Every time I watch a movie at the theater, I see an ad for an upcoming movie. But I don’t get excited thanks to the sheer number of lazy remakes and unneeded sequels being released. While sometimes a remake will surprise you, the majority are poor quality and little more than a cash grab. For example, Disney’s 2024 film “Mufasa: The Lion King,” has a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. As one critic, Matt Singer, noted to potential viewers, “Be prepared for a disappointing sequel.”
This isn’t the first time a Disney live-action film has received heavy criticism from the audience. Movies such as 2022’s “Pinocchio,” and 2020’s “Mulan” are some of the most criticized of the last few years, with many people saying they were unneeded and lifeless. This problem is not limited to Disney movies either. Warner Bros’ “The Matrix Resurrections” also received criticism, especially from fans of the original trilogy, many of whom felt the new flick to be uninspired. In the words of critic John Wenzel, “The question isn’t whether this movie was necessary. It wasn’t.”
“Part of the reason you see so many reheated intellectual properties has to do with [the availability of] many different delivery methods and so many different audiences,” said Steve Granelli, a pop culture expert and associate teaching professor of communication studies at Northeastern University. “Part of the way you can bet that something has a long shelf life or will at least hit with some audiences, is by playing off the audience that you already know has consumed this in the past,” he added.
So studios are churning out these retreads from established franchises in hopes of achieving instant audiences without much effort, and of course, turning a profit for the companies. Is this tactic really working out for the film companies, though?
Surprisingly, yes. CNBC recently noted that Disney alone has made around $9 billion off their live-action reboots since 2010. Money talks, so studios continue to make these types of lazy films rather than breaking new ground.
“From a consumer perspective, the reason for the phenomenon is quite simple; people love nostalgia,” stated Jason Davis Scott, interim director of The Sidney Poitier New American Film School, in The State Press. He added that “the quality of the show doesn’t matter as long as it evokes a sense of childhood.”
As long as audiences keep shelling out money for lackluster productions, companies will keep producing them, so I don’t expect to see the death of such remakes and sequels in the future. I can only hope that the next time I go to the theater to see a fresh new film, it won’t be rotten.
