WHY ARE BLOCKBUSTERS FLOPPING AT THE BOX OFFICE? | Double Toasted

[@ward1117]

I think a big issue is the lack of originality. Most movies today are sequels or remakes of old classics, and people are getting tired of it. You can only milk nostalgia tickets for so long before people are ready to see something new and original.

[@21stcenturyhiphop]

Spielberg predicted this a few years ago; the bubble has burst. You can't spend 300 million and just expect the movie to automatically make a billion now. This is actually good. Hopefully we'll go back to mid-tier budgets and original stories.

[@Rip_Ripple]

I don't even think the high budgets are the problem. If you make a well written movie, people will come. As someone said earlier, audiences are more in tune with what a good movie looks like. I'm 51, and remember when it was "turn your brain off" for the summer blockbusters. That's just not the case anymore. The writing has to match the effects.

[@scottmoore1614]

The audiences have gotten a lot smarter and more savvy. We feel like we’ve literally seen it all. I think it will be a good think, long term. The people who create these films will have to try and be a lot more creative. No more “phoning it in” and counting on a proven brand to make tons of cash.

[@reneeboyd80]

The biggest thing is that since the pandemic, most people just prefer to watch movies at home. They're waiting for a lot of those movements to hit streaming services.

[@darcymoon2109]

@@Rip_RippleOf course great effects and a great story is ideal! But studios seem to think just throwing money at a project equals success. And half the time you can’t figure out what the money was spent on because the effects and story are mediocre at bestz

[@totallytubular8760]

I remember someone said something interesting that it used to be that blockbusters wouldn’t come out within a week of each other. They always had at least two weeks to get their individual spotlight but now they’re coming out at such a rapid pace that people don’t have the time to plan anything so people are choosing which ones are worth their time and money. Not everyone has the money and interest to see a movie every weekend. Sometimes it’s an event. Especially for families.

[@jrt2792]

Hollywood thinks that people still got stimulus money to spend at the theaters. Now everybody thinks that they're film is a Blockbuster.

[@KarlaHolland]

For a long time I suspected that the movie experience changed since the 2000s. They really were events that I looked forward to as much as a trip to an amusement park. I remember going to the movies for my birthday. I always thought it was just me losing my sense of wonder but there's definitely more to it.

[@radguurl]

It's true! I'm an old-ass millennial, so I started watching movies as a kid in the 1980s. Since I grew up in California, we'd go to the drive-in to see movies over the summer. You'd get to see two movies at once because they'd do double features. Then, they would reshow the double feature right after the second movie was done, so you could hang out at the drive-in until the early hours of the morning the next day. And my parents being so into movies, they'd take us to see ALL the summer blockbusters. So we'd go to the drive-in every 3 weeks. Not even week but every three. And we'd see pretty much every single big movie all summer. Now, they're flooding the box office with MULTIPLE movies. Movies that seem pretty boring without any original storylines or characters I care about. The only movie I've seen this summer that's amazing is the sequel to Across the Spider-verse. But that's because it's an awesome, interesting movie that didn't give away the plot in the trailer and who the creators appear to actually like.

[@adamrielh]

Agreed, but I think covid also affected that. A bunch of movies were pushed into this summer, so it was a pretty bloated slate.

[@MrBazBake]

It's not even that. 1984's box office successes were *tiny* compared to 2023's box office successes, even if you adjust to 2023 dollars. 2023 is just not a failure by any measure. People just made up imaginary numbers for movies based solely on hype and then decided the failure to match the hype meant *every* movie was a flop even when they hit record box office over and over. Both the superhero fatigue and blockbuster deaths are just pure vibes and based on absolutely nothing. Guardians 3 outdoes 2? "Doesn't count." ASTV destroys ITSV? "Doesn't count." Super Mario Bros. does a billy and a half? "Doesn't count." Even the Little Mermaid remake wrecks the original film's box office. "Uh... doesn't count." People are just telling each other that cinema is dead so they just decide that cinema is dead. No one stopped to ask what it looks like when blockbusters are successful.

[@RabbiJoeInJerusalem]

I love that Korey mentioned Star Trek III. Hollywood could learn some lessons from it. A star from the previous movie couldn't come back? They recast. They needed to de-age a main character? They cast multiple younger actors who looked like him. They needed to blow something up? They blew up an actual model. They had an aging cast? They had them do things which made sense for their age.

[@cokemaster3710]

recasting an actor sucks im sorry. no one likes a recast it’s always super distracting and it always takes audiences out of the movie

[@Fenris30]

See that's the thing CGI doesn't actually cost anything, it's a Phantom cost you are really paying for render time + Man hours spent coding. It saves you days waiting for the perfect light conditions, getting rained out, travel time actors and crew getting sick and a slew of other things and like they say Time is money. , It's why you see so many CGI movies instead of Traditional Animation, it's just plain cheaper. What's skyrocketing these budgets is people insisting on Location shooting and building sets cause it's "practical" meanwhile Cameron is laughing his ass off cause he's able to put every penny of his budget onscreen and make it look absolutely breathtaking. People will gladly pay for breathtaking.

[@nailinthefashion]

​@@cokemaster3710except people do respect recasts otherwise OP wouldn't have typed what they did lmao. Don't be immature and assume everyone or anyone thinks exactly like you. Spoiler alert... there are billions of people who watch movies and we don't all agree

[@cokemaster3710]

@@nailinthefashionnah recasts are lame af and GA finds it very distracting 10/10 times cause it is

[@luchamiomaridekakio6429]

@@cokemaster3710 recasts arent lame they are necessary. Actors get old or worse happens. They recasted James Bond and Batman countless times and need to recast Tchalla

[@kingMadnus]

Hollywood needs to adapt to the fact that a lot more moviegoers are more savvy and have a lot more power to sway the box office than ever before

[@jiovanysoltero923]

This is similar to what the Wrestling fans are doing whenever the Company’s starts to Mess with our intelligence and think we don’t see the BS that’s going on behind the scenes.

