Everyone loves the nostalgia and comfort that comes with seeing their favorite characters on-screen again in a sequel.

Now Hollywood utilizes the trend of releasing multiple sequels, prequels, spin-offs, reboots and remakes as an easy cash grab for studios. However, these kinds of movies are starting to have less of an appeal to moviegoers.

Hollywood tries to squeeze every last dime out of something that has proven successful in the past. To find potential in the continuation of other works, it is crucial to first understand if there is an audience for the project.

“Independence Day: Resurgence,” “Neighbors 2” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass” are all continuations from this year that grossed less than their original despite the smashes the originals were.

The trend is easy to understand: Studios thought they could make easy money by bringing beloved characters and stories back to the screen.

Paul Feig’s all-female “Ghostbusters” reboot was a disaster in terms of the low $128.3 million gross it made, and it faced backlash by fans of the original who were upset with the switching of leads. The movie, which had a production budget of $144 million, did not break even.

“I saw the new ‘Ghostbusters’ [and] it was terrible,” said Jordan Kessel, senior corporate communication major. “I mean, it had funny parts, but it was terrible.”

Despite this, Disney has taken the sequel trend by storm and has rarely failed. Alongside LucasFilm, Disney brought the “Star Wars” franchise back to life with a new sequel trilogy.

The first in the trilogy, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” is currently the third-highest grossing film of all time. They have built excitement through recreating classic tales in live-action with the critical and commercial success of “Cinderella” and “The Jungle Book.” Their hit sequel “Finding Dory” also holds the record for highest-grossing animated film opening of all time in North America.

“I would say [sequels] are definitely worse, but you still have to go see them,” Kessel said.

Audiences still crave originality. “Bridesmaids,” a 2011 female-led comedy, grossed $288.3 million worldwide and was nominated for two Academy Awards. It set a new standard and influenced women in comedy immeasurably. It is proof that originality and risk can pay off and start a trend of its own.