsed ones.

MCU Example Marvel attempted this with varying success in Phases Four and Five:

Deadpool and Wolverine - Rewarded fans familiar with both the MCU and the Fox X-Men franchises to huge box-office success.
Secret Invasion - Expanded on the Skrulls and Nick Fury's past.
The Marvels - Attempted to weave together characters from Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, and WandaVision. However, this high degree of narrative complexity that spanned both theatrical and streaming platforms ended up alienating both new and existing audiences

Insight: The "Retain" stage is tricky because it can lead to insularity, where only hardcore fans can follow the storyline. While it's essential to reward loyal fans, it’s crucial to remain accessible to prevent alienating potential new audiences. At some point, new blood needs to be injected—leading us to the "Reboot" stage.

Deadpool & Wolverine: At the "Retain" stage, your focus is on rewarding existing audiences by diving deeper into established lore and interconnections.

Stage #6 - Reboot

"Let's do it all over again."

Objectives & Priorities: At the "Reboot" stage, your priority is to reintroduce the franchise to both existing fans and new audiences. This phase could also be called "Reintroduction" or "Reinvention", as the franchise needs to take on a new form to remain relevant.

MCU Example While the MCU has yet to fully reboot, we've seen reinventions of certain characters:

Thor - Was reinvented with a new personality and comedic tone in Thor: Ragnarok.
Spider-Man - It's hinted as the end of Spider-Man: No Way Home that Spider-Man will return to being a street-level hero after his cosmic adventures with the Avengers.
Captain America and Black Panther - Introduced new leads in Sam Wilson and Shuri after the previous mantle holders exited or tragically passed away.

Insight: Reboots are inevitable for long-running franchises. The challenge lies in deciding how much to keep and how much to change, as you must ensure the new iteration resonates with both existing fans and new audiences.

Thor: Ragnarok: At the "Reboot" stage, your priority is to reintroduce the franchise to both existing fans and new audiences.

Media Franchise Case Study: Star Wars

The 6 R's aren't rigid rules to be followed in chronological order but a flexible framework that can be applied to any IP. For example, under Disney’s stewardship, Star Wars has navigated multiple stages simultaneously, catering to different cohorts of fans from various eras—whether they grew up with the Original Trilogy, the Prequel Trilogy, or the Sequel Trilogy.

Reboot: The Force Awakens reintroduced Star Wars to a new generation, balancing generational nostalgia with new characters and storylines.
Root: The Mandalorian established a new era in the Star Wars timeline about 5 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, introduced iconic characters in Din Djarin and Grogu, and laid the groundwork for the Mando-Verse. This stage also applies to The Force Awakens, which laid the foundation for the Sequel Trilogy.
Rise: Mandalorian Seasons 1 & 2, The Book of Boba Fett, and Ahsoka further expanded upon the Mando-Verse.
Reap: The upcoming crossover event film by Dave Filoni will serve as the culmination of the Mando-Verse. This stage also applies to The Force Awakens, which capitalized on a decade of franchise dormancy post-Prequel Trilogy and generational love for Star Wars, resulting in record-breaking box office success.
Reinvigorate: Andor ventured into new territory with a more mature, nuanced take on the politics and military industrial complex side of Star Wars that appealed to older audience segments who gravitate towards FX or HBO-style shows.
Retain: Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi and Star Wars: Visions catered to hardcore fans who love Star Wars lore and animation while potentially serving as entry points for newcomers.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Under Disney’s stewardship, Star Wars is a prime example of how a franchise can navigate multiple stages simultaneously, catering to different cohorts of fans from various eras—whether they grew up with the Original Trilogy, Prequel Trilogy, or Sequel Trilogy.

Conclusion

I hope this guide has provided you with actionable insights into creating and sustaining a thriving media franchise. With a clear understanding of the franchise lifecycle and the 6 R's framework, you'll be equipped to make strategic decisions that ensure your IP's long-term growth and success.

Applying these principles will help you build a lasting relationship with your audience, keeping your IP relevant and cherished for years to come.

If these ideas resonate with you and you’re interested in discussing a project, contact us at hello@magnusrex.com.

Thanks for reading!