[@jiovanysoltero923]

The smart mark wrestling fan and the Smart mark movie goer. We tend to agree with others more when given the chance as a overall fan of the genre.

[@willbontrager6209]

smart mark wrestling fans ruined it, not sure about the movie fans, but nothing is more destructive and loathsome than smarks...

[@damonmcfarland9364]

I will also add....we are staying at home because many just don't want to or don't have the finances to keep going to these movies, and fatigue. superhero movies have dominated for the last 10-15 years. with the advent of Roku, Fire Stick and streaming services many choose to stay at home save money and watch these films in the comfort of their homes. Plus, producers and studio heads want big stars in known properties with great tv and movie trailers and don't want audiences to figure out until after they paid that a film is crap. The Flash? deserves to flop. Indiana Jones? a man in his 80s still doing action films. deserved to flop.

[@lamentate07]

They aren't necessarily more savvy. They just have more choices than ever.

[@alphabetbeer]

I think this also has the same core issue as the writer's strike. They aren't paying enough money or giving enough time to the people who would normally pour their love into these movies. So many of these movies are forced out on a brutal timeline and it's burning out the best and brightest talent they had. It's also why I'm nervous for the quality of Spiderverse 3. With all the testimony of horrible working conditions from the animators, I can't imagine they have much physical and emotional energy left for the next one.

[@theprowler18]

That's also another part of the industry that needs union regulation, VFX/CGI. The amount of crunch, work abuse that goes on, and the emotional/physical turmoil that occurs for what amounts to unlivable wages, is not only abhorrent that it's still going on even now, but ignorant people are trying to excuse that work ethic nonchalant as if that's okay. It's not. So yeah, I'm not shocked that numerous Blockbuster films are bombing like crazy and as for Spider-Verse 3, expect major delays and Sony have a hard time getting the help needed now that they are blacklisted among the VFX community along with Disney.

[@atdrawn]

Man... hearing abt Spiderverse's working condition really hurts to hear because these movies bring me so much joy so I don't fret too much over the delayed news. it's too be expected. Hopefully Beyond The Spiderverse won't be released from the back of suffering artists and horrible treatment

[@TheFergo911]

I have heard it endlessly. It is not that they are overworked. It is because they are under paid. They are unhappy that today, anything that is being produced is giving them work for just 6 months. The reference point here are shows that run for 8-11 episodes. This means for a large portion of the year the writer is searching for their next job. It has become untenable for them to have a family. But to me, they write crap plot lines for movies and these writers must be the same who then rely on tv shows. Their work is crap so I don't have much sympathy for them.

[@michaelstrong5383]

Big movie studios are playing it way too safe these days. That's why I'm fascinated with A24. Sure, their films aren't all modern classics, but they thrive on originality and creativity.

[@TheKickass85]

You're correct but, a lot of movies in North America have been successful top gun Maverick the extraction 1 and 2 and TV shows Wednesday season 1, people are looking right now at foreign production because they don't put woke agenda into the Productions or they don't turn the characters gay or lesbian or transsexual just because it's now the running trend, and the reason why those other movies was successful like Top Gun 2 because it wasn't sexual identity politics or anything else it was how movies were supposed to be made without putting in a message or agenda

[@SiriuslyBlack7]

💯!!

[@LPTV84]

My problem with A24 or Bleeker Street is that while they make great films, I don't think about their studiod as a powerhouses that spew out classics for general audiences and film buffs. They're not event films. They're great movies, but not something the world can go back and say they impacted culture, and not every movie could do that, but I wish they took a risk on that chance to make a movie which will be smart, creative, original, and big for young and old to keep seeing why cinema matters.

[@tonydelia9998]

A film doesn't become a classic for years. Instant classics don't exist

[@adampellett4917]

Warner Bros and Disney just losing their edge because the 21st century making it very safe even marketable but unfortunately, most movies been overlooked by fans for seeing it before especially the theater prices are outrageously high. However, this generation will not outclass the blockbusters from the 1980s and the 1990s.

[@armangeddongaming9237]

To add on to everything mentioned in this great segment, I think people are just tired to be treated like they're dumb by some of these big blockbusters. So many successful KZbinrs now are critiquing movies in creative ways with millions of viewers and due to results of that, when we now watch movies, we watch them through the lenses of a movie critic. Which I think is a great thing and we should demand better entertainment. Unfortunately, Hollywood has not cought up with the audiences and thinks that if they throw in a bunch of CGI explosions with boring characters and complicated, pothole-filled plots, people will throw money at them.

[@pmpowalisz]

Most of these KZbin critics are scammers in their own right.

[@austindolan7182]

i've been reading taylor adams novels, and his novels have 0 explosions. but what they do have is a lot of tense moments where the characters have to pull their own fat out of the fire before getting killed. help's not on the way, they themselves need to do it. and they're exciting as hell. but of course, hulu fucked no exit up.

[@EspionageofNY]

I think they’re flopping because it’s too much. I relate it to eating fast food as a kid. We had it sparingly so when we got it, it was an event. Now that I’m older I can eat fast food whenever, but I prefer a thoughtful, home cooked meal because there’s more care put into it.

[@michaelstrong5383]

That's a pretty good analogy. Fast food is fine every once in a while, but having it constantly is too much.

[@Bigedub101]

Exactly Plus let's be real...Most has nice TVs speakers and some decent shows or lower level movies just OK quench ur big dumb action crave. And I don't have to spend 40 or 50 per person just to watch a OK movie

[@CD-gb5he]

@@Bigedub101 Don't forget people are watching entertainment from all across the globe. In addition to films from the U.S., people are watching high budget foreign films and TV series from China, India, Korea, Russia, etcetera. Plus, some people are watching and supporting more independent films/web series. Also, a lot of studios have streaming services so people know it's going to go to streaming soon or to digital to rent/buy(dvds are also still being sold). People have a ton of options and there are a lot of products being sold. It's simply not possible to watch everything.

