If you have been to a movie recently, you probably were watching a remake or a sequel like Jurassic World or Mad Max. We are in the midst of nearly 30 movies that could be described as remakes or sequels. There are more to come. And don’t forget the franchise operations like James Bond, Mission: Impossible, X-Men, and Hunger Games.

Charlie Jane Anders asks, “Why does Hollywood keep rebooting the same movie properties over and over again? It’s not just because studios want fans of those franchises to be happy. It’s because the movie business is about supply and demand.” She quotes from Scott Feinberg who reminds us that: “The film business, like any other, operates in a market of supply and demand. So while we critics often complain about the supply side, we ought to consider the demand.”

Derek Thompson writing in The Atlantic provides a history lesson. “In 1950, movies were the third-largest retail business in the America, after grocery stores and cars.” In the 1950s, 60 percent of the country went to the cinema. That was an audience bigger than today’s Super Bowl. Americans used to buy 20-30 tickets. Today they buy about four.

Back then; six major studios dominated the landscape. They could do basically whatever they wanted and could be sure of making money. They also owned their own theater chains and controlled the means and distribution of their cinematic product. Today a film producer no longer can guarantee a weekly audience.

Thompson concludes that: “Sixty years ago, audiences went to the movies reflexively. Now we go to the movies mostly to see things we recognize—actors, stories, and crusaders wearing costumes.” We are certain to see more of Ironman, Spider-Man, X-Men, and all of the Avengers.

I think this also opens the door for smaller, creative film producers (including Christian film producers) to break out of this mold and tell interesting and inspiring stories that will draw people to the theater or to DVDs they produce.