In the latest sign of the approaching apocalypse, Disney has just released a live action remake of the animated film “Aladdin”. Last year they did the same thing with “Dumbo” and later this summer they will do it with “The Lion King” — which was, itself, already a remake of Hamlet.
Disney is not the only one selling the same goods to customers twice. Of the top 10 highest earning movies worldwide in 2018, six were sequels or remakes. Nine of the 10 were sequels or superhero movies (some were both). Among the top 20 films worldwide, 15 were sequels, remakes or about superheroes. And before you think this is only an American phenomenon, one of the most popular films globally last year was the Chinese movie “Detective Chinatown 2”.