The entertainment industry has caught a millennium bug.
asserted
industry → catch → bug
Arriving in cinemas in November is Focker-in-Law, the latest follow-up to Meet the Parents (2000), in which Ben Stiller struggled with his girlfriend’s difficult dad.
asserted
Stiller → arrive → dad
(In the new film Stiller, now 60, plays the father.)
asserted
Stiller → play → father
No Doubt, whose hits in the 1990s included Just a Girl, recently finished a comeback residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
asserted
hits → include → Vegas
Meanwhile, home audiences can look forward to reboots including The Inbetweeners, a popular television series from 2008, and Tomb Raider, a classic game of the 1990s that will be re-released in souped-up form in February 2027.
asserted
that → look → February
Millennial culture is back, faster than you can say “oat-milk latte”.
asserted
you → say → latte
Millennials, who are now aged 30 to 45, are nearing the peak of their spending power – and entering management-level jobs where they can call the shots on new creative projects.
asserted
they → age → projects
It may seem like only yesterday that Millennials were being mercilessly mocked by Gen Z on social media over everything from their grey home interiors to their too-tight trousers.
uncertain
Millennials → seem → trousers
But now they are taking their revenge.
asserted
they → take → revenge
“The 2000s called skinny jeans are back,” declared fashion bible Vogue this year.
asserted
Vogue → call → ?
Every generation has its revival, as its members grow up and recreate the culture of their youth.
asserted
members → have → youth
The 1990s brought a 1970s resurgence, as middle-aged Boomers made nostalgic films such as The Brady Bunch Movie and Dazed and Confused.
asserted
Boomers → bring → Movie
A series of 1950s rock’n’roll revival concerts brought back stars like Chuck Berry and Bill Haley & His Comets, filling venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York.
asserted
series → bring → York
Yet social and economic changes are combining to quicken and amplify these cultural revivals.
asserted
changes → combine → revivals
The upshot is that the new Millennial moment may be the most powerful wave of nostalgia yet, reaching more people than ever before.
uncertain
moment → reach → people
One reason is a new creative conservatism, caused by old media’s pinched economics.
asserted
reason → cause → economics
Cinema-going has fallen sharply since the pandemic (though recently it has become cool again), and social apps are eating into TV viewing.
asserted
apps → fall → viewing
Risk-averse Hollywood executives are therefore falling back on reliable intellectual property.
asserted
executives → fall → property
As they run out of superheroes, they are scouring their back catalogues.
asserted
they → run → catalogues
Earlier this year The Devil Wears Prada 2 out-grossed the 2006 original.
asserted
Devil → wear → original
In September Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman returned after 28 years for a sequel to Practical Magic.
asserted
Bullock → return → Magic
Next year a Baywatch reboot will squeeze new bodies into the red swimsuits that graced TV sets in the 1990s.
asserted
that → squeeze → 1990s
The revival is not limited to Hollywood.
asserted
revival → limit → Hollywood
Indian moviegoers flocked to Border 2, the sequel to a hit war film of 1997, after its release in January.
asserted
moviegoers → flock → January
Japan’s anime studios have also been cranking out remakes, such as Hell Teacher and Yaiba: Samurai Legend, aimed at middle-aged Millennials who enjoyed the originals in their youth.
asserted
who → crank → youth
Meanwhile, a live-events boom has helped get the music industry into nostalgia mode.
asserted
boom → help → mode
Concerts are larger and more lucrative, so retired musicians have greater incentive to get back on the road.
asserted
musicians → retire → road
Oasis, which provided the soundtrack to older Millennials’ teenage years in the 1990s, recently announced a second leg of their comeback tour, which was the second-highest grossing concert tour of 2025.
asserted
which → provide → 2025
The Dixie Chicks have reformed (now known as just the Chicks – some Millennial names have aged better than others).
asserted
names → reform → others
Social change has further fuelled the Millennial boom.
asserted
change → fuel → boom
The rise of “kidults”, who splurge on toys and fun experiences for themselves, has swollen the market for nostalgic playthings.
asserted
who → splurge → playthings
This year Bandai is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Tamagotchi, a “digital pet” craze of the 1990s, by re-releasing its original model.
asserted
Bandai → celebrate → model
In August Lego launched a $US200 ($285) X-Files set.
asserted
Lego → launch → set
Kidult behaviour is perhaps clearest in gaming, where Millennials have carried their teenage hobby into middle age.
asserted
Millennials → carry → age
Some 43 per cent of 35 to 44-year-olds in rich countries own a games console, according to research company GWI.
uncertain
cent → own → GWI
Sony is courting them with a remake of the God of War trilogy, a PlayStation hit from 2005.
asserted
Sony → court → 2005
Its Switch console can emulate older Nintendo machines, allowing parents to play N64 classics when their children have gone to bed.
asserted
children → emulate → bed
The rise of Millennial executives may also explain a rash of films based on classic games, from last month’s Resident Evil to a Zelda movie due out next year.
uncertain
rise → explain → movie
Perhaps the biggest booster of nostalgia, however, is technology that has made older content permanently accessible.
asserted
content → make → nostalgia
On streaming platforms, hit shows never really go away, allowing Millennial series such as Friends and Gilmore Girls to find a new generation of fans.
asserted
series → stream → fans
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