[@Bigedub101]

​@CD-gb5he yea I forgot that...But it's just too much.. I don't even get how people got all this streaming stuff and cable etc and can even watch jt...It's too much

[@teeahtate]

Right

[@kikirdgz]

I totally agree with your opinions. I would also like to add that there is no more creativity in film making. They need to stop making so many remakes, and live action films and get new content. There are so many interesting books out there that can be made into a film. I feel like Hollywood has gotten lazy and people are bored at this point.

[@zaphael7238]

I agree with you, I’m tired of sequel cash grabs when the franchises ended on a high note three or four movies back.

[@SwimmingSince1997]

I mean, I wouldn't say there ISN'T any creativity in film-making cause there definitely is, they're just not as widely pushed as these blockbusters & remakes which leads to them being quickly overshadowed. & Even when they are pushed, the studio hardly markets them, which leads to them flopping in theaters, only to go on & do well on Streaming.

[@RJ-Ramen]

It’s a few things: people are just tired of the same IP getting recycled ad nauseam, blockbusters have overblown budgets with the expectation that it will make a billion dollars and the quality of the average movie isn’t what it used to be. We also have so many other options for entertainment.

[@Theinfamouskiki411]

Exactly. Its time critics, the industry and investors get with it

[@latishabuckner8231]

There it is 👏🏾

[@GDSprodify]

Honestly it’s the Budgets that are way overblown. Budgets need to be capped at $150M from now on then 500M isn’t a flop

[@JessieBanana]

Yep, I wish they would spend less money and make something original. Even with superhero movies, I think one of the advantages that Marvel had is they were forced (blessing in disguise possibly) to use their lesser known characters. The movies and shows feel more original to the average person. Yes, Batman is awesome, I love Batman, but when you’re on your millionth Batman in the last decade it definitely feels recycled.

[@garenthal9638]

Indiana Jones as a viable franchise to continue died when South Park made us realize what Lucas and Spielberg did to that man

[@AVClarke]

In my opinion, I think the number one reason why a lot of these blockbusters are not getting the box office numbers the studios want is people are just getting bored with the studios recycling 80's and 90's franchises. It's time for some new IP's.

[@yakuza01]

I also think that during the pandemic, a lot of people realized "oh, this is so much better watching some of these films at home than dealing with some of the bullshit at the cinemas (people talking on their phones, kids crying/talking, idiots being rude, sticky floors due to spilled soda or worse, etc.)"

[@pastoryoda2789]

I almost slapped a woman and her stupid kid at the theater 😂

[@johnwilliams3745]

The last time the wife and I went to the movie theatre it was a goddamn mess. Boxes of…something were everywhere, piss poor service, and everyone seemed to have forgot their manners during the pandemic. There were tons of folks just standing and chatting outside the restroom and I kept having to tell people to move. It was a fucking disaster and the wife and I just have movie night at home now. When we here a release date we know we will see it sometime shortly after that.

[@TheJoshflowers]

Bingo!

[@nosuchthing8]

Even worse, the younger generation seems happy to be playing video games or texting etc during the entire movie.

[@Rip_Ripple]

I still enjoy going to the movies, but you couldn't pay my wife enough money to get her butt in a movie theater, pretty much for all the reasons you stated.

[@MrBazBake]

Blockbusters aren't failing, mediocre movies are flopping.

[@AlSween]

They're not mediocre. People are making judgments without even seeing the film. Critics are making up people's minds for them.

[@kchishol1970]

@@AlSween No, the critics are giving their professional opinions about films, and endeavouring to help us avoid wasting our money and time. The alternative is the marketers determined to trick people into seeing them.

[@kahlilh1]

@kchishol1970 That's how it used to be. These critics act like they are the news. We know Ezra did bad things, but how was the movie? They put personal bias in reviews too often. Korey literally admits he's a Marvel fan boy.

[@kchishol1970]

@@kahlilh1 The whole purpose of film criticism is to give their opinion on films, bias in their writing is the point. What you are complaining about is nothing new; just read about how the main New York Times critic, Bosley Crowther, turned his negative review of the groundbreaking Bonnie and Clyde in 1967 into a vindictive crusade against the filmmakers and anyone who disagreed with him.

[@kahlilh1]

@@kchishol1970 just because it's not new doesn't mean it's right

[@kinkin8948]

I think we also have to be honest about the state of the economy which always gets ignored in these conversations. I remember my mom taking 4 kids and herself to the movies used to be $60 before pop corn. With tickets being $18+ dollars its costing a family of 5 $100 dollars to see anything. I think americans are finding escapism harder when everyday more rights are getting rolled back and they can barely cover the cost of necessities. When I got my degree in theatre, one thing I’ll never forget was a professor explaining, in times of serious turmoil, arts & entertainment are the biggest sector to feel the hit first. I think hollywood is finding they cant keep coasting on vapid, opulent projects.

[@ericjefferson6249]

Thank you! The cost of living for a small family on a meager income means many people have to be selective about “luxury” expenses like watching movies at the theater.

[@BePatient888]

Thank you. High cost of movies + consumers changing their habits since 2020 (Covid pandemic).

[@pheunithpsychic-watertype9881]

I spent 1 dollar no tax to see Jason and the argonauts this weekend

[@deeking404]

This is the answer-literally the most logical. We can't afford the tickets. And once the reviews and media say a movie isn't good, you are way more reluctant to spend that money to haul the family to the theater

[@DumasMoran]

Plus the fact that most people have a large-ish tv with 1000's of options already sitting in their living room.

[@Regenmacher175]

Budgets are too big so if the films need to earn twice the budget it gets a lot more difficult when your film costs 300 million dollars. People are also much more cautious in terms of what they decide to spend their money on when they don't have a lot of disposable income. Ticket prices growing excessively expensive means people are going to be a lot more selective.

