Why Are Original Movies Struggling At the 2025 Box Office?

Going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do in the world. And one of the reasons I go to the movies so much is that I love original screenplays. Seeing movies made for the big screen, meant to be enjoyed with a crowd, makes everything feel special. I love sitting with a bunch of people and experiencing a story, but I know that for Hollywood to survive and be healthy, I need a lot more people in the audience aside from myself. A recent report from The Wall Street Journal unpacked that original movies are not doing well at the box office this year. Let's dive in.Original Movies Are Struggling It's incredibly hard to put together an original movie these days. Not only do you need to package it but you also then have ti make it and market it to the public. This past weekend, Drop opened to only $7.5 million, and we've seen theatrical struggles from Warner Bros. Discovery’s Mickey 17 and The Alto Knights, as well as Paramount’s Novocaine, Apple’s Fly Me to the Moon, Amazon’s Red One, and the independently financed Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 and Megalopolis.While we're still early in 2025, people are getting worried. A lot relies on Ryan Coogler's Sinners, which is tracking strong and getting in IMAX theaters. It doesn't feel like original movies should bear such a heavy burden, but in an industry driven by IP, each one needs to perform. Mostly because you're only as marketable as the most recent wide release they can compare you to. So, How Can We Make This Better? It would be nice if people all just went to the theaters and saw everything, but that's never going to happen. In order to ensure these movies are successful, we need to make ones that actually look good, and we need to market them to the right channels. Selling a completely new concept requires more effort and ingenuity. Studios need to convince audiences to take a chance on the unknown, explaining the world, the characters, and the stakes from scratch.In an era of rising ticket prices and endless streaming options at home, audiences might be less willing to gamble on an unfamiliar story in the cinema. They know what they're getting with Fast & Furious 11 or the next Marvel entry. An original drama or sci-fi concept? It's a roll of the dice.But to build new franchises, you need to be willing to take those risks. That means making original films feel like events rather than just like every other release. The very definition of a "must-see-in-theaters" movie seems to be narrowing, often coalescing around massive budgets, visual effects, extravaganzas, and established brand names.To shift this in favor of originals, we should make bigger bets and market this stuff as something you can only see on the big screen. Even pick out a few with larger budgets that may successfully create your own IP if they do well and could spawn sequels. Summing It All Up The trend highlighted by the Wall Street Journal is undeniable. But it really only factors in some really big-name releases, none of which really did well with reviewers either. If we want to continue seeing fresh, diverse, and original stories unfold on the biggest screen possible, we might need to consciously take a chance on the unknown more often. but we should also make sure we're developing movies that are good. The strongest way to impress at the box office is to have something that is loved and can be carried by word of mouth, even if the marketing spends aren't that big. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Apr 16, 2025 - 19:46

Why Are Original Movies Struggling At the 2025 Box Office?

Going to the movies is one of my favorite things to do in the world. And one of the reasons I go to the movies so much is that I love original screenplays. Seeing movies made for the big screen, meant to be enjoyed with a crowd, makes everything feel special.

I love sitting with a bunch of people and experiencing a story, but I know that for Hollywood to survive and be healthy, I need a lot more people in the audience aside from myself.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal unpacked that original movies are not doing well at the box office this year.

Let's dive in.

Original Movies Are Struggling

It's incredibly hard to put together an original movie these days. Not only do you need to package it but you also then have ti make it and market it to the public.

This past weekend, Drop opened to only $7.5 million, and we've seen theatrical struggles from Warner Bros. Discovery’s Mickey 17 and The Alto Knights, as well as Paramount’s Novocaine, Apple’s Fly Me to the Moon, Amazon’s Red One, and the independently financed Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1 and Megalopolis.

While we're still early in 2025, people are getting worried. A lot relies on Ryan Coogler's Sinners, which is tracking strong and getting in IMAX theaters.

It doesn't feel like original movies should bear such a heavy burden, but in an industry driven by IP, each one needs to perform. Mostly because you're only as marketable as the most recent wide release they can compare you to.

So, How Can We Make This Better?

It would be nice if people all just went to the theaters and saw everything, but that's never going to happen. In order to ensure these movies are successful, we need to make ones that actually look good, and we need to market them to the right channels.

Selling a completely new concept requires more effort and ingenuity. Studios need to convince audiences to take a chance on the unknown, explaining the world, the characters, and the stakes from scratch.

In an era of rising ticket prices and endless streaming options at home, audiences might be less willing to gamble on an unfamiliar story in the cinema. They know what they're getting with Fast & Furious 11 or the next Marvel entry. An original drama or sci-fi concept? It's a roll of the dice.

But to build new franchises, you need to be willing to take those risks.

That means making original films feel like events rather than just like every other release.

The very definition of a "must-see-in-theaters" movie seems to be narrowing, often coalescing around massive budgets, visual effects, extravaganzas, and established brand names.

To shift this in favor of originals, we should make bigger bets and market this stuff as something you can only see on the big screen. Even pick out a few with larger budgets that may successfully create your own IP if they do well and could spawn sequels.

Summing It All Up

The trend highlighted by the Wall Street Journal is undeniable. But it really only factors in some really big-name releases, none of which really did well with reviewers either.

If we want to continue seeing fresh, diverse, and original stories unfold on the biggest screen possible, we might need to consciously take a chance on the unknown more often. but we should also make sure we're developing movies that are good.

The strongest way to impress at the box office is to have something that is loved and can be carried by word of mouth, even if the marketing spends aren't that big.

Let me know what you think in the comments.