Ah, yes, in this day and age, when a studio needs a quick cash grab, they will take a proven property and redo it in all of its splendor for the spender.
There has been a lot of them lately. And when the studios announce a new “reboot” or “reimagining,” the posters online go insane.
The walls are crumbling. The earth is shaking. From the bottomless pit of Hell, a hand reaches out from the ground and grabs the negatives of the original films, so now the only version of Love Story in existence will star Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber and the famous line will become “Hey girl, love means never having to say that I love you because you’re rich.”
No! Not “Highlander The Musical!”
Calm down, take a chill pill, and listen to me.
Hollywood is not out of ideas.
You see, back in the days before many of you were ever born, movie studios were a legit business. The studios owned the theaters that played them, and every proceed that the movies made went to the studio.
Then, things started changing. First, the studio were mandated by law to sell their theaters to avoid competition, meaning they had to split the box office gross with the theaters. Then, television came, then VCRs, then computers, and then iPhones. With those inventions, people could wait until they’re out on home media instead of seeing them at the movies.
Hollywood has obviously not adapted to the ancillary markets of video, streaming, and TV. Netflix is the wave of the future, and people are able to make home theaters. This cuts into the box office gross.
It’s not that they are running out of ideas, there are still some original screenplays going around, but studios are seeing it as a risk and playing it safe with remakes of successful films.
Remakes don’t tarnish the original
Many people complain that a remake is going to take the place of the original and destroy its reputation. Does anyone remember that remake of Psycho? There, I made a counterpoint!
Though Vince Vaughn wishes you’d forget.
At least TV is original.
Yes, it has. Surprisingly, television has pretty much taken up the mantle for bringing audiences new and refreshing concepts for audiences. It’s probably because TV and film are completely different beasts. A show like Breaking Bad has made such an impact that it seems that the latest movies can not compare. Oh, well.