According to screenwriter Gregory Bernstein, the current state of originality in Hollywood films is "next to non-existent."

Bernstein, who has worked with major studios like Disney and DreamWorks, explained the harsh reality facing screenwriters and studios.

"Movies which the studios pay for, especially the old-line studios, have very little creativity at all," Bernstein said. "The financial incentives have shifted, with studios increasingly favoring proven formulas over taking risks on new ideas."

Studios know they will bring in money by expanding on familiar franchises, he said.

"The studios have discovered they make way more money on that [familiar franchises] than if they took what it costs to make one of those films, (original/indie films)," Bernstein said. "If it takes $200 million to make and $200 million to distribute, that's $400 million. What the studios have discovered is it is a better bet to spend $400 million on that one film that has popular buy-in than it is to, let's say, make 10 $40 million total project films."

Angel Garcia, a film critic for Blaze Radio, expressed his disappointment in Hollywood's reliance on remakes and sequels.

"Not enough passion is put behind Hollywood blockbusters," Garcia said. "Once in a while, we get something that at least has some heart behind it, but that's damn near once in a lifetime."

The dominance of blockbuster franchises has left little to no space for independent voices to gain a bigger name on the big screen. Bernstein acknowledged that "those small independent films, things like “Parasite”, can be way more creative, [but] very hard to get made."

The financial aspects of creating a film make it hard for independent movies to make it big, as securing distribution and marketing support often proves challenging for filmmakers outside the studio system, he said.

It’s not all bad, though. There have been recent films that broke the mold. Movies such as “We Live in Time” with Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh proved Hollywood still has creativity and original stories left.

 “‘We Live in Time’ is an excellent film that showcases the harsh realities of relationships," Garcia said. "It’s a grounded romantic drama that gives me hope in smaller film productions that put out genuinely compelling stories. Good job, A24 (the independent film and television production company)."

These independent films are an exception to the rule, not the majority. For the majority of the time, studios are still choosing the easiest option to make the most money.

"Financing is only half the cost of getting a film into theaters," Bernstein said. "You also have to pay the distribution costs, which means the advertising and all the other stuff that goes with that, and those costs are very high."

When money is the main motivator in creating films, creativity is swept under the rug. Audiences are becoming increasingly accustomed to familiar narratives and characters and are reluctant to watch new ones, Bernstein said the "arrested culture" has taken hold, where people "only want to visit the past… They don't want to be challenged or experience new things."

The screenwriter admits that he was hopeful given the recent successes of movies such as “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie”, which he believes "would open the door a little bit to more creative stuff."

Despite the progress towards more creative films, there is still a lot of work to be done.

"I can only hope that the film industry begins to shift toward the right direction," Garcia said. "As much as I used to enjoy seeing blockbuster films, they aren’t cutting it much anymore. People want new, fresh ideas. We want stories that will stick with us for generations."

On the opposite standpoint, film critic and freelance writer for “The Cut”, Eron Butler, finds that it’s entirely up to the audience on what movies are being made.

"As much as people say they want original films, they don’t." Butler said.

Butler brings a good perspective. He believes original films are already being made, but people would still rather pay for familiar franchises.

"The stories people are looking for are already out there. If you want to support originality, then support originality," Butler said.

These opinions vary from person to person, and even the idea of what counts as original varies from person to person. There is even a greater difference between the opinions of filmmakers, filmgoers, and film critics.

"The people that are saying these kinds of things represent the majority of filmgoers," Butler said. "And the average person, I believe, only watches about four films in theaters per year. I would say I go to the movies at a minimum three times a week, and that doesn’t count any movies I watch at home."

In a poll conducted by Statistica, only 32% of adults said they watched a movie in theatres in a month, with 46% of adults saying they watched none.

The opinions of movie watchers, movie critics and movie makers on the originality in Hollywood are shaped by their different expectations within the film industry. Movie watchers value the entertainment aspect of a movie where critics and screenwriters value the work and creativity behind a film. 

The unique relationship between an audience and a film will result in the constant negotiation of creativity and commercialization. It’ll be up to the audiences to branch out their tastes and show the film industry the type of movies they want to see.