“[Audiences] know what that is, and they want to see more movies in it,” Hansen said. “As long as there's an appetite, people will go see it.” Hansen also said original movies typically make less money at the box office than franchise movies, making them a bigger risk for studios to produce.
Audience demand also drives the creation of movie remakes and reboots. Fans often express a desire to see their favorite characters and stories reimagined or expanded upon.
New innovations in technology, and societal and cultural changes all contribute to the desire to update classic movies, with some remakes better than the original. Remakes work best when they're not trying to merely replicate the original, but instead, offer something new to it.
This is partly because studios are reluctant to take a risk on a property that hasn't already proven itself in some format, but plenty of remakes are generated from years of passive development, too: Studio readers (who are tasked with finding movie-ready concepts in new books, graphic novels, etc., or the studio's own ...
Sequels, reboots and remakes in the film industry represent Hollywood's move towards imitative design over innovative design. This is because these films illustrate the natural relationship between both product development and marketing.
One school of thought suggests that the remake genre is so pervasive because for the production companies, actors and brands involved in the films, it's a safe bet. You don't have to drum up interest in a new concept, story or character because there's a ready-made audience there for the taking.
Prequels, sequels, reboots and remakes tend to be so secure that they can be usually be reliably counted on to make up any shortfall over more risky or daring projects, giving the studios to take a chance on films or series that may otherwise not see the light of day.
“By nature, I'm an experimenter,” Walt was quoted as saying, “To this day, I don't believe in sequels. I can't follow popular cycles. I have to move on to new things. So with the success of Mickey, I was determined to diversify.”
The reason why Disney's live-action remakes make changes from the original animated films is to create a balance between nostalgia and newness that will appeal to the largest audience possible.
Audiences may have been drawn to familiar stars, characters or stories, but once the novelty wore off, so did the profits. For most of the twentieth century Hollywood studios addressed this challenge by building diversified annual portfolios of films in a search for each season's new hits.
Actually, as the earliest known film remake to date, Playing Cards is the 1896 remake by George Melies, a French director who was renowned for his achievements in the silent film era. The original film of the same name was produced by a man named Louis Lumière and was released earlier in the same year.
Harris has said, "Most of the early films did not survive because of wholesale junking by the studios. There was no thought of ever saving these films. They simply needed vault space and the materials were expensive to house." Meanwhile, the studios could earn money by recycling the film for their silver content.
The character of Robin Hood, who steals from the rich to give to the poor, remains timeless after five remakes. The first "Robin Hood" movie was released in 1922, followed by reimagined tales such as "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938) and "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (1991).
The movie industry has one purpose - to make money. That's it. The evidence seems to suggest that remakes, sequels and prequels have better odds of generating profit because they already have a high level of name recognition with the movie going audience. Therefore they are a better investment.
Of the 1,000 highest grossing films at the US box office released 2005-14 (top 100 of each year), 38.5% of movies were 'truly original', i.e. not an adaptation, sequel, spin-off, remake, or other such derivative work.
It seems that the rotten ratings, given out quite often by critics and fans alike, have seriously tainted audience opinions on these films. While many of the remakes do follow the classic storylines of the films they are updating, others opt to tell some kind of prequel story from another character's perspective.
Moana was a hit, but it did earn less than Frozen or Zootopia. Why is Disney so eager to give Moana a live-action remake so soon? It is likely a combination of factors including Moana's cultural popularity, the wishes of Dwayne Johnson, and Disney's overall long-term business plans.
While some social media users have theorised scenes are being made darker to cover up shonky CGI, industry experts say the current trend towards dimmer scenes comes down to two main factors: artistic choice, and the switch from film to digital shooting.
Disney wasn't always the media behemoth it is today, in fact, this movie nearly ended the company. In 1985, Disney released its 25th animated feature, The Black Cauldron. The movie was based on The Chronicles of Prydain novels by Lloyd Alexander which were rooted in Welsh mythology.
But a few Disney villains have been voiced by the same actors. Maleficent and Cinderella's evil stepmother were both voiced by Eleanor Audley. The Fairy Godmother and the Queen of Hearts were both voiced by Verna Felton. Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Cinderella was the next venture for the studio. It was a huge risk for Walt Disney, costing nearly $3 million to produce. The company was dependent on Cinderella to be a huge box office success in order to survive. Thankfully, this seemingly huge risk paid off greatly.
“[T]o have something that you feel very fondly towards, and to see it be manipulated or changed in often-cynically-motivated ways is very irksome,” Dean Burnett, a neuroscientist, had noted, explaining people's anger at remakes of their favorite childhood movies.
Let's start by taking a look at the prevalence of movie remakes. I suspect that the average cinema-goer would guess that a significant proportion of “new” movies are remakes. However, the truth is that it's a relatively small percentage – an average of just 4.2% of movies released between 1990 and 2019.
Repeated viewing fulfills emotional needs, gives us comfort, provides a sense of control over our lives, and connects us with our past. Familiar shows provide an appealing mix of relaxation and stimulation, and an unexpected combination of old and new.
