Hollywood is entering a temporary risk-averse period this fall, retreating from the kind of bold bets that have defined the year so far. The rewards for taking risks have been high, as Warner Bros. discovered when their bet on the original horror film Weapons paid off with a $148.8 million global haul.
The year 2025 has been a celebration of creative risk. The decision to greenlight fresh concepts like Sinners and to invest heavily in a new direction for Jurassic World Rebirth ($828 million) were bold bets that resulted in massive success stories.
However, the upcoming slate reflects a more cautious approach. The schedule is filled with franchise installments like The Conjuring: Last Rites and smaller films with more modest financial exposure. It’s a period of playing it safe after a long streak of high-stakes gambles.
The bold bets will return for the holiday season. The massive budgets and ambitious concepts of films like Tron: Ares and Wicked: For Good represent a full-throated return to risk-taking, as the industry wagers billions on a spectacular end-of-year performance.