[@morganyu812]

To a degree. They will spend money on All the fast and the furious films if they watched the others. Despite them being bad

[@devilmikey00]

Another thing to note about movies released back in the day. They would drop the big blockbusters at the end of may/beginning of June all clumped together because it didn't matter, those movies would be in theaters for MONTHS. Your 1984 example for instance. Karate kid (June 22), Ghostbusters (June 8) and Temple of Doom (May 23) didn't drop out of the top 10 at the box office until NOVEMBER and ghostbusters was #1 until September. That kind of longevity is completely unheard of these days. Unless you are Avatar, a movie is usually dead at the box office after it's 2nd week and streaming the next month. There was no rush to go see a movie on weekend 1 because they'd still be there all summer.

[@JaxBlade]

As long as Spiderverse stays winning like it is now, I’m happy 😂

[@jrt2792]

My money's on Mario and SpiderVerse. 'bout time animation starts kicking asses at the box office.💪

[@thefirstbourne149]

I was waiting for Indiana Jones to be doing better than it was, but same😅.

[@pvfreeman11]

💯!!!

[@ninjanibba4259]

​@@thefirstbourne149it was always gonna fail

[@ariesqueen9013]

True

[@jp3813]

1984 is one of the most iconic years for cinema: Ghostbusters, Terminator, Karate Kid, Gremlins, NeverEnding Story, Temple of Doom, Beverly Hills Cop, Footloose, This Is Spinal Tap, Romancing the Stone, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Splash, The Natural, Red Dawn, Last Starfighter, Sixteen Candles, Top Secret, Purple Rain, Amadeus, Once Upon a Time in America, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and many more. 1994 as well: Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump, Lion King, Leon: The Professional, Natural Born Killers, Ed Wood, Speed, True Lies, The Crow, Interview with the Vampire, Drunken Master 2, The Mask, Stargate, Legends of the Fall, Heavenly Creatures, Fist of Legend, Clear and Present Danger, Maverick, Clerks, Dumb & Dumber, etc...

[@alexagaba]

So many good or great movies crammed into 2 years... The years around them weren't too shabby either, but they do stand out..

[@paulconway384]

Made to entertain. Without PC and cgi.

[@jp3813]

@@paulconway384 There's CGI in Forrest Gump, and I'd say Maverick was pretty PC w/ its portrayal of Native Americans.

[@blackguyofthesouth2161]

​@@jp3813and The Mask of course

[@jp3813]

@@blackguyofthesouth2161 Lion King, True Lies, Stargate, etc...

[@LPTV84]

I think Corey was right to use the Summer of 1984. That summer had some of the most iconic films, with big stars and/or big directors, but the summer was a mixed variety where there were only 3 or 4 big films that spaced out across the months. You forgot to mention this, but during the summer of 84, Beverly Hills Cop came out and for a few weeks, threw Ghostbusters off of the #1 seat, before coming back towards the end, going into Halloween. Also, there's other elements going on that die not exist in 1984, and that is, the only other option for visual entertainment is television and ar arcades. Meanwhile, June of 2023 its overstuffed with films that are overbudgeted and overbloated. Look at 84, NEW and ORIGINAL films came out just a week after Star Trek was on its 3rd film, and what came out this month that was original? Nothing.

[@jrt2792]

In my birth year 1997, there was Men In Black, Jurassic World, Good Burger, Hercules, Austin Powers, etc. Nowadays, I can CONFIDENTLY PREDICT what's the next summer blockbuster is going to be. Quite frankly, I'm not looking forward given this and last summer's rosters.

[@osaji922]

Beverly Hills Cop came out in December 1984 actually.

[@tajcee]

Can’t forget about The Terminator which was released around the later part of ‘84. It took awhile but it became a sleeper hit.

[@houdvast]

81-84 will go down as a classic era like '39-'44

[@danavixen6274]

So glad Korey mentioned 1984's The Karate Kid. It was a HUGE sleeper hit! I was a toddler and this is the oldest movie I remember seeing with my older siblings. I STILL love it to this day! ❤

[@JoseRodriguez-un2kc]

The last Great Summer we had was in 2008. We had Iron Man, Hulk, Handcock, The Dark Knight, Tropic Thunder, Wanted, Kung Fu Panda, Hellboy 2, Wall-E ... and the list goes on.

[@Indeed3_]

Tickets are too expensive, and theaters haven’t changed much either, except for a few exceptions.

[@warhammerguy]

It is not only that IP's are recycled, they feel stagnant and in some cases they have been devolving. Both Indiana Jones and Han Solo ended up at the exact same place with the exact same clothes in their 80's as they were in their 20's. That is honestly just sad. Especially considering that both of them had evolved. Both of them was happily married and Solo at the end of the original trilogy was a general. That is like if Aladdin went back to live out the rest of his life alone as a sad, lonely, angry and miserable street rat in his 80's despite being happily married with Jasmine and ruling successfully as a sultan for years. It is depressing to see your icon heroes regress and die as old miserable failures in order to lift up the newer younger characters that are not as likable.

[@edupbeat]

I remember in 97 when it was announced titanic would have a $200 mill budget, it was a HUGE deal. Heck, that budget was the talk of 97 summer, no joke.

[@MrBazBake]

200 million in 1997 is 384 million in 2023 🤯

[@brandynrivas591]

And you know what? When you watch it you can see how it cost that much.

[@LF-IV]

Going to the theater is getting expensive, especially people with a large family. More and more people are waiting for movies to go to streaming. With grocery prices going up, people are choosing to eat and go to the movies a lot less.

[@marleylovesfilm]

People are neglecting inflation as the reason people aren’t going back to the theater. People are working 2-3 jobs to make ends meat, and at the end of the day people just don’t have any free time anymore

[@SilhouettedAnimator]

This. 1000%.

[@thomasstreet223]

This is the biggest issue people aren't talking about. Plus, theater showtimes cater to the 9-5 lifestyle, when most people now don't work those hours anymore. When I worked second shift, I couldn't see any movie because all the showtimes overlapped with my schedule.

