Hollywood faces creative crisis amid remake fatigue, AI fears
Is Hollywood out of ideas? Critics have accused Tinseltown of a dearth of imagination, and at least one A-list celebrity went on the record this week to call out her industry.
Actress Dakota Johnson went after Hollywood’s creative decline in a new “Hot Ones” interview. The actress called the industry a “mess” and criticized studios for relying too heavily on remakes.
Johnson accused the corporate end of the movie business of taking over creative control and steering studios away from taking risks on new content, relying instead on familiar formulas.
“It’s hard when creative decisions are made by people who don’t even really watch movies or know anything about them,” she said, adding, “When something does well, studios want to keep that going, so they remake the same things. But humans don’t want that. They want fresh.”
Box office revenue was down in 2024, even below 2023 and pre-pandemic figures according to Comscore. So far in 2025, announced revenue for the first quarter was $85.7 million compared to $86.8 million in 2024. Based on current trends, full-year revenue will be around $360 million.
In 2024, full-year revenue was $356 million compared to $371.3 million in 2023.
‘Spaceballs 2’ trailer mocks Hollywood’s sequel obsession
The same week Johnson’s remarks aired, comedy legend Mel Brooks released a teaser for a “Spaceballs.” It’s nearly four decades in the making. The video leaned into the very criticism Johnson made, poking fun at Hollywood’s obsession with franchises.
The Star Wars-style crawl begins with, “Thirty-eight years ago, there was only one ‘Star Wars’ trilogy…” and points out the many prequels, sequels and other movie franchises. The trailer mocks the seemingly endless remakes, sequels, prequels, cinematic universes and retellings.
The sequel to “Spaceballs” is set to premiere in 2027.
Social media reaction
Reactions to Johnson’s comments have been mixed online. However, many users agreed with her take.
“Movie studios should be run by film producers of the risk-taking variety,” one user on X wrote.
Another Reddit user also chimed in.
“Hollywood is in for a rough time when smart, outsider filmmakers with ideas start pumping out original films with huge scales with the aid of AI,” they wrote.
Hollywood fights back against AI
Ironically, while studios continue recycling content, they’re also working to stop AI from doing the same thing. On Wednesday, Disney and Universal filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against generative AI company Midjourney.
The 110-page lawsuit, obtained by NPR, alleges that Midjourney illegally used copyrighted material to train its image generator. According to the filing, users could create realistic images of popular characters like Shrek and WALL-E with just a few text prompts.
In one statement, the studios called Midjourney a “copyright free-rider and a bottomless pit of plagiarism.”
Studios seek millions in damages
Disney and Universal are demanding $150,000 per infringed work. If successful, damages could total more than $20 million.
Though this is the first major lawsuit from big studios, Hollywood writers and artists have filed similar complaints in recent months. The case may help set a precedent in the ongoing battle between intellectual property and artificial intelligence.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
