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Here’s Why Hollywood Is Addicted to Sequels, Prequels and Reboots

Studio serves up Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum ... audiences look the other way

It doesn’t get more Hollywood than “Fly Me to the Moon.”

The Apple production stars Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum in a rom-com tied to the ’60s space race and the moon landing “hoax.”

FLY ME TO THE MOON – Final Trailer (HD)

Big stars! A big budget (reportedly $100 million)? A sweet summer schedule release and the perfect counter-programming to kiddie hits (“Inside Out 2”) and horror frights (“Longlegs”).

And … thud.

“Fly Me to the Moon” snared a tepid $10 million in its opening weekend. It’ll need a supermodel’s legs to avoid losing a bundle following its theatrical run.

What happened?

The film had almost zero buzz up until its release date. That never helps. Summer audiences weren’t wooed by the comely stars or the ’60s-era setting.

And we’re still addicted to sequels, prequels and reboots.

Here’s the visual proof.

Sequel Crazy 2024 Movies

The year’s other can’t-miss films (“Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Joker: Folie à Deux”) should crack the current top 10 list. Throw two more sequels on the box office pile.

The people have spoken. We want sequels, prequels and reboots. “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is both a reboot AND sequel … a twofer!

Last year may have been an anomaly.

The top two films were original-ish. “Barbie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” “Oppenheimer,” a true original, also crashed the Top 10 list. So did “Sound of Freedom.”

Each had an original pitch to entire audiences. “Barbie” connected to generations of doll-loving fans. Any film directed by Christopher Nolan is an event, and “Oppenheimer” proved it. Hollywood storytellers finally cracked the video game code, meaning we’ll see plenty more of Mario and co. moving forward.

“Sound of Freedom?” A true sleeper sensation.

Yet no original film made the Top 10 list in 2022.

Studio marketers have their work cut out for them. Original stories matter. They also require sophisticated ad campaigns to make audiences willing to give them a try.

As for consumers? They have to stop complaining about the glut of sequels, prequels and reboots and give these original stories a try. They might like what they see, and it’ll help ensure Hollywood makes more of ’em.

11 Comments

  1. This article shows… this is a lie.

    People aren’t going to the movies for anything BUT franchise films, and then act as if they’re waiting for alternatives. Alternatives come, studios bleed money, and we end up with slews of Marvel clones to recover the loses (which now are also losing money)

  2. The main reason why nobody watched original films was because very few were offered. EVERYONE outside of Hollywood is completely sick of idiotic sequels, comic book movies, and woke remakes. Want to get more people in the theaters? Make some original films once again instead of leftovers. “Build it, and they will come!”

    1. This article shows… this is a lie.

      People aren’t going to the movies for anything BUT franchise films, and then act as if they’re waiting for alternatives. Alternatives come, studios bleed money, and we end up with slews of Marvel clones to recover the loses (which now are also losing money)

  3. I can tell you why I didn’t see “Fly me to the Moon”. The premise was offensive. I have zero interest in a “THE MOON LANDING WAS FAKED” movie.

    1. I’m in the same boat. A major film about the moon landings being a hoax? Old story, yawn. Hey, next, let’s make a film about Elvis’ death being faked! And then on top of that, they only use it as the setting for a fairly standard rom-com. Just a bad idea all around.

  4. If we’re looking for awesome bankable video game content, a good remake of the cutscenes from Starcraft and Starcraft 2 should make the list. Those cutscenes have been compiled and watched like movies millions of times.

  5. Hollywood needs to go on an apology tour, if they want us to bother paying money for anything other than properties we already know and like (and which they haven’t ruined yet). Otherwise nothing’s going to change.

  6. Here is a better idea. Make good movies people want to see. Just because a movie is an original, does not make it good. Just because a movie cost $100 million to make, does not make it good. Just because a movie has big stars, does not make it good. We want good movies, not soulless heartless crap that a studio used an algorithm to come up with.

    These movie stars hate us too, why care about them and their pet project. Hollywood is dead and can go away, it’s time for the independent and rebel film makers to take its place.

  7. Good point at the end. If people aren’t going to see these originals, and they are pumping millions into sequels … capitalism takes it from there. Studios aren’t charities. They have bills to pay like the rest of us.

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