We’ve been flooded with classic remakes over the past few years, and have witnessed which ones succeeded. The sudden popularity started with Frankenstein starring Jacob Elordi. The renowned director Guillermo del Toro turned the story into an eerie, fascinating adaptation of Mary Shelley’s original novel. The film was a phenomenal success, winning three Academy Awards. This triggered a domino effect of classic adaptation films throughout Hollywood.
Following a similar direction with Wuthering Heights starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi once again. Remaking such a classic with global stars made the budget of the film $80 million, and Frankenstein a whopping $120 million. The remake by Emerald Fennell definitely took Wuthering Heights in a different direction than the original. Instead of casting Heathcliff as a person of color, as the book described, they cast Jacob Elordi, changing the film’s entire meaning. The romance and sensual scenes were also amped up in order to draw a female audience.
Despite these factors the films were still wildly successful and drew cinema fans more and more into classic remakes. The controversy has kept the films in the spotlight longer, much like the novels when they were first released. Even though controversy usually ends in failure for the film industry, both films went on to earn many awards and nominations.
One new classic remake that hasn’t left the spotlight is Luc Besson’s Dracula released in 2025. The film cast lesser-known actors and had a smaller budget than the previous two films, but managed to take the media by storm. Though the film was an unexpected success with the public, it wasn’t in the eyes of the Academy, which gave it no awards. Like Wuthering Heights, the film was criticized for its satire and camp elements, which some felt didn’t stay true to the classic. Gothic movies have always been more heavily criticized, which may be the reason Dracula was heavily criticized for its romance and abstract scenes while Wuthering Heights went in the same direction.
Even though the films were controversial, Hollywood has continued to create more classic adaptations and have countless planned for the future. The Odyssey, one of the most famous works of literature of all time, was just made into a Hollywood film and an adaptation of Sense and Sensebility is on its way to theaters. Audience backlash to upcoming and past films has Hollywood on its toes, though it continues to produce adaptations rather than new pieces, much to the disappointment of cinema lovers.