Despite frequent criticism about a lack of originality, do audiences tend to favour familiar franchises and reboots over original film and Tv ideas?
Yes
Despite vocal complaints about originality, audience behaviour consistently shows a preference for familiarity. Franchises and reboots offer built-in recognition, emotional comfort, and reduced risk, which translates into reliable box-office and streaming performance. Films like Spider-Man: No Way Home, Top Gun: Maverick, and live-action Disney remakes succeeded precisely because they tapped into nostalgia and existing brand loyalty. These projects create “event” viewing in a crowded content landscape.
Original films may receive praise online, but they rarely generate the same turnout or sustained attention (e.g, Pixar’s Elio is considered a major box office flop after making roughly $21M domestically on a budget of around $150-200M). Familiar IP gives audiences confidence in their time and money investment. While people say they want new ideas, their viewing habits suggest they prefer variations on stories they already love. Studios respond rationally to demand, and demand overwhelmingly favours the known over the new.
No
Audiences are not rejecting original ideas — they are rarely given the chance to engage with them meaningfully. Studios increasingly funnel marketing budgets, premium release dates, and global promotion toward franchises, while original films receive limited theatrical runs or are quietly dropped onto streaming platforms. When original projects are supported properly, audiences respond strongly, as seen with Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Get Out.
The dominance of franchises is not proof of audience preference, but of industry risk-aversion. Viewers cannot choose what they are not offered. Complaints about originality persist because audiences recognise the imbalance between creative potential and studio priorities. If originality were marketed, distributed, and valued equally, it would compete far more effectively than current box-office trends suggest.
