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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Whether you’re a hero or villain you need a great weapon to help you vanquish your foes. And cinema is full of amazing weaponry. So, today we’re going to look at seven iconic movie weapons, who wielded them and their real-world origins.

Lightsaber (Star Wars Franchise)

The weapon of the most powerful beings in the galaxy far far away, the Sith and the Jedi. Many famous Jedi and Sith have wielded the multi-coloured laser swords. Including Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, his son Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, Ben Solo/Kylo Ren, and Rey. George Lucas decided to include a futuristic sword in the original Star Wars as a symbol of honour and chivalry. And with only a 4×5 camera flash attachment (the hilt), sticks wrapped in reflective material (the blade); the hum of a projector and the buzz captured from a TV set (the sound effects) Lucas and company birthed arguably the most famous movie weapon of all time.

Freddy Krueger’s glove (Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise)

Horror films have created several iconic weapons, some of which we will get into later. But horrors most inventively creepy killing implement is Freddy Krueger’s Razor Glove. Envisioned by director Wes Craven as a throwback to mankind’s primal fear of claws grafted onto modern equipment, not only is Freddy’s glove inventive but its very look is surreal and frightening. Perfectly fitting with the story’s nightmarish aesthetic.

Nunchaku (Bruce Lee Movies)

This traditional Okinawan martial arts training weapon has become a staple of martial arts movies specifically because of Bruce Lee. Bruce used Nunchaku in several of his movies (Enter the Dragon, Way of the Dragon & Game of Death). He wielded them with such speed, grace, and effectiveness that they were transformed in the public’s mind from mere training implements into incredible weapons in their own right.

The Infinity Gauntlet (Marvel Cinematic Universe)

The MCU needed to give its ultimate villain Thanos a weapon that would make an impression on audiences after ten years of build-up. Made of Uru metal, forged by the dwarves of Nidavellir, with a design ripped straight from the original comic and armed with the infinity stones that collectively give the wearer the ability to do practically anything, including wiping out half of all life in the universe, the Infinity Gauntlet is, without doubt, the most destructive weapon on this list.

Chainsaw (Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise)

Employing household tools as weapons is a common practice in slasher movies, and this is one of the movies to thank for that. Director Tobe Hooper originally thought of the idea to use a chainsaw as his movie’s weapon when he was wondering how to get out of the busy store and saw a chainsaw in the hardware section. One thing’s certain, audiences have never looked at chainsaws the same way since.

The Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch (Monty Python & The Holy Grail)

In 1975, the Pythons gifted us with possibly the silver screens silliest weapon. When confronted with the dreaded Rabbit of Caerbannog, King Arthur and his knights use the Holy Hand Grenade, originally used by Saint Atilla, to destroy the beast. Shaped like the Sovereigns Orb of the United Kingdom there is no better weapon to destroy your beastly foes and satirize religion.

Revolver (Western Genre)

Everyone loves westerns and the one weapon that typifies the western is the revolver. Patented by Samuel Colt (later developed by multiple companies in the 1800s) as a singlehanded firearm, that can be fired several times without reloading. The revolver has become a symbol of the old west gunslinger. A weapon of great destructive capabilities that requires a keen eye and steady hand to master. No Mexican standoff is complete without one.

So ends my list of seven iconic movie weapons. Be sure to fire your suggestions for great movie weapons I missed into the comments.

Also Read: The Best Action Films of the Decade (2010 – 2019)

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