Editor’s Take: Money is robbing film of its originality

By TJ Ford
Arts Editor

It seems like quality original films are difficult to come by in this day and age. Media is filled with remakes, sequels and the prospect of the endless franchises that drown box offices worldwide, and cash is the culprit.

It has been a slow yet steady decline for movies, the transition from originality to repetition. For instance, in 1981, 70 percent of box office hits were original films. This is gargantuan compared to the sickly 20 percent of originals in the same top 10 grossing chart for just 10 years later; it’s becoming more lucrative to drag on a once-original idea through never-ending sequels or to remake a profitable endeavor from the past than it is to risk investing in something that has not yet proved itself. It is leading to the death of a once-vibrant breed of quality, varied cinematic art, and it is saddening nonetheless.

As recently as 2011, sequels comprised a staggering 80 percent of the United States’ top 10 grossing films, with box office hits like “Harry Potter: Part 8” and “The Hangover: Part 2,” raking in millions. However, in terms of financially successful films in that same year, not one original flick made the final cut as the majority of films were adaptations of books or the next in a franchise. The closest to authenticity in financially-worthwhile films was the adaptation of “Thor” from comic book hero to major film franchise.

The now-completely financially-driven industry is the main reason for the lackluster box office results. We live in an age where film has become more a Wall Street microcosm than an artistic medium. Instead of substance driving movies to be made, it has become a game of financial gains and losses. It is understandable to a certain extent that the film industry is a business, but not to the point where the art of cinema is drowned out into the oblivion of remake after torturous remake.

Director Christopher Nolan even expressed that getting the acclaimed mental thriller “Inception” made was insanely difficult in comparison to his other franchises, like the well-known “Batman” trilogy. It is pathetic – there should be no fight for budding, creative films to be made. There should be a fight for the originality and intrigue cinema can bring, and not for the next round of sequels to be released. Of all places, the fantasy world of film should be the sacred escape from reality where money is all-powerful.