Imagine going back to your favorite movie theater in the metro area to witness a fresh and innovative piece of cinematography after a year of streaming tired and stretched-out intellectual properties like the Law and Order franchise and live-action adaptations of Disney animated films.
As you check out the movies that are playing, you realize that your only options are a timeless masked serial killer, an ionic spy, and a classic comic book villain. You had never hoped to revive your movie-seeing experience this way during the pandemic.
Hollywood has had an originality problem for the last twenty years or so. They are creating an abundance of worn-out reboots, remakes, sequels and spin-offs to appear on the big and small screen.
2021 has at least 28 of them coming out or currently in some form of production, according to Business Insider.
While general audiences are more acquainted with these familiar pieces of property– which generate a higher box office return in most cases – the executives of Tinseltown need to do a better job of greenlighting original ideas.
The executives of Tinseltown need to do a better job of greenlighting original ideas for diversity and creativity to prevent the industry’s self-imposition.
Netflix’s “Squid Game,” undoubtedly the biggest show of the year, is a prime example of how such an original concept can bring success and satisfaction to all parties involved while checking off all boxes.
For those of you who have been living under a rock, the streaming sensation is about a group of down-on-their-luck South Koreans who unknowingly agree to participate in a series of deadly versions of children’s games to pay off their debt. Since premiering to the masses on Sept. 17, the megahit show has become Netflix’s most significant original series to date, with an estimated 142 million accounts tuning in to what has become a cultural phenomenon.
All of those eyeballs have translated into the show having a value of $900 million for the streaming pioneer, being solely responsible for the company’s stock to rise seven percent. The company’s stock declined due to the pandemic and a lack of break-out hits on par with Stranger Things and Extraction. “Squid Game” has also garnered critical acclaim from casual viewers and professional critics alike, with a 93% critic score and 84% audience score from Rotten Tomatoes.
The survival drama’s success can attribute itself to many reasons, but none so more than its spotlight on the inequality and injustices in South Korea through a compelling and original narrative. Something of this caliber can not be done by the countless superheroes movies of the 21st century, no matter how hard filmmakers reboot and remake the film or television program with a bi-racial and bisexual woman or a black person as the lead.
We live in a global society of probability and possibility, not fantasy and make-believe. If Hollywood wants to prioritize profitability and convenience through reboots, remakes, sequels, and spin-offs over diversity and creativity through original films and televisions programs, by all accounts, that’s fine.
We have shown them more than enough proof to get our point across. Because at the end of the day, we have other mediums to tell our stories. Even if most studios nowadays are a part of massive media conglomerates, they know their top two money-makers will always be the silver and small screens.
It’s about damn time to put your money where your mouth is, Hollywood. It’s about damn time for sure.
