Every time a remake or a sequel is announced there is always that group of people that complain that nothing original is being made anymore. This is false. 

For the past decade, audiences have been flooded with remake after remake, sequel after sequel, even with the popular concept of a “requel.” This new addition isn’t exactly a remake, since it follows the story of the franchise’s first film, but it isn’t anything new either. 

Hollywood has been shoving these types of movies down audiences’ throats and a question for all of this is why? An even bigger question though is where are all of the original movies? These original films are hiding in plain sight, and it’s not the audience’s fault for missing out on them. 

Independent films have been a staple in cinema for decades. Recently, studios such as A24 and NEON have been the leading indie studios that have been carrying independent films for the past decade. 

They are the studios behind movies such as “Midsommar,” “Longlegs,” “The Iron Claw,” “Parasite” and many more films that have been praised both by critics and audiences. Films such as these get audiences talking, whether it’s because of their unique filmmaking style, odd plots and characters or, mainly, just because they are all something new to the table that audiences have not seen before. 

However, these movies that get audiences talking due to their unique, odd filmmaking style comes, which is one of the fatal flaws of indie films and their popularity. Audiences are very picky when it comes to something different, which is one of the biggest reasons why remakes and sequels are so prevalent. 

Nostalgia is a huge selling point when it comes to any product and with film; nostalgia makes big money. Marvel’s “Deadpool & Wolverine” is currently the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, as well as one of Marvel’s biggest successes in recent years. The reason for this is not only because of the general audience’s mostly universal enjoyment of Marvel films but also because of the return of Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. 

In addition to that, “Deadpool & Wolverine” was sitting at the top of the box office charts for six weeks since its release and was dethroned by “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” which is another nostalgic sequel. Nostalgia is the selling point and that is why big studios will keep pumping out more remakes and sequels because of the general audience’s enjoyment of the original entry. 

This is not to say that every sequel or remake is bad, however. Observant audience members can tell whether or not a remake or sequel is made to either further the story or aim to be a cash-grab. It’s also not bad to go out and see a remake or sequel just because it makes one feel nostalgic.

However, it’s also not fair to say that nothing original is out because there is always something fresh out in theaters. The reason why most people don’t believe so is because of advertising, and the big studios who remake or give sequels to the nostalgic classics have the money to keep making trailers and ads online about their sequel and/or remake. 

It’s rare to see an indie film get as much attention as a big-budget film, but when it does, the genre that usually gets people talking is horror. “Longlegs” by NEON Studios was a huge success for indie movies. Longlegs grossed 103.46 million dollars in the U.S. with only a budget of 10 million dollars. 

The marketing for “Longlegs” took the internet by storm. NEON launched billboards across the country that had cryptic messages that allowed viewers to try to decode what the message was saying as well as a phone number that would leave the caller an eerie message from the serial killer from the film. 

Marketing has a lot of influence on people, especially when it comes to a film such as this, as well as word of mouth. Word of mouth and social media have also sparked more interest in seeing indie films. The Best Picture winning, “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” is an indie film that initially didn’t get a lot of attention from audiences until more people online started heavily praising this film, as well as the Oscars giving it more traction. 

A24’s “Talk To Me” also received more attention because of how online critics and audiences praised the film, causing it to be one of A24’s biggest successes by making 92.18 million dollars in the U.S. with a 4.5 million dollar budget. 

Marketing is one of the biggest influences that can drive audiences to want to see an independent film, but even if the film looks interesting to someone, that doesn’t always mean they will go out of their way to see a film they know next to nothing about. Prices at theaters have only gotten worse, which makes streaming more convenient for consumers because they would rather spend their money on a film about something they know, such as a remake or a sequel, than something they don’t. Thus, they wait until that film comes to streaming to watch it, which is very much the case with indie films. 

For example, “The Northman” by A24 flopped hard at the box office by only making 12 million dollars on a 90 million dollar budget, but once it hit digital and streaming, it hit number one on Peacock as well as hitting selling records on video on demand.

What consumers need to do if they are tired of seeing remakes and sequels shoved in their faces is simply not to give those movies money, which is easier said than done, but it is the only solution consumers have because studios won’t listen unless they see their profits are down. Look up what original or indie films are out that interest you at a theater near you and see them because they could be good and most importantly, they’re something new.