How Hollywood Became Obsessed with Prequels, Sequels & Reboots

How Hollywood Became Obsessed with Prequels Sequels and Reboots

Whether you’re flipping through the channels or deciding what to stream on Netflix, there’s never a shortage of “remade” content. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're talking about what makes reboots, remakes, sequels and prequels so appealing to Hollywood studios.

As much as television and film can be entertaining and even educational, that’s not the driving force behind why it hits our screens. At the end of the day, it’s really about making a buck. For every successful film and TV show, there are countless others that fail, costing studios millions of dollars. So when coming up with ideas for new projects, why not try recycling what’s worked before? The success of one project becomes the inspiration for five new ones. It’s an ongoing quest to find the secret formula for repeatable profit margins.

And while every production wants to earn money, filmmakers also want it to cost less. Prequels and sequels are advantageous in that the original actors may not play a significant role in the new narrative. Therefore, the studio doesn’t have to pay for their high salaries. Production costs are reduced by reusing sets, CG models, and locations. Some studios have even cut corners by reusing old footage or deleted scenes that never made it into the original film. By bringing down the price of making the film, producers are able to tap into that comforting sense of familiarity that fans love.

On the rare occasions that we do get something truly new and unique, filmmakers may want to tell further stories within that same setting. “The Matrix'' is a perfect example of a film becoming a franchise of its own. Its blockbuster success spawned three sequels, video games, comic books, and an animated anthology film, creating an entirely new cinematic universe. Good or bad, this type of expansion can also be seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and other similar properties. With each new installment in these expanding franchises, the studios also find themselves reaching new audiences.

When you binge and enjoy an entire season of “Stranger Things”, you’ll inevitably tell your friends who are likely to then do the same. Word of mouth plays a huge factor in increasing the popularity of any media project. Producers are not blind to this and are constantly looking to find new ways to bring attention to their projects. This includes taking foreign properties and remaking them for new audiences - and it isn’t limited to movies. Many popular TV shows like “The Office” or “Ghosts” started in the UK and found their way across the shore.

As much as actors are seen as the face of film and television, the real heroes are the writers. Overlooked by audiences, these artists use their imagination to create these incredible franchises. One of the oldest addages in writing is “write what you know”. And what could be easier than writing about characters everyone knows. When “Young Sheldon” was first released, the titular character had already been on the air for 10 years. That’s an entire decade of character development that could be drawn upon for the prequel series. As creative as writers are, even they need a breather. Drawing from existing materials makes the process that much easier.

Writers know how passionate audiences can be about a piece of work, so it becomes far easier to play on that sense of nostalgia than to build something new. Despite the fictional nature of these stories, audiences often feel a deep emotional connection to film and television, especially stories that remind us of our youth. In recent years, studios have exploited this by resurfacing beloved characters from our past in hopes of recreating their original successes. It’s a delicate balance because for every “Fuller House” or “Will & Grace” there’s a “Murphy Brown” or “Mad About You” that just doesn’t connect with audiences like it may have in the past.

There are times when the intention is less about money than it is about giving fans what they think they want. Fan service refers to purposely placing material in a piece of work that’s meant to satisfy the fans. The most common examples of this are through cute cameos or Easter eggs. Perceived by studio execs as a way to “hook” the audience, it can sometimes backfire spectacularly. “Spider-Man 3” for example included a terrible version of Venom which aggravated fans more than excited them. It’s a risk creators take in hopes of it paying off, literally.

Yet it also seems that despite taking risks, Hollywood prefers to play it safe by sticking to what we already know. With the cost of films and television increasing exponentially, some studios have shifted their focus from profit margins to curtailing their losses. Brand new creative projects are considered high risk because studios don’t know if anyone will watch them. Reboots and franchises have a lower risk of tanking completely and forcing the studio to take a loss. Unfortunately, this leaves fans with more rehashed material than original content and can ultimately end up driving them away.

As much as executives want more profits and tighter control, there are some notable advantages to franchises, particularly in film. Where television has always been able to tell longer form stories, a standalone film struggles with this. Franchises like the MCU have shown us that character development and extended stories can also be told on the big screen. Creatives who love digging into the dirt of these worlds are given a chance to tell stories they may not have been able to before. Where have these characters been all this time? How did they get there? When done right, sequels and prequels give us those extra details many fans crave.

There’s one more reason that the culture of endless reboots and sequels has flourished. When the original “Avatar” came out, audiences were charmed by the incredible power of 3D. That very quickly spilled over into virtually every other film, which now had to cash in on this trend. Hollywood saw this as another means of raking in the revenue. However, the fad died quickly, killing any chances of it becoming a massive money machine. Sure, 3D movies are still out there, but the big rush has fallen, and Hollywood needed another cash cow. Instead of the screen popping out at you like popcorn, they decided to go back to the well, and try one more time to make what was old, new again.

Which remakes, reboots or sequels did you enjoy as much or more than the original? Let us know in the comments.