Today’s big mainstream movies are primarily sequels, legacy sequels, remakes, and movies based on pre-existing IPs. It’s stuff most audiences have already seen before. Now, remakes and sequels have always been around. But they were not as common as they are today. Since the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, we have entered a strange era in film history where old franchises are constantly being continued or rebooted. Why is this the case, and why do most major studios no longer greenlight original projects? Has Hollywood officially run out of ideas? From what I have learned about the film industry over the years, franchises with an already established fanbase are a safe way for major studios to profit. Their point of view is why waste time and money on an original idea when they can re-use an old idea and audiences will eat it up.
Most general audiences indeed prefer entertainment with which they are more familiar. Years ago, studios had to take risks with new projects that could have been either a box office success or a giant flop that could bankrupt them. From a business standpoint, I see why most studios would want to play it safe. As of writing, legacy sequels such as Beetlejuice 2 managed to gross $450 million at the box office in 2024. There’s clearly a market for these types of films. In all fairness, some of these movies are not half bad, but they are something we have already seen before. Sooner or later, audiences will start to become bored with this type of entertainment. In my opinion, it is no longer exciting to hear news about an old actor returning for a sequel to a beloved 80s film or finding out they are rebooting a classic movie. It’s something we have been seeing for the past decade. Most moviegoers agree they would like to see something new for once. I believe at some point, Hollywood will have to take risks again. Another fact I want to mention is that these old franchises were created by people willing to take risks so they could show audiences something they had never seen before. Filmmaking is not just a business strategy. It is a unique way of storytelling. Sometimes, old stories have to end so new ones can form, giving up-and-coming filmmakers and actors a chance to shine. This strange era of film history is not going away anytime soon. If movie fans really want to see something fresh and new nowadays, they will have to look for it.