[@Trejohnsmith]

​@@thomasstreet223That's true I work nights Sunday-Thursday and I can't see a big movie til Friday night when I'm off.

[@CNTconnoisseur]

FYI, Transformers hasn't opened in Japan and some other select markets yet. The Japanese release date is August 3rd.

[@Fenris30]

Transformers has made 400 million on a 200 million budget and still hasn't opened in a few markets yet.

[@terryf3282]

Yeh but the new Transformers might end up being the lowest grossing of the series.Even if it does well in those markets it will probably only overtake Bumblebee. Tickets are more expensive than ever yet the film won't get close to 2007 Transformers so it shows how fewer people are going to see it.

[@Justaperson95777]

@@terryf3282not even close look it up

[@BaithNa]

These movies wouldn't be bombing if they did two things 1. Don't release a bunch of big budgeted projects over a two month period, when going to the theaters is more expensive than ever. 2. They didn't check if there was an audience/market for these movies and budgeted accordingly.

[@Sasu123456789x1]

So true

[@blakeharris58]

I agree with both points, but exactly how would you suggest that they check?

[@pastoryoda2789]

Wtf movie theater are you going to, i just paid $8 to watch the Flash at 10am the other day at AMC

[@BaithNa]

​@@pastoryoda2789most people have work or school at that time though

[@BaithNa]

​@@blakeharris58social media buzz, google trends. There's entire branches of marketing companies dedicated to things like that.

[@blockbusterunderground]

Flash bombed so hard they're putting it out on digital in 2 weeks! Am I the only one who remembers Premiere Magazine' Summer Preview Issues where it would list off all the amazing flicks coming out over the summer??

[@cyatram]

I say we all rewatch the flashpoint paradox when the flash goes digital to spite WB lmao. (they wont give a damn but still)

[@JordanNMovies]

I’ll sum it up like this..HOLLYWOOD IS OVERSPENDING. The budgets on these blockbusters from Fast X, The Flash, Indiana Jones 5, Transformers 7, Shazam 2 (it was March but still) are over $100 million..and their marketing doesn’t do much to get many excited. On the other hand… Focus Features, Searchlight, A24, Neon and other indie companies for the most part are doing good because their budgets are lower. Low budget horror movies are doing great. We may see a switch in Hollywood happen soon as far as movies go.

[@jaeepps747]

You guys touched on it a little bit but I think it’s more prominent then you think, people just want to stay home. There was a time when I even wouldn’t mind going to the movie theater, but the thought of sitting next to random people, rummaging through loud popcorn bags and candy boxes. I just rather stay in the comfort of my own home honestly

[@koopa159]

Blockbusters have become too safe and too frequent. Not to mention the budgets are outrageous. Got one coming out every other day.

[@matthewjordan7297]

The studio-driven, IP business model has been driving Hollywood for 20 years. It was only a matter of time before the bloated budgets and the CGI stopped bringing people to theaters. I think the best solution would be to moderate movie budgets to reasonable levels, and give filmmakers actual creative control over the films they're directing. We need to pivot back to the auteurs in order to revitalize creativity. I also think using practical effects more often will have a positive effect on audience reception.

[@MikeM-np4od]

Endgame was the last movie I felt I had to see and I was an avid movie goer. Once Covid hit I got out off the movie going routine, more movies dropped striaght to streaming, and no movie since Endgame has felt like a cultural event. Every movie just feels unoriginal or if we have seen it before because we have the same IPs being beaten to death

[@FdotStizzy]

Same

[@DaveRedsky]

Marvel sheep

[@FdotStizzy]

@@DaveRedsky you sure showed us.

[@DaveRedsky]

@@FdotStizzy imagine only consuming marvel ... and people liking that comment. "Last thing I watched that was worth watching was endgame" 🤦‍♂️🤡

[@FdotStizzy]

@@DaveRedsky you just made that all up in your head lmao…the original comment doesn’t even say anything about only consuming marvel. It said last movie that felt like a cultural event and a MUST SEE IN THEATERS was endgame…and then it went on to say “EVERY MOVIE SINCE THEN HAS SEEMED UNORIGINAL” …that would include marvel movies…Learn to read bro.

[@KevRyanCG]

It's so crowded for blockbusters, and I've never been less excited to see new movies. It feels like we're in some sort of limbo now before good stuff comes out.

[@GodzillaMonsters8]

I have thought that movies do not need an expensive budget for a good story nor good effects like how Shin Godzilla (2016) did very well with a small budget. Thank you for your videos :)

[@ajstulberg]

I'm surprised this wasn't brought up, but I believe COVID and the shuffling of release dates also had an effect on the box office performances of many of these blockbusters recently. I'm not saying that the points brought up in this video weren't valid (They definitely were), but keep in mind that many of these films prior to COVID were much more spread out from each other to the point where they weren't competing directly with each other in a single month like what we saw with this past June. For example, before the pandemic, The Flash was originally going to release in July 2022, whereas Indiana Jones would have been released a year earlier, and Transformers was originally going to be released in June 2022, after the Flash and Indiana Jones were already delayed to November 2022 and June 2023 respectively, and then all ended up releasing in June due to further Covid delays as we've seen now. It was never the original intention to release all of these blockbusters in a single month and that I believe Covid related delays is another major underlooked factor in all of these underperforming blockbusters.

[@psychoapplesauceeater8562]

How about Covid and the economy? We don’t want to spend our money like we used to

[@devilmikey00]

True but it's was pretty common for a new big blockbusters to release 1 week after another big blockbuster before covid. Covid is to blame but it's for changing peoples viewing habits and getting people comfortable with the idea of watching the big releases on streaming. Especially with the window between theatre and streaming release shrinking also due to covid.

[@r.morris5589]

Fims used to come out close to each other and do well, but those films were good.

[@Sasu123456789x1]

There's honestly multiple valid reasons why these movies haven't been doing well and its honestly so interesting because this is something we wouldn't have expected until now. Im definitely curious to see what holds in the future. 🤔

[@kassi420]

It’s kinda crazy the most original movie that’s marketed as a Blockbuster is based off Spider-Man. Yes it’s based off the multiverse Spiderman Arc from the comics but it was rewritten to support expectation and it actually works.

