10 Reasons Why 2016's Blockbuster Season Sucked

2. Different Year, Same Old Sh*t

Blockbuster film-making has been stuck in an increasingly-repetitive formula of sequels, reboots, remakes and comic book movies for years now. Its a cut and paste business with billions of dollars on the line, and whereas Hollywood seems to be working on the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' approach, the old saying they should really keep in mind is that 'familiarity breeds contempt'.

The ten highest-earning movies of the year highlight just how stale the Hollywood studio system has become. Five comic book movies, four sequels and three animated movies about anthropomorphized animals (four if you include The Jungle Book), with only Chinese mega-hit The Mermaid standing out as an anomaly.

Even widening the scope to the top 20 you get the same results; more talking animals (Kung Fu Panda 3, Ice Age: Collision Course, The Angry Birds Movie), more sequels (Jason Bourne, Independence Day: Resurgence, Star Trek Beyond, Now You See Me 2) with a Chinese production (Monster Hunt) yet again the odd one out. Even attempts to create new blockbuster franchises were far from original; a video game adaptation (Warcraft) and the fiftieth live-action spin on Tarzan.

It seems that the blockbuster business is more than happy to rest on its laurels, but hopefully the disappointing box office performances of many of this year's lazy sequels and rehashes could set off some alarm bells. I wouldn't hold my breath though.