Well, the thing is, he's got a point. The original point of that poorly made image seems to be "Hollywood is out of ideas and just makes sequels", but it's not like original films weren't released in 2011.
Well, but it's not JUST that audiences only go with known quantities -- it's also that studios are more comfortable putting marketing dollars into them. (And other kinds of dollars.) It's both.
The larger point, though, is that the information is meaningless. Whether a film is a franchise or licensed character is irrelevant to the overall quality of the film.
Well, hypothetically. But the CW that sequels make for diminishing returns is, to my mind, usually correct.
Not always -- the last Harry Potter movie is quite a bit better than the first, for my money -- but Harry Potter's a pretty damn unique experiment in modern film. More often you get middling-to-lousy cash-ins.
If you go with the list of highest grossing films adjusted for inflation, then you get 4 films adapted from books or plays, 1 based on a folk tale, and 5 originals.
Wait, which one is The Ten Commandments? We're counting that as a book adaptation, right?
Because Gone with the Wind, Doctor Zhivago, and Jaws are books and Sound of Music is a stage musical.
And since the inflation adjustment amount seems to imply higher ticket sales
I'm skeptical of that. I think "inflation-adjusted" means just what it says, and this isn't a list of top films by number of tickets sold. I find it very hard to believe Avatar would be that high on the list without the 3D Tax.
suggesting more people actually wanted to see those films.
Had a conversation with a friend once about Gone with the Wind as the all-time highest-grossing film, adjusting for ticket price. She noted that there were no multiplexes back then and therefore fewer choices at the local theater. I responded that while that's true, 1939 is largely regarded as the greatest year in the history of film, and even if Gone with the Wind and Wizard of Oz weren't running simultaneously, lots and lots of people would have gone to both (and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and Goodbye Mr. Chips, and Of Mice and Men, and...hey, wait a minute...)
The
top 12 movies of 1939 -- regarded as the greatest year in film history:
1. Gone with the Wind
Book
2. The Wizard of Oz
Book
3. Ninotchka
Original
4. Dodge City
Original
5. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Gray area -- based on an unpublished book. Let's call it Original.
6. Jesse James
Original
7. The Old Maid
Play
8. The Women
Play
9. The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle
Books
10. Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Book
11. Another Thin Man
Book, Sequel
12. The Little Princess
Book
