Yes, it makes me wonder whether the left hand knew what the right was doing. They decided to end the series and commit to a movie that nailed down the pairings that had been the steady undercurrent driving the series on...theeennn they announce they're continuing the series and try to lure back all the fans they have completely alienated. They intentionally destroy half the fan-base with a horrendous bait and switch, then try to push on with the series. Not even the franchise, the actual series. They're still trying to tell the story of what happens to the characters. After you've given away the wretched ending, who's going to stick around to care what happens next? Are they crazy? Like I said, it feels like different people/groups were making opposite decisions.
Yes, I think it will be a steady downward spiral for the series. I think the mini-series with Bolt will hold its own for a little while it's too short to become a target for the hatred it would accumulate if it was slated as a several-year series but the rest of the franchise will continue to go down. They may be hoping the Bolt/Naruto/Sasuke movie slated for the end of summer will either anchor the Bolt series or be the true finale to the franchise. But yes, I think the success should be measured by how fast the spin-off measures sink. RtN still stands as the high-water-mark for the franchise in terms of popularity and money earned in relation to money put out.
Yes it absolutely defies logic to think that the NS fans they manipulated with their 'red herrings' and misdirects would then stick around to see what happens next. The fans that they used to suspense in the end of the manga are the same ones who've lost interest in the series once it became apparent they were being screwed over. Why would they think we'd come back now?!?
Spot on! I think we'll know the result in the long run. The decisions they've made recently speaks volume though. If the law of vital few holds true, and if the group of people disappointed with the ending *was* the vital few, then congrats, they've just wiped out a hypothetical ~80% of their profits.
By this time, they should've went full thrust with their agenda to please the fans that are happy with the ending, instead of backpedaling and trying to bring back fans that are disappointed. We won't be coming back.
When I heard they were postponing the movies around the globe except for few countries (AU, NZ & US), I immediately thought they haven't met their numbers yet in their homeland. One doesn't simply announce they'd go global with tentative dates and then immediately postpone their plans. Check out how it performed in Australia and New Zealand, you'd know what I'm talking about (according to box office mojo as of end Jan, in NZ it made $29k, in AU it made $135k). All things combined, I'm not sure if it's a number to be proud of (considering local cinemas fee, taxes, promotional effort, etc). It's the opposite of RTN, where they never announced, but somehow they did the international roadshow (probably they have a surplus and exceed their internal numbers, hence the roadshow).
The moment plans were changed, you roughly know that they are changing strategies. What triggers the strategy changes typically revolves around internal KPI (key performance indicator) and numbers.
As I keep mentioning, the true measurements will be more visible in the long run, subsequent series, and other media related to this franchise. If the right decisions were made, you'd see upward trends. If not, it'll be downward spiral. Only time will tell.
http://namaenasuyou.tumblr.com/ || https://www.fanfiction.net/u/6308104/
"I'm sorry I didn't believe. But I'd given up believing in so much, until I met you. From the first day I saw you, you were everything I ever wanted to believe in. You can do this, Diana. I know you can...But I have to go."
"What? What are you saying?"
"It's okay, this is what I came here to do. I can save today, but you... you can save the world."
. Can't wait to see them do even far worse with the Sakura Novel its gonna be magnificent
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Darn! Right! Now I remember it! ....though I wish I hadn't 
Persona 5 hype 
