But many Chinese are expressing outrage over one of the country's newest films, an animated children's movie that came out in theaters nationwide on Friday called "The Autobots," which many say bears a more-than-uncanny resemblance to Disney-Pixar's hit franchise "Cars.
In addition to making an investment of an unspecified amount in the Tom Cruise-led franchise film, Alibaba Pictures, the film unit of e-commerce giant Alibaba, said it would become an official partner for the promotion of the movie in China.
The manager of a fast-food franchise was approached by a teenager looking for a job.
food retailer, and concluded that when workers offered ideas in a franchise with an extroverted leader, profits were 14% lower than average.
Rebecca Eaton, the executive producer of "Masterpiece," said in a telephone interview that "Downton Abbey" had been "a giant shot of vitamin B-12" for her franchise, increasing its prestige and spurring PBS to add more "Masterpiece" content to its lineup in 2015.
It is, however, a bit riskier for a company like Microsoft with a colossal, mature software franchise like Office, one that brings in billions of dollars in revenue a year.
But it's there, thumping and sometimes racing in a franchise that, more than most industrial movies and even putative indies, speaks to both its audience and its time.
Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise, called him "the conscience of `Star Trek"' — an often earnest, sometimes campy show that employed the distant future (as well as some special effects that appear primitive by today's standards) to take on social issues of the 1960s.
How to Train Your Dragon became the first franchise to have all its films nominated for Best Animated Feature.
After "Friends", Cox landed a great role in the "Scream" franchise as well as produced a home improvement makeover show called "Mix It Up".
This emphasis paid off for the shareholders when the business had an intrinsically strong franchise.
,"",,"""" With Donald Sterling removed from the NBA and forced to sell the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks majority owner Bruce Levenson voluntarily selling his franchise and General Manager Danny Ferry taking an indefinite leave of absence, this offseason is forcing the league to confront the delicate issue of race.
Over the past month, several theaters around China have been experimenting with "bullet screen" showings of films like the 3-D animated film "The Legend of Qin" and the third installment of the blockbuster young-adult franchise "Tiny Times.
Guo Jingming's 'Tiny Times 3' is the third installment of a film franchise adapted from his own novels of the same name, following last year's 'Tiny Times' and 'Tiny Times 2.
