The criteria are (1) Multiple movies (2) not directly connected to each other (ie, not a single movie series/franchise) (3) that exist in a shared universe.
So unrelated movies that are eventually linked by some kind of crossover?
Freddy vs. Jason. Alien vs. Predator. Dracula vs. Frankenstein. Destroy All Monsters.
You could make a case for Who Framed Roger Rabbit. And Pixar, via the Pizza Planet truck.
And then there's Tarantino. His movies are interlaced in more subtle ways, like, Vic Vega and Vince Vega are brothers. If you require multiple authors, Kill Bill pulls together unrelated characters from Japanese & Chinese pop culture. Or add Rodriguez; Michael Parks played the same character in From Dusk till Dawn, Kill Bill, and both parts of Grindhouse.
...Although if there have to be multiple creators, I'm not sure why Avengers counts.
Destroy All Monsters.
Oooh, yes! Definitely the Godzillaverse!
And then there's Tarantino. His movies are interlaced in more subtle ways, like, Vic Vega and Vince Vega are brothers. If you require multiple authors, Kill Bill pulls together unrelated characters from Japanese & Chinese pop culture. Or add Rodriguez; Michael Parks played the same character in From Dusk till Dawn, Kill Bill, and both parts of Grindhouse.
Oh, that's cool, I had no idea he had a little 'verse going on there. That's the sort of thing I'm talking about, where unrelated movies are still connected in some way.
...Although if there have to be multiple creators, I'm not sure why Avengers counts.
Why wouldn't it? Different writers and directors, all playing in the same sandbox.
Micheal Keaton played Ray Nicolette in "Jackie Brown" and the same character as a cameo on "Out of Sight". The original novels were both by Elmore Leonard but otherwise - different authors, directors, and production companies.
In the '30s and '40s studios would throw their various franchises together fairly randomly if they thought it would generate any revenue at all. The "Abbott and Costello Meet Various Members of the Universal Horror Stable" series is perhaps the best example, but there were a number of mash-ups of varying weirdness which are (mercifully) mostly forgotten about today.
HOW CAN ANYONE WRITE A WHOLE ARTICLE ON KATE AND NOT MENTION THE LION IN FUCKING WINTER???
HOW???
No, seriously, HOW???
Needs repeating, but otherwise that was a great article.
Different writers and directors, all playing in the same sandbox.
But produced by the same studio and always with the ultimate goal of putting them together at the end.
And that, I think, is something new and cool.
Given exactly how much of the Marvel universe will never appear in there (but will have movies), I dunno, it never pinged me as anything.
For those who like a little Bowie in their movies: [link]
I'll x-post with music.
Different writers and directors, all playing in the same sandbox.
And Kirby built that sandbox. It's not like Iron Man & Captain America & Hulk & Thor were created by a bunch of different people, and were completely unrelated stories until now.
I'm sorry, I really don't understand what's unique. I mean... Avengers is clearly part of a franchise. It's not a franchise built around a single character, but that doesn't make it not-a-franchise.
