As the recent stream of sequels, reboots, remakes, and 3D re-releases have shown, Hollywood is out of ideas, are at least willing to invest in them. Short of the Week analyzed the top ten films to come out of Hollywood for the last 30 years, and the results are startling. Check out the graphic below.
While seven of the top ten films in 1981 were completely original, 2011 had a grand total of zero original hit films. In fact, three movies from 2001 – Harry Potter, Planet of the Apes, and The Fast and the Furious – were still spawning hit sequels in 2011. So what’s the deal? Bad economic times.
“When times are tight, one failed investment can sink you, so you’re more inclined to turn to safer investments,” writes Short of the Week. “And in movies, the safest investment you can make is in either a sequel or a story built from an existing franchise with a large fan base. In other words, making a sequel is Hollywood’s way of playing it safe. Because right now, original stories are just too risky.”
That makes sense. Plus, no one’s forcing folks to see Fast and the Furious 16 or The Twilight Saga: When Vampires Attack – Part 4. Studios wouldn't do reboots and sequels if there weren't a market for them.
View Short of the Week’s full infographic here.