The Stuff of Movies

While most movies are still based on original screenplays, there has been a notable trend towards drawing from existing material in the film industry, with some of the biggest box office hits of the 21st century being adaptations of comic books, novels or television series. This trend culminated in 2024, when the 10 highest-grossing movies in North America had one thing in common: they were all based on existing IP (intellectual property). The industry’s love of sequels, prequels, franchises and adaptations is directly related to the ongoing box office crisis, though some would argue that the lack of original ideas is also one of the causes of the industry’s struggle to return to pre-Covid levels.

Regardless of what came first, the crisis or the (over-)reliance on existing IP, it’s a fact that studios tend to avoid risks during bad times. Making movies based on popular books, video games or previous box office hits is a proven way of playing it safe in Hollywood, as such movies can draw on existing fan bases and thereby almost eliminate the risk of bombing at the box office. In recent years, there seems to be a bit of pushback against this trend, however, as some sequels and franchise movies have flopped at the box office. After years of overreliance on trusted and proven IP, audiences appear to be craving original material instead of more of the same. At the very least, moviegoers are tired of sequels or franchise entries that feel like lazy cash grabs. In times of social media, bad word-of-mouth spreads quicker than ever, resulting in sub-par movies seeing dramatic drop-offs in ticket sales after opening week.

According to industry tracker The Numbers, movies based on original screenplays accounted for 46.8 percent of ticket sales in North America between 1995 and 2025. Movies based on books or short stories accounted for 20 percent of tickets sold while comic book adaptations – perhaps the most successful genre of the 21st century – accounted for 10 percent of total ticket sales.