There’s something about movie culture in 2023 that has movie goers hoping for something different. Specifically, they are wondering if directors and producers have run out of ideas for original movies.

Is it as simple as filmmakers running out of original ideas or do they simply like sticking with the formulas they’re familiar with and perhaps have been successful with in the past?

You might be familiar with the “7 types of plots” that cover almost 99% of all movie storylines. From tragedy, comedy, hero’s journey, rags to riches, rebirth, overcoming the monster and voyage & return, every movie strives to follow one of these plot structures in order to be successful.

Personally, I am not someone who watches a lot of movies, but when I went to watch the new Avatar and Mario movies this year, I noticed both times that the movie (and the trailers before) were predictable in terms of figuring out what would happen next. Predictability is one thing, but the biggest characteristic of new movies is that they are based on material that already exists.

Filmmakers really seem to enjoy tapping into our nostalgia in the past few years, making remakes of our favourite books, tv series, comic books, and even older movies. At first, you’re thankful that you get to relive different media stories in movie form, but it has reached a point now where there is too much reliance on remakes. They are simply not necessary.

(Pexels / Nathan Engel)

The real cause of the problem might just be that the ultimate goal with any business (even the film industry) is to make as many millions of dollars as possible. Particularly after the pandemic, you might have noticed that there has been less low budget films because they are not worth the risk and their profit margin is less than the larger productions.

Unfortunately, filmmakers are part of a business. This means they will do anything, including being less creative and focusing less on the artwork or process of making a movie, as long as it nets them more money. It might be as simple as the film industry not wanting any original movie ideas at this time (they could fear taking a risk), as long as the concepts they have been using lately continue to bring them success.

(Pexels / Adrien Olichon)

Independent filmmakers won’t get the attention they deserve, and the trend will continue until something shifts in the movie industry. On one hand we still enjoy the movies that are coming out, but on the other hand we are tired of recycled material and are looking for original content.

Only time will tell what the movie industry decides to do next, but unless there is a major shift in thinking, filmmakers will continue the blueprint that has led to the success they continue to achieve.

For the time being, we are not running out of original movie ideas, but we will continue to almost never see them in theatres.