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Reboots and remakes: why is Hollywood stuck on repeat?

As Jurassic World: Rebirth and 28 Years Later become the latest franchise titles to hit the big screen, movie fans are realising a depressing truth

In a fortnight, we return to the scene of the crime of 1997’s ripe slasher sensation I Know What You Did Last Summer for a new movie boasting exactly the same title, as well as key cast Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr – whose very names act as a Smash Hits madeleine. Photograph: Warner Bros Pictures/APF1 was bankrolled in part by a big, pre-existing brand, while its fittings stick rigidly to the template of a 90s action film, just as new release Heads of State is an unapologetic throwback to the White House thrillers of the same period, which generally starred Michael Douglas and half a ton of shoulder pads. But imagine pitching it today: ‘It’s about the penal system and the desensitisation of kids.’ The sound of crickets would be deafening.” Insulated from the brutality of weekly box office returns, their business model propped up by subscriptions rather than ticket stubs, streamers have scope to stretch the remit.

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