[@syntychiahintsin-tee-shaks2256]

I have a family of 5, movies are too darn expensive. I started doing the AMC $5 Tuesdays and getting our snacks from the local convenience store.

[@JonAutomates]

Something that doesn't get talked about enough. Families of 4+, on a prime evening or weekend can easily get to $100+.

[@metallicnole4514]

I'm all about matinee prices and not buying any snacks

[@MonsoonMoonrock]

Great discussion. I just keep thinking of the tweet "movie studios used to make 10 movies with one of them being a big budget blockbuster a year and it paid for the other 9 films but then execs decided why don't we ONLY make the big budget blockbuster movies that make all the money" but like Korey said these films don't seem like must-see special events anymore when blockbusters are released every month, at home and all year round.

[@DetroitAlan01]

Batman came out in June of 1989. It was released on video approximately a year later. When it was originally released, had to wait a few months for the price to drop down and become affordable. It finally made its cable premiere close to two years later. So, if you wanted to see Batman, you had to go to the theaters or wait a long time. Nowadays, you want to see a movie, you can wait a few weeks for its VOD premiere. That “wait” period decreasing so drastically is what I feel is primarily responsible for diminishing box office returns.

[@rajabcroswell9020]

That's a great point.

[@jrt2792]

I remember in the 2000's, you had to wait a few months before you get the movie on DVD.

[@shindean]

I remember the 1$ theater era. That's where all the about to go on video movies would go. The problem is those dollar theaters were killed off bit by bit. Then when the pandemic came around and killed more theaters, it added to the issue of not having affordable movie outings. In other words, since the movie industry didn't save theaters, they have no one left to give them revenue for these perfectly good dollar theater films.

[@LARKXHIN]

Right. I was surprised that cable TV announced John Wick 4 would be on there later this year. Ruby Gillman came out on Friday and will be out on digital on July 18th.

[@Fenris30]

BINGO! HELL I already own the Ultra Blu-Ray of Super Mario and it came out in April. They use to let these movies breath find an Audience now if it doesn't do well opening weekend, it bombed.

[@Gregbaltzer]

I think part of the problem now too is that we live in the age of the internet and everyone voices their opinions on everything, including actors and directors. Audiences are letting the personal opinions of actors/directors influence whether or not they want to see their movies. It doesn't matter that there may have been 200 people who worked on a movie, if they disagree with the politics of the star then they boycott the movie. There's online boycotts called for movies now for all sorts of reasons. There was an online Boycott called Star Wars: Solo because of the Last Jedi and Kathleen Kennedy. People want to boycott anything that's Harry Potter related because of J.K. Rowlings opinions. Some people didn't want to see The Flash because of the Ezra Miller situation. And James Gunn comes out and tells everyone he's hitting the reset button on the whole DCU before The Flash is even released. Some people don't want to invest in a movie that ultimately doesn't matter because James Gunn is going to make it irrelevant. I also feel the magic has gone out of film making. This is the age of CGI special effects. To me it's just boring. I'm more comfortable with bad practical FX than bad CGI. Even blood in movies is all CGI now. God, I miss squibs. Outlandish CGI stunts have replaced real stunt work. I miss the days when stunt men/women actually had to flip real cars, now it's just all CGI. It's boring to me now.

[@gran-roan]

There is no Blockbuster's fatigue. There is fever for a good one. I went to watch Super Mario despite knowing it would be mediocre, because there aren't any high level productions with good writing and clever directing that is also fun to watch.

[@metallicnole4514]

That is an interesting take. Guardians 3 was so refreshing to watch in the theater

[@morganyu812]

I don't buy this take. If Liam Neeson put out the same old tired action thriller a 1000 times people will watch it. It's probably just because people wasn't interested in the Flash

[@brandynrivas591]

​@morganyu812 To counterpoint, Liam Neeson is STILL making the same old tired action movie and nobody goes to see them. Dude hasn't had a hit in years.

[@sarov7658]

@@metallicnole4514 wel gunn left MCU ther is that

[@metallicnole4514]

@@sarov7658 Gunn has no ill will towards the mcu. He and feige are good friends. WB offered him a massive new job

[@GrayWolf5000]

This is why Jason Blum is a genius. Makes good new IP horror movies with a decent budget that will guarantee him a huge profit.

[@JamesBurrTV]

@@P.90.603 Yep. I think Terrifier 2 cost $250,000 and grossed almost ten million. Great return on investment.

[@bunnystick]

Everything about films today feels needlessly bloated. The wasted big budgets and the overly long runtimes chief among them for me. I work more than 40 hrs a week. I don't have time to sit down to long, midtier easter egg montages. And I'm sure I'm not alone in that.

[@Bigedub101]

Yea and as some of us get older we just gonna budget our time and money.. If all these movies look the same, I'll just wait and maybe watch one of them

[@jimmyju76]

you know what else the old summer blockbuster movies had? no internet, no RT, no haters

[@IncredibleFulk1]

I wish RT never existed. Many films have been affected by RT scores unfairly.

[@rud5408]

Hollywood needs to pull back on franchise and bring back the midbuget flicks. Getting these Ip on screen is costing a lot of cash.

[@Jamal2504]

Guardians 3, Spider-Verse, John Wick 4, Transformers RotB, Mario.. All successes

[@monstermash1571]

I'm happy to pay for good movies, but Hollywood needs to stop churning out trash, tierd, and uninspired films. I'm glad to see we're turning our backs on mediocrity.

[@adampellett4917]

Well said. 😊

[@morganyu812]

Movies don't need to be objectively good for them to make money. Just enough people excited to watch it

[@yourfellowman11]

With big budget films flopping and movie studios bereft of originality, only one man can fix this and turn it around. Bring on the Breeniverse 🗣️🗣️!

