To all the movie junkies, film buffs and cinephiles out there, I’m sure you have noticed the overwhelming number of sequels, remakes and reboots being released, especially in recent decades. From the “Wizard of Oz” to “Avatar,” I have seen it all and everything in between. The question is, is the film industry simply running out of ideas, or have filmmakers become lazy and unoriginal? And what does the future of the industry look like?

I wonder if leaving a good classic untouched is better than possibly ruining a fantastic movie with a remake. Within the last ten years, there have been an abundance of remakes of cult classics such as “The Jungle Book,” “The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Jurassic Park,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” Jaws” and many more unmentioned. Some of these films and TV shows have been remade multiple times or have so many sequels that I can no longer keep up.

I now only faintly recognize the movies and TV shows I once loved. Like any other movie buff, I love a good remake and sequel; however, it seems that it is all that’s being put out lately. So, is Hollywood really running out of ideas? In my opinion, yes, it looks as though they are playing it safe or can no longer think of something that hasn’t already been done.

Even renowned directors themselves are even admitting that some sequels are a mistake, such as Steven Spielberg in an interview with the New York Times.

“My sequels are not as good as my originals because I go onto every sequel I’ve made, and I’m too confident. This movie has made a ka-zillion dollars… so I think the sequel will be a slam dunk, and I wind up making an inferior movie to the one before,” said Spielberg.

So does Spielberg’s comment confirm that directors are becoming too confident and assuming that they automatically believe the sequel will be even better just because the first movie was good? The answer may never be confirmed, but I certainly think that Hollywood directors are heading in that direction. 

Take the “Jurassic Park” franchise, for example. According to Box Office History, the original “Jurassic Park” film was released in 1993 and topped just over $1 billion. The sequels “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” and “Jurassic Park III” never hit over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

Where is the film industry’s future heading? Unfortunately, remakes have always been around and are most likely not going away. Watchers and critics can only hope the remakes will improve and become less predictable. Or maybe once watchers grow tired of new film’s same outcomes, directors will realize that remakes and sequels are no longer as popular as they once were.