This year, the Devil Wears Prada 2, Toy Story 5 and Spider-Man: Brand New Day movies are expected to bring in millions of dollars.

The result? Many people are tired of the repeats and remakes that crawl their way from our childhood to the silver screen.

Personally, as someone who grew up watching the Percy Jackson and Harry Potter films, there is a sense of untouchable nostalgia related to those franchises that has been compromised because of the multitude of remakes.

In an extremely uncertain environment, movie studios know that banking on sequels and adaptations almost guarantees a baseline audience, unlike taking a creative risk that may draw in very few people.

According to a 2024 US survey conducted by streaming platform Tubi in collaboration with Harris Poll, 73% of Gen Z viewers express a preference for original content over remakes. So the real question is why do movie studios continue to push out films that the public clearly does not want?

The answer is that the hearts of the audience as well as success at the Oscars are often secondary in the minds of major studios. Films that dominate the awards circuit may be original and stylistically bold, but they rarely match the massive box office returns of blockbusters. For Hollywood, critical acclaim rarely matches profit security.

This creates a widening divide between what is artistically valued and what is prioritised. Original films such as Anora (2024) or Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) may be groundbreaking and receive critical praise, but they often lack the marketing power that large franchises command. Recognisable titles such as Avengers or Toy Story arrive with decades of built-in loyalty.

While viewers frequently express frustration with the repetitive storytelling Hollywood churns out, the viewing habits of audiences show that viewers often continue to perpetuate the same cycle they criticise. Nostalgia remains incredibly powerful, and audiences still continue to show up even if they agree that the original is better.

The success of A24

Despite the fact that Hollywood is dominated by big studios, there are some exceptions and modern filmmakers continue to push for a new standard.

A24, an independent American entertainment company that has released big films such as Hereditary (2018), Marty Supreme (2025), and The Drama (2026), has shown that originality and invention can go hand in hand with profit. They also cast A-list actors, such as Timothee Chamalet and Zendaya, which no doubt brings attention and a larger audience.

However, as David Offenberg, professor of entertainment finance at Loyola Marymount University, commented: “They’re never in a position where they hit a home run and make hundreds of millions of dollars on a title. They’re taking small bites of profit.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Harbingers’ Magazine (@hrb.mag)

A24 films often have budgets of $15m to $20m and do not spend much on marketing. In comparision, the average budget for a Hollywood film in 2022 was $77m, while budgets for big studio blockbusters can range from $150m to well over $300m.

For a studio that prioritises experimentation and boundary pushing, A24’s cultural impact reaches far beyond its budgets. Lady Bird (2017) and Everything Everywhere All at Once, which earned $78m and $100m respectively worldwide, are not box office breakers by any means, but they represent a growing audience hungry for inventive films.