Do you think another factor will be the time gap between the first three films and the next four? It'll be at least a seven-years gap; will people have forgotten any negative impressions, or will they have forgotten altogether?

Of the people I talk to, (primarily children, because of my job) all of them are excited to hear that another Narnia movie is in the works. Some have only seen LWW, and liked it; those who did see VDT were not really critical of it. As kids, they probably took it as it appeared, and didn't care about the accuracy or horrible plot-falls.

Aside from dyed-in-the-wool fans, I would think that there would be a different generation of casual viewers, most of whom would not have a lasting prejudice against the title "Chronicles of Narnia." They might not think of it as "milking" the franchise, either, as it is such a long time later. I don't really know; I'm certainly not an expert on such matters.

I think the time gap is important to remember. As bad a taste as VDT may have left for some people, I think the only people who really remember it are the fans of the books who were disappointed by the adaptation. Actually, this past weekend, I was with my extended family and the Narnia movies came up because I mentioned that the fourth was coming out. My extended family, who aren't as familiar with the books and movies and my immediate family, spoke fondly of LWW and PC (though they thought LWW was better), and barely remembered VDT at all. From what you're saying, aileth, I think this is the prevailing opinion among most people: they're more likely to remember LWW from 10 years ago than VDT 4 years ago.

Alongside that thought, I think it's also possible to connect the "Chronicles of Narnia" phrase to the film without it actually being in the title/the logo/et cetera.

Oh, I completely agree (and, come to think of it, I forgot to say so in my last post )! Granted, I have a distaste for it now because I associate it with the marketing and "Hollywood-ization" of the previous movies, so for me personally, a new logo would be a relief.