[@bbybap4729]

Plus it’s expensive to go to the movies. I brought my daughter to the lux theater for her 21st birthday and the food & drinks were way overpriced and didn’t even taste good. Now we can invite friends and family over and stream a movie and have a nice dinner that feeds all for a fraction of the cost. I feel bad that it’s come to this, but it is what it is

[@Rhiorrha]

Eat before you leave home, I was doing that back in the 80's. Theater food is for rubes who don't know anything. You go to a theater to focus on a movie, not stuff your face.

[@Hectorferjr2]

Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon grossed $1.136 billion worldwide, the highest-grossing movie in the franchise to date.

[@unbrokendredgen4160]

Where did the money go? My best guess Ezra Miller's lawyers. 🤣

[@JM-mh1pp]

Movies have the same problems as games- too massive budgets to take risks. If you are a big boss in a studio and someone comes to you with this strange idea for a movie and it will cost 10-20 millions... okay, why not. You make 6-8 movies a year, one of them can be this weird unnamed stuff that nobody heard of. Shot in the dark. But today when budgets look like military spending of a small country you simply have to play safe, which is why you make a spin off of a remake of a reboot, or another movie in a big franchise. Problem is that eventually audience will be sick of it.

[@JordanNMovies]

I’m glad Summer 1984 was brought up. Cause it brings up a great point…the difference between then and now is streaming services. I’ve seen a lot of talk on social media about The Bear, Warrior, Extraction 2, Black Mirror, Demon Slayer S3, Flamin Hot…what they all have in common is we can watch these at home. The movies that are flopping people don’t have an intrigue to rush out to watch a movie + the cost of a ticket is a months worth of streaming. It just makes sense…blockbusters have to do something different. Edit: that was a great point about gaming. Even Twitch streams + podcasts get more viewers than the movies.

[@MrBazBake]

It's even simpler than that, tbh. In 1984 the five biggest worldwide box office hits adjusted for inflation(in 2023 dollars): Beverly Hills Cop -- 689 million Ghostbusters -- 683 million Temple of Doom -- 537 million Gremlins -- 441 million The Karate Kid -- 268 million In 2023? Super Mario Bros -- 1.334 billion Guardians of the Galaxy -- 836 million Fast X -- 697 million^ Across the Spider-verse -- 607 million^ The Little Mermaid -- 527 million^ (^Still in theaters) What do you notice about what's considered a "success" versus a "failure?" Heck, compare these movies to their originals/prior entries and it becomes even more obvious. This isn't a summer of failures. It's a summer of failure-adjacent vibes in entertainment journalism... 😂😂😂

[@michaelstrong5383]

Considering that 4 of those 6 examples you listed are shows, I think it goes to show that TV has been more popular to talk about than movies in the last couple of years. You spend more time with the characters, and the premises are more unique.

[@JordanNMovies]

@@michaelstrong5383 yup, exactly what I’m thinking. I love a good movie. Thing is it’s hard talking about them w/most of my friends and family since they’re more into TV. Sidenote: some of my cousins have kids and don’t have time for movies. So they rather watch shows cause at least an episode can range between 22-50 minutes versus a 2 hour movie. This might be the logic for some people out there who are parents.

[@Oldman005]

I just can't see myself spending money with how close, frequent, and expensive the movies are to watch now. I used to pay $6 per ticket. Now I just pick one. This time, it was Spider-Man

[@christophergarrett7082]

This summer box office is crazy. Besides guardians and across the spiderverse no summer movies have been a hit so far

[@keldorthebluemack]

Especially Fast X and it's budget was over 300 million which is crazy

[@cyatram]

And those are both marvel properties!!!! Smh. Its like we have to be tricked into seeing good films at this point.

[@adu1991]

True. We're already halfway through 2023 and out of the 2 best movies to come out this year...one wasn't released during the summer (The Super Mario Bros. Movie). It came out in April. Across the Spiderverse is a true summer hit, and GOTG 3 was decent. Other than that, the rest either underperformed or flat-out bombed. Mission Impossible may do a bit better at the box office than Spiderverse did, but that's seems to be the last one for the year. The next big box office hit may be Sonic the Hedgehog 3, which will introduce Shadow and Amy Rose. The movie was originally going to come out on December of this year, but I think that they may push it to next year.

[@gumpyflyale2542]

@@adu1991 I am looking forward to Sonic 3 and The Equalizer

[@thefrenchcanadianwolfman8228]

I'll watch Dune 2, Oppenheimer, Mission Impossible. That's worth my time.

[@RetroView66]

There have always been big budget bombs. Nobody seems to point out the obvious: These are NOT GOOD MOVIES. The End.

[@morganyu812]

You seem to miss the obvious. You DONT need good movies to for a movie to make bank.

[@cyatram]

@@morganyu812 That was certainly true at one time, but film studios are getting a little too bold now. Their tricks are becoming obvious, and people talk more than ever.

[@jaythomas468]

These newer flat-panel TVs are also much more impressive in terms of picture clarity and screen size than they were just 10-20 years ago COMPARED to what you were getting from the silver screen (plus the potential added annoyance and inconvenience of having to go to the actual theater and deal with screaming kids in there) so I think that’s also a big factor in people just waiting to watch on their 60” 4K OLED at home with the freedom and ability to pause it and go to the bathroom at their own convenience.

[@jmbeats3308]

To me, three things have changed the climate around movies and watching them at the theaters, how expensive going to the theatres is now, the movies themselves for numerous reasons, and streaming. Altogether, it's a combination of factors that have made the general audience more selective about what they want to watch and are willing to wait for things that aren't received well or interesting to hit streaming, especially when there are other things to see to pass the time, but that's just my take.

[@pastoryoda2789]

It’s cheap going to theaters I watch my movies at 10 am & i pay 8 dollars

[@metallicnole4514]

Kraven is definitely a wait till it drops on netflix for me

[@jmbeats3308]

@@metallicnole4514 I agree, that’s my point. It’s doesn’t look like something you’d rush to see in theaters.

