Are film producers running out of originality?

Have film companies and producers really lost their spark? Film enthusiasts and experts say yes.

“They make a lot of unoriginal stuff now,” said Eli Saliba, the production coordinator at Athena Studios in Athens. “They make a lot of remakes and a lot of spinoffs. I think they have the opportunity to be good, but there are certain things that production companies know will make money for them, like Star Wars and Harry Potter.”

Saliba and many others in the film industry state that franchises like Marvel, Star Wars and Harry Potter continue to produce spinoffs that are not necessarily better than the original, but still create revenue because millions of people are part of the fandom and feel as if they must see it. However, original ideas that many have never heard of might not produce as much revenue, because these movies do not have a specified fandom yet, making people not feel the necessity to see them. This further persuades producers to stick with what they know will bring large revenue. 

“I think it’s not so much that they (film producers) are running out of ideas, it’s that they are running out of time,” said film enthusiast Alex Cook, a student at the UGA summer academy. “I think because of Tik Tok and YouTube, they have to speed themselves up to pick up with culture because trends move so fast.”

To test the thesis statement that older movies generally outmatch newer movies, a poll was conducted within a journalism class at UGA, with ages ranging from 13 to 46. The poll asked what students and professors favorite movie was, with results stating that 77% of the movies declared were movies produced before 2010, giving evidence that older production and creativity is in fact preferable.

Further, to eliminate any bias towards the question, some students were asked what their favorite movie produced later than 2010 is. Student Hunter Pitrak from Georgia, said her “favorite movie post 2010 is the new version of “The Little Mermaid” .” 

Another student, Elsa Block from California, said “ “Spider-Man: No Way Home” is my favorite newer movie.” 

The movies that the students chose, the new version of The Little Mermaid and Spider-Man: No Way Home, further reinforce the statement that movie production has lost their spark. The new “The Little Mermaid” is exactly like the original, but without the animation aspect. Spider-Man has been a character in the Marvel Franchise since 1962, and although new storylines have been produced, the same character has been in use for more than 60 years.

Even people like Keshondra Shipp, a teacher assistant at the UGA summer academy, who haven’t seen many movies believe that movie producers have lost their imagination. “I think that movies tell a story, and to some degree, there’s some truth to it,” she says. “Some of the newer ones tell a story, but the question is if that story is good or not.”