The movie industry has recently been coming up with fewer new movie ideas, while taking the easy route of making sequels to movies that have been successful in the past. Some examples include movies like Zootopia 2, Moana 2, Despicable Me 4, Toy Story 5, Cars 4, and more. There are fewer new movie ideas due to the shrinking revenues, decreasing output, and the continuous change in consumers’ preferences. When Pixar released Strange World as a brand new movie in 2022, it received heavy criticism online because people viewed it as controversial for children to be exposed to. Because critics also claimed that it lacked a good storyline as a whole. It had only grossed about $73.6 million and was a projected loss of nearly $200 million for Disney.
Not only is the making of new movie ideas falling behind, but some continuations of past hits are not nearly as creative or authentic as the original movies. The lack of imagination in the movie industry is becoming clear in some of the sequels that have come out, and audiences are not satisfied. Toy Story 4 is an example of a cinematic disaster due to the lack of preservation of the originality of the main storyline. This is shown when the main character grows up and leaves all his toys behind when he goes off to college. The replacement of Andy with a new main character was highly criticized and not appreciated by the public. According to The Spectator, “Why sequels are almost always worse than the original is simply not having enough time. When a sequel, or any movie for that matter, is rushed, the story, characters, dialogue, and action don’t get enough thought put into them, and the film ends up feeling incomplete.”
Streaming also plays a major role in the scripting world. This has caused changes in the entertainment environment, and fewer people are going to the cinema to watch movies. The easy access to watch any movie or show in the comfort of your own home leads to fewer people feeling the need to take the time and effort to go out to the cinema. Streaming platforms, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Max, often prioritize binge-worthy series over self-standing films, which affects what the audience wants to watch. While viewers pick the ease of a home movie viewing on the couch, the movie industry also takes the easy way out with a sequel.
