In an increasingly digital age, there is a mounting demand for new and original movies, as opposed to yet another remake/sequel with the same established actors. But why is it that when something “out there” does get released, it’s often met with backlash? What has come out and brought new ideas to the game has either been a major success or a tragic failure.
Most notably, Obsession (2025) rocked theatres all over the world and ended up showing much past the standard two to four weeks. However, Digger (2026) got pulled early. Granted, this could come down exclusively to the quality of the film itself, but where is the line between groundbreakingly new and exciting versus plain bad?
The production company A24 (Everything Everywhere All at Once, Lady Bird, Backrooms, Midsommar) is well known for its unique style and creative approach to filmmaking. Recently, Primetime was released to theatres. Starring Robert Pattinson as Chris Hansen, the host of the TV show To Catch a Predator, the film was a box office success. Their movies tend to garner strong reactions, either positively or negatively; but most importantly, they are original. While accused of being too confusing to follow, or simply weird, there is a large amount of praise directed at their “outside of the box” thinking.
All this isn’t to say that all adaptations of existing media or sequels are poorly made. But think about it: when was the last time a sequel was better than the original, and don’t say The Godfather. The recent release of Resident Evil was, in my opinion, well done and a great watch, but without knowing any of the video game background (as I didn’t!) does make it feel original.
Recently, Digger, starring Tom Cruise, was released with incredibly polarizing reviews. Despite being dubbed the biggest box office flop of the year, some people loved it and found it to be brilliant commentary on a world riddled with climate change brought on by billionaire greed. Others felt it fell short of being anything at all. Even though it can be frustrating to see the same actors again and again, I’m a sucker for a Cruise movie, and truly did not recognize him the first few times I saw the trailer advertised in the previews. This goes to show that even recycling the same faces doesn’t necessarily result in yet another copy-and-paste film.
However, in my opinion, new talent really does make a film. Christopher Nolan’s adaptation of The Odyssey was well done and intrinsically him, but wouldn’t it be great to see someone other than the same 5 actors repetitively cast? Skillful or not, the industry flourishes with lesser-known actors finally getting their breakout roles. Inde Navarrette did an amazing job as Nikki alongside Michael Johnston as Bear in Obsession, and the upcoming Hunger Games film, Sunrise on the Reaping, also has many lesser-known actors.
This week I saw La Bola Negra (2026) in theatres, knowing nothing about it beyond the preview. It immediately went into my (highly competitive) Letterboxd top 4. It was the kind of film that reminds you why you love movies in the first place. It was incredibly unique and poetic–and the cherry on top was that I didn’t know the actors for any of the main characters. This is the type of thing that inspires people to make the trek from their houses to their local theatres in the first place.
Original ideas are what keep the film industry going, what draws people to go see movies in theatres instead of just waiting until they come out on streaming services. New talent can further elevate this and really make the extra trip worth your while. Movie theatres foster a shared love of cinema and can bring people together to discuss all the things they loved or hated about what they’ve just seen together. This rather loses its meaning when you’re sitting on your living room couch talking to the empty space in front of you. But is there even anything to talk about if it’s the same wash-rinse-repeat movie you’ve seen 100 times?
