Clinging to the Classics: How Hollywood’s Obsession with Sequels and Adaptations Impacts Consumer Habits

By Kira Hancuff

Account Executive

Allow me to set a scene for you: it’s 2025, and you are in the toy aisle looking for a gift for your young child. What are your options? Among the coloring books and bracelet-making kits, you also find recent movie merch, like plushies of Lilo and Stitch or Rachel Zegler’s Snow White costume. The year before, there were Moana 2 costumes and Mufasa stuffed animals. The year before that, Halle Bailey’s Little Mermaid dress-up sets. See the pattern? The products advertised for you to buy have been recycled through the decades, calling on your love for movies from years prior as they re-enter theaters in a new era of promotion.

According to The Numbers, all 20 of the top-grossing movies of 2024 were sequels, adaptations or remakes of an existing movie. The giants of the industry have learned that the formula works; sell nostalgia as if it is shiny and new, and you will find a market both in the original audience and the new generation. This is why Disney releases a new live-action adaptation of a decades-old classic almost every year. And while we might think this only affects our entertainment options, it also plays a crucial role in our purchasing habits – and the people behind the products know that. 

Just as our comfort in nostalgia pushes us to go see a remake of a movie that came out years ago, we also find ourselves gravitating toward purchases that give us the same feeling. No matter how immune you may think you are to the influence of the reboot era, you cannot avoid the level of promotion behind these releases. Wherever you turn, you will be confronted by the merchandise, partnerships and advertisements that studios pour millions of dollars into. All of this is done with the hope of getting you to not only watch the movie, but buy the products that go with it. 

Photo courtesy of Moviz Ark

Take Lilo and Stitch (2025), for example. The live-action adaptation was met with strong criticisms for their bold choice to change the ending, which many viewers said was antithetical to the strong cultural message established in the original 2002 film. Despite this criticism, the promotion for the movie saw a 1200% increase in Stitch merchandising sales, going from $200 million in 2019, to $2.6 billion in 2024, before the movie was even released. 

Of course, there is nothing wrong with enjoying the tried and true. So if you find yourself getting excited about Toy Story 5 coming out next year, be excited! But amid that excitement, it is important to be aware of how the industries work together to play off of your nostalgia, so that you can make informed decisions about how you choose to engage with their products.