Movie remakes are not a brand new concept. Hollywood has been pumping them out for decades. But recently, movie remakes have been making themselves a more common presence.
The question is why? With accessibility to Netflix and the Internet, it is easier than ever to watch a movie. Why can’t people just watch the original?
“If I saw the original and liked it, then I’d probably—even if I heard it was gonna be bad—be more likely to see it,” said senior Rachel Harris. “With special effects, remakes can be really good these days because they can do more with the story.”
The new Footloose remake opened to a weekend gross of $15.6 million and the second place spot at the box office. Currently, it’s grossing a domestic total of $44.8 million. The original opened to $8 million (equivalent to $17.6 million today), beating out the remake, and had a total domestic gross of $80 million (equivalent to $190 million today), making it one of the most popular movies of 1984. Only time will tell whether the remake will beat out the original overall. Nonetheless, the success of Footloose (2011) can be attributed in large part to the success of the Kevin Bacon original.
The most common genre of movies to be remade is horror. Horror movie remakes are constantly emerging. Dozens of horror movies have been remade or rebooted for what some say is an “easy profit.” They are much cheaper to make, and because they draw in fans from the original, guarantee audiences.
Take A Nightmare on Elm Street for example; remade in 2010, it grossed $32.9 million domestically. The original, also made in 1984, grossed $1.3 million (would be equivalent to $2.8 million today) in its opening weekend. It’s important to note when comparing the two that the original opened to 165 screens versus the remake’s 3,332 screens. Still, the remake made a profit despite bad reviews.
Horror movies already have a draw on audiences. People will go see them, even if they’re horrible, just for a scare. In addition, remakes draw in loyal fans from the original. This trifecta of reasons explains why movie studios are quick to jump on the idea of remaking a horror movie.
No matter the quality of a remake, it is considered a surefire way to make “easy money.” In the end, Hollywood is an industry and as an industry, its main focus is the art of making money.
The 25 Best Remakes of All Time
- The Thing (1982)-based on Howard Hawks’ The Thing (1952)
- Scarface (1983)-based on Howard Hawks’ Scarface (1932)
- The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)-based on Alfred Hitchcock’s first The Man Who Too Much (1934)
- Cape Fear (1991)-based on J. Lee Thompson’s Cape Fear (1962)
- The Magnificent Seven (1960)-based on Akira Kurosawa’s The Seven Samurai
- The Departed (2006)-based on Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s Internal Affairs (2002)
- The Fly (1986)-based on Kurt Neumann’s The Fly (1958)
- A Fistful of Dollars (1964)-based on Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo (1961)
- Ocean’s 11 (2001)-based on Lewis Milestone’s Ocean’s 11 (1960)
- A Star is Born (1954)-based on William Wellman’s A Star is Born (1937)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)-based on Don Siegel’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
- Heaven Can Wait (1978)-based on Alexander Hall’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)
- Father of the Bride (1991)-based on Vincente Minelli’s Father of the Bride (1950)
- The Ring (2002)-based on Hideo Nakata’s Ringu (1998)
- Little Shop of Horrors (1986)-based on Roger Corman’s Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
- The Champ (1979)-based on King Vodor’s The Champ (1931)
- The Italian Job (2003)-based on Peter Collinson’s The Italian Job (1969)
- Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)-based on Ralph Levy’s Bedtime Story (1964)
- Dawn of the Dead (2004)-based on George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- True Lies (1994)-based on Claude Zidi’s La Totale! (1991)
- 3:10 to Yuma (2007)-based on Delmer Daves’ 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
- Insomnia (2002)-based on Eric Skjoldbjærg’s Insomnia (1997)
- Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)-based on F.W. Murnau’s Noseferatu (1922)
- Ransom (1996)-based on Alex Segal’s Ransom! (1956)
- The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)-based on Norman Jewison’s The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
Taken from http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/04/15/best-movie-remakes/
