“Avatar: The Way of Water” has finally arrived, signaling the start of what could be one of the biggest hit franchises ever to hit the box office. But that will come down to whether director James Cameron can hook audiences worldwide for the long haul — and we’ve recently seen what happens to franchises that can’t do that.
Earlier this year, Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts,” a spinoff series based on J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, likely suffered its death knell with the weak performance of its third installment, “The Secrets of Dumbledore,” a film that barely broke even at the box office with a global