Movie fans and critics have strong opinions about film remakes.
Remakes can be huge successes or huge flops. Filmmakers are taking a risk when they try to recreate stories that fans have loved for years. Some people want to see new interpretations of their favorite movies, while others don’t care if they don’t.
Opinions are swirling in favor of both versions, so it’s hard to say which is “better.”
The original Ghostbusters and Mean Girls are two examples of classic films that were more successful than their remakes. (Columbia Pictures/Getty Images | CBS via Getty Images)
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When it comes to box office takings, some remakes have outdone the originals on sheer numbers, but some originals have been the most financially successful. The originals below have grossed more than their remakes (even when accounting for inflation), but which film is “better” is always up for debate.
So let’s take a look at eight original films that performed better than their remakes at the domestic box office.
- “Mean Girls”
- “West Side Story”
- “The Jungle Book”
- “Pete and the Dragon”
- “Ghost Busters”
- “Red Dawn”
- “One-point breakthrough”
- “Conan the Barbarian”
1. Mean Girls
The original Mean Girls was released in 2004 and starred Lindsay Lohan as the new girl at school and Rachel McAdams as Regina George, the most popular girl at school. Amanda Seyfried and Lacey Chabert played Karen Smith and Gretchen Wieners, respectively.
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The 2004 film has a cult following and has its own anniversary on October 3rd, marking one of the film’s most memorable scenes.
The story told in the film is based on the book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman.
After a musical version of the story began on stage, a new film was in the works.
Twenty years after the original, a second Mean Girls movie was released, featuring songs from the hit Broadway musical.
The film, starring Angourie Rice, Rene Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Avantika Vandanapu and BeBe Wood, doesn’t live up to the original.
Angourie Rice has reprised the role of Cady Heron, originally played by Lindsay Lohan, in the 2024 film Mean Girls. (John Lamparski/WireImage)
According to Box Office Mojo, the original grossed $86,058,055 at the domestic box office, which is equivalent to approximately $142,844,526 today, according to the US Inflation Calculator.
According to Box Office Mojo, the 2024 remake grossed $72,404,248 at the domestic box office, underperforming the original film without adjusting for inflation.
2. “West Side Story”
Two films have been made of West Side Story, inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, which was first performed as a musical in 1957.
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The original musical film was released in 1961 and featured stars such as Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, George Chakiris, Russ Tamblyn and Rita Moreno.
Box office success aside, the film was widely popular among critics and was nominated for eleven Academy Awards, winning all but one.
According to the US inflation calculator, the film grossed $44,055,492 at the domestic box office, which is roughly equivalent to $461,990,348 in today’s money.
The original West Side Story won 10 Academy Awards. (Donaldson Collection/Getty Images)
A highly anticipated remake was released in 2021. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as Tony and Maria.
The 2021 remake did not enjoy the same success as the original film, grossing $38,530,322 at the domestic box office, according to Box Office Mojo.
3. The Jungle Book
The Jungle Book has been made twice before: a 1967 Disney animated film based on the Rudyard Kipling novel of the same name, and a 2016 live-action film.
According to Box Office Mojo, the animated version of the film did great in 1967, grossing $141,843,612 domestically, which equates to roughly $1,331,582,650 in today’s dollars.
In 2016, the film grossed $364,001,123 domestically, but did even better overseas, grossing $602,549,477, according to Box Office Mojo.
The film grossed $966,556,000 worldwide, which, when adjusted for inflation, was nowhere near the gross of the original animated film.
4. Pete’s Dragon
The original Pete’s Dragon was released in 1977. The film starred Sean Marshall, Mickey Rooney, Helen Reddy and Shelley Winters.
According to Box Office Mojo, Disney films have grossed $39,588,000 domestically. This figure would translate to about $204,830,663 in 2024.
The animated film Pete’s Dragon was released in 1977 and did better at the box office than the 2016 remake. (GAB Archive/Redferns)
A remake was released in 2016 starring Oakes Fegley, Robert Redford and Bryce Dallas Howard.
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According to Box Office Mojo, the 2016 film grossed $76,233,151 domestically on a production budget of $65 million, which is less than the 1977 film made when inflation is adjusted for.
5. Ghostbusters
Since 1984, several different versions of “Ghostbusters” have been released, but none have matched the success of the original film.
The first of two Ghostbusters films was released in 1984, starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson as the original team.
The 1984 film grossed $243,578,797 at the domestic box office, which is equivalent to approximately $735,068,764 in today’s money.
Ghostbusters 2 was released in 1989 but was less successful than the first film in the original series, grossing $112,494,738 at the domestic box office, which is roughly $284,455,646 in today’s dollars.
The first Ghostbusters reboot was released in 2016 and featured an all-female supernatural fighting team starring Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones.
The original Ghostbusters proved difficult to compete with, as it outperformed other films made following a similar storyline at the box office. (Columbia Pictures/Archive Photo/Getty Images)
The film underperformed at the box office, grossing $128,350,574 in 2016, far below what the original film would make today.
A new Ghostbusters series followed, and in 2021 the film Ghostbusters: Afterlife starring Paul Rudd, McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard was released.
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The film grossed roughly the same as the 2016 film, grossing $129,360,575 domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.
A new film, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which continues the storyline of the 2021 film, was released in March 2024. The film grossed $113,025,100 domestically, proving that none of the new versions have been able to match the figures recorded by the original film.
6. “Red Dawn”
The original action-packed “Red Dawn” movie was released in 1984. The film starred Patrick Swayze, a few years before he starred in the cult classic “Road House.” The 1984 film also featured Charlie Sheen.
According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed $38,376,497 at the domestic box office, which is roughly equivalent to $115,812,068 in today’s dollars.
A remake starring Chris Hemsworth, Josh Peck, and Josh Hutcherson was released in 2012. According to Box Office Mojo, the film grossed just $44,806,783 domestically in 2012, which, adjusted for inflation, would be about $61,190,959 by 2024, nowhere near the box office gross of the original film adjusted for inflation.
7. “Point Break”
Swayze has starred in many film remakes, including Heartbreak, in which he co-starred with Keanu Reeves.
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In 1991, the film grossed $43,218,387 at the domestic box office, which would be roughly $99,493,677 converted into currency today.
Patrick Swayze has played leading roles in many movie remakes, including Heartbreak. (Richard Foreman/Photos International/Getty Images)
A remake was released in theaters in 2015 and only grossed $28,782,481 domestically on a production budget of $105 million, but the film grossed $133,782,481 worldwide, slightly beating its budget, according to Box Office Mojo.
8. “Conan the Barbarian”
Conan the Barbarian was released in 1982 and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film grossed $39,565,475 in the United States, which will be estimated at $128,556,223 in 2024.
In 2011, Jason Momoa took over the role previously held by Schwarzenegger, years before making his debut as the superhero Aquaman.
The 2011 film received poor overall box office success, grossing $21,295,021 domestically and $42,228,262 overseas, according to Box Office Mojo. The film had a production budget of $90 million.
