Sony Continues Search For New Franchise To Lure In Young Adult Viewers

Sony Corp (ADR) SNE's 2015 has gotten off to a late start, as the majority of its films were back-loaded.

2016 is a different story, as over the first three months, Sony released five films, followed by six more in the summer. It's important to mention, however, that not all of those 11 films are either tentpole status or even a step below that level.

Take "The 5th Wave," which bowed in mid-January. What was supposed to be the start of a new young-adult franchise under-performed; it's unlikely investors will be hearing much about a potential sequel. Now in all fairness, "Wave" was frozen out by January's blizzard, but even without moviegoers being snowed in, the totals were never expected to be massive.

As it stands, "Wave" has amassed over $20 million domestically, but cost nearly double that to produce. Luckily, international audiences seem to have enjoyed the picture, as globally the film has earned just shy of $70 million.

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Jane Austen And The Undead

On Friday, Sony will try again with the launch "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies." The plot is exactly what it sounds like, centering on Jane Austen's classic cast of characters battling a zombie apocalypse. Recognizable names such as Lily James ("Cinderella"), Jack Huston ("Boardwalk Empire") and Charles Dance ("Game of Thrones") highlight the ensemble.

The film was made for $28 million and is expected to earn around $12 million. Similar to the week's other new releases, the price tag isn't exorbitant, which is fitting because neither are the expectations.

Sony will next return to theaters in two weeks with the religions themed "Risen," and then in back-to-back weekends in March with comedy "The Brothers Grimsby" and drama "Pennies From Heaven."