Today, we are going to look at how the reception for the highest-performing IP-led titles stack up against original films. We will also analyse the potential response from Hollywood studios and what audiences should look out for.

Franchise Upset

For the purposes of this analysis, I looked at the 50 highest-grossing films of 2025 according to Box Office Mojo. Of the American-produced projects, 27 of them were sequels, spinoffs, reboots or remakes of branded projects. A further 6 were adaptations of books or games. Plus, F1 traded on the brand name for attention.

Across all these franchise and adapted projects, only 11 have a rating of 7 stars or higher on IMDb (meaning more raters view it more positively than average). 

Although these ratings are not an objective measure of quality (these ratings are vulnerable to abuse) and other review sites like Rotten Tomatoes provide differing perspectives on many of these films, the volume of the ratings from across a vast range of projects from IMDb provides a good broad look into general audience attitudes towards these films. These ratings show that these films are seen as fine but nothing special. Of course, not every film needs to be a 10/10 artful statement about the human condition. That said, when there is such a large amount of franchise releases, with so much money behind them, and only a few of them can muster higher than 7/10, it does not necessarily bode well for future engagement.

There were also some noticeable dips in the takings of established franchises. For example, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, Wicked: For Good, and all of Marvel’s 2025 offerings took significantly less than prior series entries. Showing that brand names are not always infallible.

Smaller Names Doing Well  

By comparison, in the top 50, there are 5 original US films. 3 produced by a major studio (Sinners, Elio and Weapons) and 2 distributed by A24 (Materialists and Marty Supreme). Three of them being rated above 7 stars. Overall, original films had a much more consistent success rate with audiences. 

Plus, of the 5, only Elio underperformed at the box office, showcasing that original films can still bring audiences in without franchise names being needed to give them a boost.

Hollywood Morals

With movies like Sinners, Weapons and Marty Supreme dominating conversations over the past year and proving original films can still be successful financially as well as with both critics and audiences, what will Hollywood learn from the experience? Considering that a lot of coverage around two of these films has been about the possibility of sequels and spinoffs, it seems that Hollywood is still intent on turning everything into a franchise. 

Of course, Hollywood currently relies on franchises to make the money it needs to function, and it has often turned original IP into quick franchises, particularly if they’re genre films (horror, comedy, sci-fi action, etc.). Although seldom has it seemed this desperate and all-consuming.

Studios also like to react to successes by trying to capture lightning in a bottle again. Making projects that crib the style and ideas from others and reuse them constantly. Creating projects that could very well be original but are so familiar, they may as well be unofficial remakes or sequels. Just look at how Netflix “original movies” are designed to be similar to others to drive engagement.

Support Originality

Unfortunately, we can never tell what studios will decide after an original film has succeeded, and with so many films vying for our attention, it can sometimes be hard to separate the originals from the fakes. But you can still do things to minimise franchise fatigue and burnout from Hollywood’s unoriginality.

Firstly, look up a film’s director. If the director has a good track record of producing original or distinctive work, then you can at least feel somewhat safe that they will give you a whole movie before turning it into a cash cow. Second, listen to word of mouth. Look at what other people and critics are saying about something to help you know the kind of story you are dealing with. And thirdly, don’t be afraid to be more discerning with your time and money. Just because a film has a franchise name attached or is a sequel to something you liked doesn’t guarantee a good-quality project. Embrace variety and support true originals and the people who make them at the box office. The only way the studios will notice is if audiences tell them they want more originality.

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Where are the original blockbusters? What was the last original blockbuster to make huge amounts at the box office? And can original blockbusters still gain a foothold in the MCU era? Today we’ll try to answer these questions. But first, let’s define what a blockbuster is.

Defining Blockbusters

It’s hard to define everything that makes a “blockbuster”. Industry analysts say it’s any film that takes over $100 million. But The Blair Witch Project isn’t what we think of when discussing blockbusters. Others say a blockbuster is a big-budget, box-office hit that has some involvement with a major studio. They also focus on generating excitement through fast-paced storytelling and big effects/action sequences, leading to repeat viewing. But this definition also has flaws. For example, The Battle of Lake Changjin is currently China’s highest-grossing movie ever and has a $200 million budget. And while it’s produced by major local production companies these companies don’t have a huge worldwide presence like those that produce English-language blockbusters. It also performed well in China but not internationally. So is Lake Changjin a blockbuster or a domestic hit?

For the purposes of this article, we will define a blockbuster as a film produced or distributed by a major studio with a big modern budget that aims to excite audiences. Which makes its budget back at the box office and performs well with worldwide audiences.

Original Blockbusters

So what was the last major studio blockbuster not based on existing IP to truly capture the world’s attention? Some may immediately think of Avatar which for 10 years was the highest-grossing film of all time. That said, Avatar isn’t the only original blockbuster to have captured attention recently. 

In the past decade, we’ve seen several original animated blockbusters score big at the box office. Including Zootopia (2016’s 4th highest-grosser), Inside Out (2015’s 7th highest-grosser), Coco (2017s 11th highest-grosser) Moana (2016’s 12th highest-grosser), and The Croods (2013’s 11th highest-grosser). Films like Interstellar (2014’s 10th highest-grosser) and Gravity (2013’s 8th highest-grosser) also saw success during this time.

