Original films fell from a third of the top box office money in 1995 to a tenth in 2025.

The claim

Pre-existing IP has displaced original screenplays at the top of the North American box office. Originals were 36% of the annual top 50 in 1995 and 10% in 2025, and their share of those films' gross fell from 34.2% to 10.9%, while the number of distinct franchises in the top 50 rose from 21 to 36. This measures commercial prominence, not output or profit: it shows the top of the release calendar went to franchises, not that original films stopped being made or stopped paying.