Many Hollywood remakes of classic movies failed catastrophically, like 2017’s “Flatliners,” holding a 5% critic average rating on movie aggregate Rotten Tomatoes Credit: @steelbookZombie
Remake this, remake that. Remake seems to be that buzz word we all think of these days when some of today’s hottest movie trailers are released. It is no secret that Hollywood has this crazy obsession with remaking movies or coming out with sequel after sequel, after sequel. It seems like a never-ending trend that is only growing. However, is this necessarily a terrible thing? Do you think Hollywood is making too many? Most people will either get excited to see a new rendition of their favorite movie or get very discouraged thinking the movie industry is going to ruin the film entirely.
Many people are disappointed when the new remake they are excited for flops because it does not show the original film any justice. You should not jump to the notion that Hollywood needs to stop with these remakes and sequels. Instead, ask yourself this: ‘if revenue is accumulating off these movies, why not continue to do what works?’ It would be stupid not to try to keep making just as much money, if not more, remaking it. When speaking of movie remakes, Jacob Bogage of The Washington Post says, “They have inborn marketing advantages, and what’s more, they’re relatively cheap.” It costs less to have an idea that is already there which gives more opportunity to bring in revenue.
It is easier for Hollywood to take an already successful idea and work with it, or piggyback off a movie to make a sequel, than it is to create a whole new one. When a film has been successful, people will speak highly of it, and there is a great chance the remake or sequel will be in the conversation as well. Keep in mind, the talk about these movies certainly cannot determine that what is said will be positive.
When asked his opinion on this whole phenomenon of Hollywood creating too many remakes, Jarred Pernier, a junior communications major, had this to say, “No matter how much you try, you can never go wrong with the original.” That’s a pretty valid point, although, many people do not realize that the movies they have come to love, and think are the original, are just remakes of much earlier films that they haven’t seen. One example is the famous 1983 film “Scarface.” Yes, that’s right, Al Pacino is not the original Tony Montana! The original movie was released in 1932 and took place in Chicago instead of Miami.
After taking a step back, Hollywood also seems to have this obsession with creating sequels to movies that were once a hit, but does that mean the sequel will be as successful? Maybe not, just look at Tim Burton’s 2016 “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” the sequel to his 2010 release of “Alice in Wonderland” (which happens to be a remake of the animated film from 1951). The 2010 film made over $1 billion while its 2016 sequel made just under $300 million with a 29 percent rating from the hard-to-please Rotten Tomatoes. Tim Burton is a fantastic director, but this may not have been his best work.
Regarding Hollywood making too many sequels, everyone can list at least a few movies that seem to have inspired a never-ending plotline, a few of these movies include “Saw,” “The Fast and the Furious” and finally, “Godzilla” with an insane 32 films. With all these films coming out one after another is it too much? Well, if you look at these movies and compare the earliest to the most recent of its kind, you will quickly see that even after all these sequels, most of the movies are still doing just as well as when they first released.
“Saw’s” first movie made $103.9 million at the box office and the latest addition, “Jigsaw,” made a close $102.9 million. The “Fast and the Furious” made $363.2 million with a massive rise to $1.63 billion in its most recent film “Fate of the Furious.” When taking a look at the money made in these films, it is clear to see Hollywood may be on the right path with making all of the remakes and sequels we can find today, even if they may not sit well with some critics and fans.
