Hollywood has always used sequels and remakes of successful movies or with a large fan base to generate new hits, but, in the last decade, the use of this technique has increased significantly. In 2024 alone, studios have released 24 films in theaters that are either continuations or remakes, which leads to the following question: what makes this phenomenon grow in the film industry?
Nostalgia
Nostalgia is one of the main reasons for the increase in remakes, reboots and sequels because the audience doesn’t need to fall in love with a new character or his story. Studios have realized that this feeling attracts the public because there is comfort in the past and in memories and the audience of the original content is eager to watch the new movies because they already have an affection for the original characters and want to see them again, either through their evolution in sequels or through a new version in remakes. Because the movie already has a fanbase, the successful box office result is almost guaranteed. Some movies released this year, such as Kung Fu Panda 4, Garfield, Deadpool 3 and Beetlejuice 2 use nostalgia to attract the public.
INVESTMENT AND RECEPTION
As previously stated, investing in reboots, sequels and remakes that already have a fan base is safer for producers than investing in a new story that may not interest or bring an expected box office. An example is the sequel to the famous animation Inside Out, which broke box office records while several new original animations from Disney and Pixar, such as Wish, were a failure.
Studios will always follow the path they consider safest for profitability and they believe in the certainty that, as much as there is a chance that the remakes or sequels will be bad, curiosity encourages the public to watch them.
With that said
As much as this method is not infallible, since several remakes and sequels have failed (such as Ghostbusters, Rebel Moon and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), it is still a more advantageous alternative for studios, which are fighting against the public’s preference for streamings.
From now on, we might have to watch out for this new phenomenon, because it is not something momentary, but a new era that is forming in the film industry.
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The article above was edited by Marina di Bernardo Babichak.
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