In 2026, movie theaters are getting packed with major movies like Andy Weir’s book adaptation “Project Hail Mary,” Emerald Fennell’s adaptation of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights,” the prequel to The Hunger Games, “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” and Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of Homer’s classic “The Odyssey.” Why are all of these already well-known plots being turned into movies? The answer is simple: greed.
According to Box Office Mojo, Hollywood made around $25 billion in gross revenue in the past year. With all of this money, Hollywood is experiencing a surge in the use of pre-existing intellectual property. IP serves as a “brand” or built-in audience, so movie adaptations, sequels and remakes all qualify as IP. For example, “Project Hail Mary” is a movie adaptation of a sci-fi book that already exists. The film uses ideas or plots that someone else has already created, meaning those ideas belong to the original creator as their intellectual property. With 12 out of the 24 non-documentary or concert films coming out in March using existing IP, its use is taking over movie theaters. So why does Hollywood prefer using old IP over new, original art?
According to Parrot Analytics, it’s safer for production companies to use old IP. Hollywood rarely likes to take risks, so by using “a built-in audience,” studios know that people will go out and buy a ticket to see the movie.
Streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu and HBO have changed how movies make money. Streaming platforms offer a new, more accessible way for viewers to access movies. According to The Motion Picture Association, however, streaming also poses a huge issue for how Hollywood makes money. Streaming platforms take away money from the studio and gain it through annual fees. Although the streaming companies have to pay to license a movie, production companies end up making less than they would from the box office.
According to The Numbers, in 2019, ticket sales were over $1 billion, but in 2025, ticket sales were down to around $770 million, which is a 23% decrease.
Producer Daniel Keston, an Archer parent, wrote in an email that in order to make more money through box office ticket sales, movie studios have favored IP. This is due to how people are more likely to go out and see a plot or story that they have already heard of, rather than a new one.
Probably the most famous example of IP is “Barbie,” which generated over $636 million in revenue. Barbie is a well-known franchise, and Mattel already makes $1 billion off of Barbie dolls each year, so this movie was easy to get people to watch. In that same year, “American Fiction,” an original screenplay, made significantly less at over $21 million gross. Still, the film explored racist stereotypes that should weigh more than what it earned at the box office.
We have to remember that Hollywood is a business and has to make money somehow. But by taking away original films, this motivation for money has turned into greed. They have turned entirely away from the art aspect of the industry and focused solely on the money-making side. Through the use of IP, the industry views the audience as a money tree instead of seeing a chance to change someone’s life through representation and showcasing thrilling, important stories.
By destroying original art, we are destroying what innately makes us human. A great quote that sums this up is by Susanne K. Langer in her book “The Cultural Importance of the Arts.“
“Art is the spearhead of human development, social and individual,” Langer wrote. “The vulgarization of art is the surest symptom of ethnic decline.”
There are countless examples of original art having a great influence on humankind, but one of my favorites is the movie “Philadelphia.” Back in 1993, HIV and AIDS were rampant across America, and there were stigmas surrounding people facing these diseases. Even North Carolina’s Republican senator Jesse Helms said gay men were spreading the disease through “incredibly offensive conduct.” “Philadelphia” came out that same year and was the first major motion picture to address the widespread homophobia in the country. The movie ended up making over $206 million at the box office and raised awareness for the disease.
With the rise of IP and the downfall of original art, humanity has lost its essence and ability to express itself. We could potentially lose the voice that media gives to cinema and instead end up buying a ticket to see a hypothetical fifth “Moana” or the movie adaptation of “The Little Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” rather than something as impactful as original cinema.
