Our mind is submerged in a vortex by recalling the most renowned sagas and their main characters in the movies. These memory flashbacks refuse to disappear from our minds, and we surprisingly notice how these stories are now capturing new generations. Sagas like Spiderman, Batman, Superman and Captain America, among others, have been remade.

But, if we stop for a minute, we must ask ourselves: What is a remake? And why is this trend becoming so strong in the film industry? A “remade” movie precisely what the film industry refers to as a “remake”: it is the new version of a movie launched several decades ago.

The trend in the film studios to remake movies launched years ago is perhaps the guarantee of total success, and content distributors like Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, among others, are placing their bets on this to take the lead in global ticket offices.

With this strategic move of film studios, neither the applause from the crowd or the positive reviews are guaranteed. Why? There is one variable that has reached the remakes arena: audiences are more and more demanding, given the information overload to which they are subjected.

Investing in new productions is perhaps a risk that many distributors are not willing to take; but a well renowned movie, backed by a good brand and an appealing story that moves the feelings of the audience, are adequate tools to achieve success and to go beyond in history.

The “remakes” attract audiences from all ages, including generations who saw the first version of the movie, as well as the newest generations that seek to know, first hand, the film quality of the productions. Furthermore, audiences always expect a “new” film version, content changes and, perhaps, new antagonists.

A clear example is that of Superman: a movie classic, which has gone through various “remakes”. This is a video with the historical record of all the actors who played the emblematic hero from its first launching in 1948, to its last “remake” in 2013.

According to the blog The Droid You’re Looking For, 122 “remakes” have been released in the United States from 2003 to 2012. Likewise, the post indicates that 2016 was the year with the highest number of “remakes” released: 18 in total. Although experts have assigned a negative review to “remakes” : below 50%, in contrast, the box office affirms otherwise: up to $ 12 billion dollars have been collected.  Remake panorama Remakes are deeply rooted in Hollywood’s culture, and have shortly gained momentum on international markets, where audiences have greatly embraced the contents thereof. This is basically reflected on the economic dividends produced by the box offices.

Remake panorama

Remakes are deeply rooted in Hollywood’s culture, and have shortly gained momentum on international markets, where audiences have greatly embraced the contents thereof. This is basically reflected on the economic dividends produced by the box offices.

Another example is that of Spiderman. Just five years after the premier of the third Spiderman remake with Tobey Maguire, Spider-Man 3 (2007),  Andrew Garfield assumes the role of Peter Parker on the new movie “The Amazing Spider-Man”. In the 2014 sequel titled The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro, where  Garfield repeated its role as Peter Parker.

Classic superheroes are based on comics, with a well-shaped history and a long-lasting loyal audience. Therefore, “remaking” a movie based on comics is yet a bet that produces significant film and economic profits in Hollywood.

The world of comics is so varied, that it allows creating “remakes” with changes in original histories, turning them into a world that will last for ever and ever.

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