Why are some films frequently remade?

Whilst many films will be stand alone releases and often drift out of the public eye over time, other films are constantly remade with a different director and cast over the years. These films often become known as classics, and as a result, their retrospective novels are kept in publication due to newfound interest. 

Since 1938 there have been 17 film and tv adaptions of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Some of the biggest releases were the 1995 series staring Colin Firth, or the 2005 film staring Keira Knightley. The novel still sells around 110,000 copies a year in 130 different editions. Over 20 million copies have been sold since its release. 

Christina Griffin, from the English Department of University of Virginia, said in an article that Austen's novels are so successful and adaptable as they contain, 'universal themes' and the opening of the novels are set up without explicitly specifying a time period or place. Therefore, they can easily be applied to different eras or have contemporary spins placed upon them, meaning that they are essentially timeless stories. This allows so many film adaptations to be created without them feeling repetitive and growing outdated. 

Economic factors:

The main reason why some book to film adaptations are remade so many times is due to money. Since there is already an existing fanbase for the story, the film producers have a guaranteed audience who will pay to watch the movie. On top of this, they can attract a new audience who have either never read or watched any previous adaptations, and gain profit through their enjoyment too. 

I've found some research carried out on the film industry and in a study of 279 Hollywood films, only 51% actually made a profit. With 49% of these Hollywood movies making a loss, it shows how confident film companies have to be about its success to even think about making and releasing a film in the first place. This validates the idea that books or movies with pre-existing fans and previous high profits and engagement levels will be more desirable to companies wanting to release the next blockbuster. 

The influence of the audience: 

The general public's wishes will have some influence over what films are made. The producers will need to ensure that there will be an audience who will enjoy the film and allow them to profit. If the public show strong interest in a book, it is likely that a movie company might pick it up and create an adaptation. 




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