A Creative Slump In The Entertainment Industry?
2024 has seen and will see many sequels and remakes of famous films and TV series, but what does this mean for the future of the entertainment industry? Does this signify a creative slump, and if so what might be causing it?
If you look down the list of movies and TV shows set to be released in 2024, you might be surprised to notice the large percentage of remakes and sequels to already famous narratives. For instance, this includes the second Gladiator movie and the second Inside Out instalment.
While new sequels and remakes to movies and TV shows we enjoy binge-watching are definitely welcome, is the lack of new ideas concerning? Are we now in a creative slump or is it just the entertainment companies’s choice to only make these specific films and TV series?
The rise in sequels
Recently it seems that every movie out in the cinema or set to be released in the coming months falls under the same category — a sequel or a remake.
2024 new and anticipated sequels include: Inside Out 2, Despicable Me 4, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Gladiator 2, Wednesday Season 2, A Quiet Place: Day One, Kung Fu Panda 4, Dune: Part 2, Beetlejuice 2, Twisters and many more. Remakes are also rife this year with the musical Mean Girls, Speak No Evil, The Garfield Movie, Fall Guy and more.
As you can see from the previous paragraph, there is an epidemic of sequels and remakes in the entertainment industry this year. We can ask ourselves why this has occurred but there is no definitive answer, only several suggestions.
Is there a creative slump? Are we in a period of nostalgia where the highest-grossing movies are replicas of old favourites?
Or is this perhaps linked to the Hollywood writer’s strike at the end of 2023?
The 5-month Hollywood writer’s strike at the end of 2023 could be linked to this supposed slump, as this gap in creativity could be a direct correlation to the movies impacted by this event. If so, could new content be right around the corner?
Sequels have been common throughout the industry for a while now, with the second Incredibles movie released in 2018 and Legally Blonde’s second instalment in 2003. However, it can be seen through these two examples that the first movie is always the most successful, with the first Legally Blonde film reaching $141.8 million at the box office, and the second reaching $125.9 million. While this is still a considerable amount of money, it does suggest that new ideas are perhaps more economically beneficial than continuing plots when the narrative has already ended.
What does this mean for the industry?
From the outset, this supposed creative slump does not look good for the entertainment industry. While sequels and remakes are still popular, there comes a point where an idea must end before it destroys or devalues the entire show/series.
For example, the beloved classic film franchise, Toy Story, is seemingly never-ending with the fifth instalment set to be released in a few years. Seeing our favourite childhood characters back on screens is enjoyable, but how many more adventures will Woody and Buzz go on before the series degrades in quality? How many more storylines can be incorporated into this franchise before audiences stop watching?
We can also take this view with remakes, like the new musical Mean Girls, which, it is safe to say, was not a big hit. It seems the iconic 2004 original Mean Girls movie can not be replaced.
Disney, over the years, have also been turning classic movies into live-action remakes, such as The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. But where is the new content?
Is there a slump?
Despite what I have stated earlier, there are several original movies and TV shows coming out in 2024, such as Challengers, which follows tennis coach Tashi (played by Zendaya). However, new movies like these are limited in number and the majority of the released films and movies this year are in fact sequels or remakes.
The rise in remakes and sequels could be a sign of a lack of creativity in the entertainment industry, so companies are having to fall back on previous concepts instead. However, this slump could be purposeful in an attempt to generate as much money as possible. By reusing great ideas in an effort to avoid hiring more staff, it is possible that companies might be trying to gain more profit.
In an article written by The New York Times reporter Leslie Wayne, Frank Price (president of Columbia Pictures) stated that:
”Sequels may be profitable, but it’s hard to get the showmanship and the excitement than can happen with the original. With sequels, you might go to the well one too many times, and that isn’t financially or creatively as rewarding as an original hit.”
Price’s above statement summarises the pros and cons of making sequels and how the industry is tied up in monetary value as a whole, giving an indication that profitability takes centre stage.
However, his opinion does not explicitly answer the question at hand, but nothing really will. There are many suggestions I have expanded on as to if there really is a slump, and if so why has this occurred, which gives a starting point for you to conclude your own opinion based on the evidence given.