Hollywood’s New Ideas?

Unfortunately, this year big original blockbusters didn’t really materialize. Exciting projects like Lost City and Nope did good business but both were mid-budget films rather than big-budget releases. But if original blockbusters can make money why are big studios not making them?

Well, because blockbusters are expensive to produce many major studios need to ensure a return on investment. Also with competition from streaming services and the need to get people back to theatres post-pandemic the industry is looking for ways to keep audiences returning. Therefore, unfortunately, it’s understandable why studios use a well-known IP or figure as a project’s basis as audiences are more likely to watch something with a familiar brand. 2022’s highest-grossing movies seemingly prove this thesis.

Of course, this doesn’t mean there’s no opportunity for original ideas to flourish. Big studios have shown a willingness to fund original work if a director has delivered a hit (like Christopher Nolan). Animation has also proven a great home for original family audience blockbusters. But one thing that might spur more creativity from big studios is competition from smaller independent and international blockbuster-style movies. In 2022 Everything Everywhere All At Once and RRR showed that blockbuster action can be delivered from smaller sources and that audiences still want to watch original exciting titles. Hopefully, these factors will lead to more diversity in blockbuster filmmaking.

Also Read: 5 More Movies That Don’t Need a Sequel, Reboot or Remake

The post Where Are The Original Blockbusters? appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

This year we are going to look at the 10 highest-grossing original films released in the UK during 2021 (as of 17/12/21 according to Box Office Mojo). Meaning that the movies listed here are not part of an ongoing franchise (this includes sequels, remakes, prequels, and spinoffs) or based on pre-existing material (books, comics, plays, videogames, etc.). Along with this, we will also look at each film’s Rotten Tomatoes score to see how they fared with audiences and critics.

10. Nobody (£1,256,781)

With some brutal fight sequences and a great performance from Bob Odenkirk, Ilya Naishuller (Hardcore Henry) continued to demonstrate his talent for directing action. Audiences and critics also loved the film. It received a critical score of 84% and an audience score of 94%.

9. Malignant (£1,485,484)

A new horror film from James Wan (Saw, Insidious & The Conjuring) sounded like an amazing prospect. But despite Malignant initially performing well it soon became an audience punching bag (52% RT score). However, critics seemed to view the film more favourably (76%).

8. The Courier (£2,087,220)

This contemporary cold war thriller starring Benedict Cumberbatch with echoes of Hitchcock and Le Carre surprised both critics (85%) and audiences (95%). It did not make Bond-level money but it showed that spy movies can still draw people in.

7. Respect (£2,215,353)

Despite the modest taking and the middle-of-the-road critical consensus (67%) audiences really enjoyed this biopic of Aretha Franklin’s career (95%).

6. Last Night in Soho (£2,306,076)

A stylish horror thriller, Last Night in Soho was, while not director Edgar Wright’s highest-grossing film, the highest-grossing original horror film of 2021. And it still managed to score highly with critics (75%) and audiences (89%).

5. Spencer (£2,790,786)

Spencer follows Princess Diana during a Christmas break in Norfolk where we see her battling with her mental health problems and the power exerted over her by the royal family. Although the film divided audiences (52%) it delighted critics (83%), with Kristen Stewart’s performance receiving particular praise.

4. The French Dispatch (£4,071,484)

Wes Anderson’s latest tale concerns several reporters and the stories they encounter while writing for the titular magazine. Even though it is Anderson’s lowest-rated film since The Darjeeling Limited it still received good reviews from viewers (75% from critics and 76% from audiences).

3. Encanto (£4,201,894)

The first animated movie on this list is a beautiful look into various aspects of Colombian culture. Encanto, is about Mirabel, who has to deal with being the only member of her family without a special ability. Disney continues to showcase its artistic power with Encanto being readily embraced by all (90% from critics, 93% from audiences).

2. Ron’s Gone Wrong (£4,570,319)

2021 was a good year for original animations. Following Barney and his defective B-bot Ron as they learn about friendship and the dangers of the tech industry this film was the first feature from Locksmith Animation (co-produced alongside 20th Century Animation and TSG Entertainment). And with great reviews from cinemagoers (94%) and reviewers (80%) it’s certainly a good film to start their careers with.

1. Free Guy (£17,383,060)

The highest-grossing original film in the UK this year and the 7th highest-grossing film in the UK in 2021 (at time of writing) Free Guy focuses on the journey of a videogame NPC who slowly breaks out of his predetermined path. An entertaining film that people really took to (80% for critics, 94% for audiences) Free Guy proves that not only is Hollywood improving when it comes to making movies about games but also that original ideas still have pull in cinemas.  

This concludes our look at the top 10 original movies at the UK box office in 2021. Overall the number of original movies in the top 10 high-grossers this year was disappointing compared to 2020. But the diverse range of genres on display at least shows cinemagoers are interested in watching a range of different stories when it comes to original productions. Here’s hoping 2022 will be better for original ideas at the movies.

Also Read: Top 5 Movies That Don’t Need a Sequel, Reboot or Remake

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