5 Original Movies Which Were Hits In 2016

The summer blockbuster season is at an end, leaving winners and losers in its wake (probably more losers this year, let’s be honest). Through a maelstrom of sequels, remakes and adaptations, movie goers have been merciless in where they spend their money. A silver lining though might be just how many original movies did well in cinemas.

In a film industry ridden with fear of failure, where focus tested brand marketability allows things like The Tetris Movie and Emojimovie: Express Yourself to scold our very eyes, it’s easy to stop trying. Lucky then, that there are people in Hollywood still willing to pitch new ideas, and others with money still willing to fund them. It’s when those ideas pay off at the box office that we should celebrate most, though. Original movies can still be successful, and 2016 proved it.

The Secret Life of Pets

This one says something special about the American film industry these days. Normally, a lifeless hot mess of a movie like The Secret Life of Pets needs the backing of a big franchise to do well at the box office (Transformers, Batman V Superman). Somehow, Pets did it all by itself. We should find some hope in the fact this was an original idea which actually got made. As a story premise Pets has huge potential. Now if they just hire some better screenwriters for the already announced sequel, it might have a chance.

Zootopia

Last time Disney threw blockbuster money at an original idea the result was the lacklustre Tomorrowland. It’s genuinely exciting, then, that not only have they had another go, but this time round they delivered a classic. Zootopia (or Zootropolis in the UK for reasons that still elude me) is the perfect Disney movie: it has cool looking animals for the kids, a simple hero’s journey told well, great characters and dialogue and a unique and wondrous setting. Take that Hollywood – great new ideas can still turn into box office hotcakes.

Bad Moms

With Bad Moms earning big money at the US box office, it’s safe to say the Bridesmaids formula hasn’t worn off yet. With recent hits like Trainwreck and Spy it seems like the female led R-Rated comedy is one of the few genres where original ideas can command half decent budgets and still make money. Not that Bad Moms was given too much to play with, but if writer-directors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore decide to team up with Mila Kunis again they can expect their budget to stretch further. And for Kunis, this could be a stepping stone to a career revival should she want it.

Central Intelligence

How do you guarantee your original action comedy is going to draw eyes? You drop in Dwayne Johnson (the best tongue in cheek action guy around right now) and Kevin Hart (who seems incapable of making a movie like this which doesn’t make money). It’s a shrewd move, and if it means we get another fun action comedy which doesn’t rely on a bigger franchise to do well, then all the better. Oh, and did we mention that a movie with two non-white leads can sell cinema tickets? It’s almost as if audiences want to see fun movies even if the hero isn’t another white guy.

The Shallows

By most accounts, The Shallows has somehow ended up as the biggest surprise of the summer. A low budget shark movie headlined by an actress who’s never quite found that one role to define herself as a movie star ended up being so good word of mouth managed to make it a bona fide hit. From the reaction of critics, it seems like The Shallows owes its success to the good old fashioned formula of great film making and coherent storytelling.