[WorldMaker]

I think this is much more of the fault of rise of "infinite cable channels" and then streaming services (Netflix, et al) than the franchise films themselves. A lot of the contracts that the cable networks and streaming services have signed in the last decade or so have pushed a lot of independent cinema into cable/streaming, including "locking down" exclusivity on a lot of the classics that used to be free or cheap to small community theaters. For better and worse, the small independent cinema moved directly into people's homes. On the one hand it is more convenient, but on the other hand it is easy to lament the loss of the small community event gathering around a "lost" classic or enjoying a second or third class film together on a big screen.

It's also unfortunate in how losing those small community events snowballs. Franchise films are all that's left in most of the theater chains, because those can still be "big" community events that can compete with the convenience of people's homes. Getting people out of the house for a smaller event gets more challenging when folks don't do it regularly.