Strike a conversation with an average movie-goer about what films are releasing today, and you’ll quickly come upon a sentence similar to, “Everything coming out now are just remakes and sequels.”

This movie stigma has become an increasingly popular belief in the last decade, especially on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.

While it may be true that we have received plenty of remakes and sequels in the past decade, it’s undeniably false that everything released today falls under this category.

Through 2024, the five major studios — Disney, Warner Bros, Universal, Sony and Paramount — released roughly 99 films theatrically and on streaming platforms. 

Out of the 99 films released, 63 films were original products or new adaptations, while only seven were remakes and 29 were sequels.

This is without counting some stipulations, such as “The Fall Guy” being a complete reimagining of a popular 80s TV series, 2024’s “Mean Girls” being an adaptation of the Broadway musical version or both “Watchmen” chapters being animated adaptations of the comic series, far different from its 2009 live-action film.

When further analyzed, Universal released 12 original films, three remakes and four sequels.

Sony released 11 original films, zero remakes and four sequels.

Warner Bros. released 15 original films, three remakes and seven sequels, and Paramount released eight original films, one remake and seven sequels.

Last but not least is Disney, who released a whopping 16 original films, zero remakes and seven sequels.

Throughout the 2024 release schedule, several interesting fact trails can be followed.

Out of the seven remakes released, four were given a theatrical run, while all three of Warner Bros.’s remakes were put out straight-to-streaming, such as “Salem’s Lot” and both of the animated “Watchmen” films.

While this is close to an even split, the same cannot be said for 2024’s sequel offerings.

Only two of the 29 sequels released last year were first released on streaming, those being Universal’s “Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp” and Paramount’s “Apartment 7A.” Neither of these films were critical darlings, as the new Woody Woodpecker movie currently holds 20% on popular critic-aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and “Apartment 7A” — a sequel to the classic “Rosemary’s Baby” — stands a bit taller at 43%.

Much of the “remakes/sequels are all we get” argument came from Disney’s slew of live-action remakes throughout the 2010s, such as “The Lion King,” “Maleficent,” “The Jungle Book” and more.

However, Disney didn’t release a single remake in 2024.

While a majority of the sequels earned theatrical runs, original films weren’t so lucky. Out of the 63 originals released, 16 were put straight-to-streaming. This doesn’t count plenty of beloved films — including Academy Awards nominees, which only received limited or streaming releases — or any of Netflix, Apple, and Amazon’s plethora of streaming offerings.

Although we are receiving far more original content, why is it that sequels/remakes get a larger theatrical focus? Look no further than the box office revenue. 

People may say they want more original content, yet their wallets say differently. 

Aside from “Wicked” — which is still an adaptation of a popular Broadway musical — none of the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2024 are original properties. These high-earning films include sequels such as “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool and Wolverine,” and “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.” The highest-grossing original film — not counting adaptations — is Paramount’s “IF,” falling in at #17. Even so, the film was a financial failure, earning $190 million against a budget of $110 million.

So what’s the magic trick that will solve this issue? It’s simple, go see the original films that people seemingly ignore.

Several 2024 films such as “Abigail” and “The Bikeriders” received plenty of positive reviews, yet many skipped out.

However, there is a bright side to the doom and gloom.

Although sequels and remakes may be what most audiences are checking out, plenty of smaller-budgeted, original films scored big in terms of financial results. These include Academy Award Best Picture nominees “Anora,” “The Brutalist” and “The Substance,” as well as other flicks such as “Civil War,” “Long Legs” and “The Wild Robot.” 

If similar films can continue to be released in theaters at a consistent rate, then perhaps it won’t be long until more original films manage to crack the top 10.