With Downton Abbey (2019) in theaters today and already threatening a sequel let's talk movie spin-offs of TV shows. TV shows have been adapted into feature films for as long as we can recall, but up until the 21st century it was more common for feature films to be adapted into TV shows.
Examples of TV series getting their own theatrical film outing with the original cast intact dates back to, we think, Dragnet (1954) and Batman The Movie (1966), both of which had one theatrical release during their TV runs. But it was fairly rare until recently and it has usually only happened after a television series has wrapped. A large part of this becoming more common obviously has to do with the narrowing gap between how audiences experience TV and film. On a less obvious and more theoretical level we suspect its due to the even newer cultural trend of immediate / perpetual nostalgia. It used to be that there had to be a bit of distance before the populace got collectively teary-eyed with longing but... no longer!
Batman got a movie in the summer of 1966, even though it has just premiered on television in January of that same year.
You can now be wistful for things you experienced just the year or even a few months before and demand that they come back to you in the closest approximation possible.
Let's look at some examples of this increasingly popular trend leading up to Downton Abbey (2019). How many of these spinoffs have you seen? The posters are after the jump...
STAR TREK: THE MOTION PICTURE (1979)
This was a major event in 1979, capitalizing on the popularity of the series in syndication 10 years after it had gone off the year after just three seasons. It was the 5th highest grosser of 1979, behind just Kramer vs Kramer, The Amityville Horror, Rocky II, and Apocalypse Now and just ahead of the sci-fi horror classic Alien.
TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992)
Largely disliked upon arrival (very quickly after the series had wrapped) it's now quite well regarded. It flopped in theaters only grossing 4 million domestically.
STAR TREK GENERATIONS (1994)
The Star Trek: New Generation cast took over the film franchise with this outing. It was a success in US theaters grossing $75 million
SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER & UNCUT (1999)
South Park got a movie just a couple of years after the series began which was a modest hit and even snaggged and Oscar nomination for Best Original Song "Blame Canada". The show is still on the air after 22 seasons.
SERENITY (2005)
Not the first example of a quickly cancelled series to get its own movie but maybe the only series with only one season to get a theatrical feature? It was a sequel to Firefly which aired in 2002. It was not a success in theaters earning $25 million domestically (on a $39 million budget) but at least it's a good movie for a great series!
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE (2007)
Another TV show that got a movie while still on the air. It was a huge hit in theaters grossing $183 million domestically.
SEX & THE CITY (2008)
A big hit in theaters with $152 million domestic / $415 global. The series had run for six seasons on HBO from 1998 through 2004.
THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE (2008)
This continuation of the 11 season series (1995-2002) grossed only $20 million domestically but it was enough of a success by some measures to revive interest and the series came back to air in 2016 for two additional seasons.
VERONICA MARS (2014)
The series ran for four seasons (2005-2007) and was critically well regarded with obsessive mans. Remember that awful trend where Hollywood appropriated and subverted the 'kickstarter' craze and had fans funding their projects instead of indies? We're glad that ended. The movie wasn't a success in theaters but it did revive interest and a fourth season arrived on Hulu earlier this year.
ENTOURAGE (2015)
Not every TV show needs a film. Especially the long-running ones. The 8 season series got a movie four years after its run but it wasn't a hit. The movie grossed $32 million in domestica release off of a $30 million budget.
DOWNTON ABBEY (2019)
Aiming for big box office this weekend. Will you be there?
How many of those did you see? Surely we forgot a few so please throw in other examples if you can think of them.