For the last 10 years, franchise films and existing IP have dominated the theatrical landscape. In fact, between 2016 and 2024, there have only been five true original films within the top 60.¹

But in 2025, a different story began to take shape across fan sentiment, social press, and box office success. Original films, Weapons and Sinners, both broke box office records, One Battle After Another crossed the $200M threshold before winning Best Picture, and F1 took a victory lap with $631M in global sales — becoming the 6th highest grossing film of the year outperforming both Marvel and DC. This trend even extended into streaming where KPop Demon Hunters became the most successful series in Netflix’s history before claiming its very own Oscar.

But “purely original” doesn’t translate to pure success. More than ever, a movie ticket is an investment in time and income. Consider the real over-saturation of content across our varying platforms and screens, and that opportunity cost becomes much larger. It’s no longer just trusting a franchise to be worth it — just as much as it’s no longer just appreciating originality. It’s finding confidence in the familiar, with a promise of original. Obsession had Curry Barker. F1 had the global brand, and Michael had Michael. Finding this anchor of familiarity in originality is what separates the unique from the worthwhile.

When Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s upcoming film DIGGER began making the rounds on r/movies, it wasn’t simply the return of a four time Academy Award winner that had viewers intrigued — it was the return to a wholly original character performance from Hollywood’s last great moviestar, Tom Cruise. This wasn’t Ethan Hunt or the IMF. This wasn’t the need for speed or Maverick doing Maverick things. This was Tom Cruise returning to a style of performance that audiences hadn’t seen in decades. In Iñárritu, we had the originality. In Cruise, we had the familiarity — a brand of 45 iconic years.