[@rosssapp6990]

I absolutely love going to the movie theater. So I see several blockbusters. However given how things are so expensive I do wait for reviews for some and pick and chose the ones to see. Then since Covid even after the ones I was interested in seeing, they are streaming within a month or two.

[@neocat36]

I feel the same way. I used to love going to the movie theater as a kid, but now it's gotten expensive. So, I am more selective about which movies I will see in the theater. Just recently, it cost me ~ $30 to see a movie with popcorn and a soda at my local Alamo theater. If the reviews are mixed, I just wait till it's available on streaming: Case in point, I am glad I did not pay movie theater prices to see Thor: Love and Thunder or Ant Man 3, but waited until both were on Disney+.

[@cw-cw6nl]

The majority of blockbusters being mediocre to bad films, and the theater experience being too expensive with cheaper and safer options available are my top 2 reasons why there are so many flops these days.

[@joeschmoe5231]

It's too expensive to take an average family of 4 or 5 to the movies.

[@cheddarcheese7928]

I think the reasons are simple for movies flopping…The short turn around time until it goes to streaming..Marvel and DC have made so many mediocre movies in a row..Ticket prices..And There are just so many other choices to compete for ur time

[@pmpowalisz]

Marvel movies usually at least have interesting premises, which is more than I can say for every flop or bomb mentioned in this video.

[@OceanWolf808]

I watched Titanic for the first time in years, and there’s still a charm about it some 25+ years later. Got me thinking that blockbusters back then were “events movies” - the must sees that come with the signatures of its creators (Spielberg, Lucas, Cameron, etc). Nowadays, blockbusters feel like they are created by committee (looks at Disney) and calculated by algorithms. And I think people are catching up to it. Became more of quantity over quality as well.

[@dominiqueodom3099]

Disney+ and HBOMAX strategy of releasing their movies directly to their Streaming Apps in less than a few months after every release or even the day of Theater release dates during the Pandemic truly has changed audiences mindsets towards movies. Especially when it comes to the price of movies and too many streaming Services vying for our wallets Which has made it where I really only see 3/4 movies a year that I legitimately sit in anticipation for like Spiderverse or Dune 2 or John Wick 4,and i Wait for Reviews and Word of Mouth on films like Barbie to see if its worth it,and I try to spread word on hidden gems this year like BlackBerry. Also the writing has just gotten worse and divisive where easy slam dunks for Franchises like DC or Star Wars have really tarnished the Franchises and the Relationships with Fanbases. Something i dont see being brought up is that due to DC killing of any Plans for the Snyderverse movies despite the Success of the Snyder Cut and just deciding to reboot the universe,alot of people are just realzing that none of these future DC films due to be released in the short term matter beyond making back Production costs. Aquaman 2 is going to flop and the only saving Graces for Blue Beetle are the Lead from Cobra Kai and James Gunn saying this is apart of his new universe. Plus with the Writers Strike going on right now I can't believe their hasn't been a Coordinated effort along with VFX Departments that are being overworked on countless movies.

[@Sasu123456789x1]

Yup, its multiple reasons but definitely streaming has changed people's mindsets

[@ladyhotep5189]

Yes the writing has gotten awful especially with the comic book movies. Then you have these writers trying to stuff their agendas down our throats.

[@morganyu812]

This is probably the best comment. Forgot about the writers strike

[@cyatram]

The trailer for Blue Beetle definitely killed my hype for the movie. It could be good, but it doesnt look like the subversive epic I was hoping for. Ill probably still see it for xolo's performance and out of optimism, but I have said similar things before.

[@mtennantmusic]

We don't have blockbuster fatigue, we have bad movie fatigue.

[@LunaticKD1991]

​@@P.90.603Just because you're unfortunate enough to willingly go and pay to see a bad movie just because doesn't mean everyone else is so you're the one who's wrong.

[@sebastiancintron29]

I want to say audiences are getting smarter, but i dont know if i want to give general audiences too much credit. But it does seem like audiences just aren't impressed with big blockbusters anymore.

[@metallicnole4514]

It's harder to entice them to go to the theaters. The movies have to be good. The bar for must see in the theater is much higher. Though I only do matinee showings and not buy any concessions there, so I don't end up spending too much.

[@morganyu812]

General audiences are not getting much smaller because Fast X and Little Mermaid made a lot of money

[@morganyu812]

​@@metallicnole4514That's bull. Most audiences will go to the movies even if the movies are bad

[@sebastiancintron29]

@@morganyu812 but not enough for the amount of money that the movie cost to make on top of marketing cost and more.

[@markusbisma5015]

​@@morganyu812both of the flopped hard. They have crazy budget.

[@waltermanson999]

It's very refreshing to hear you talk about your past like an actual human being. Alot of people ( john Campea, Grace Randolph, Dan Murrell) *cough cough* make me feel crazy with their short term memory, propaganda carousel. This was insightful and relieving.

[@alonzabrown5345]

I don't think it has anything to do with budget, too many movies, or IP fatigue. 2 of the highest grossing movies this year are Spiderverse and Guardians 3. They also happened to be good movies that were done very well. The flash felt like a cash grab as the only thing being hyped was Batman cameos. Elemental looks boring in the trailer. Who asked for another Indiana Jones movie? I honestly thought the new teenage kraken movie was a Netflix movie based on trailer quality. Make movies people want to see. Do them well, and people will pay to see the movie.

[@deelewis8061]

There wasn't that many options to watch either. You either had to watch it in the theaters, or wait for cable, if you had it. Or wait for it on video. Bootlegging online is decent now. And streaming makes it possible 3 months later now.

[@KingOfMadCows]

I think it's difficult to pin down specific reasons because bad and terrible movies get huge box office returns all the time. The Michael Bay Transformers were big box office hits and didn't slow down until the 5th movie. The Jurassic World movies were bad, they all still made over $1 billion each. Lion King made $1.6 billion, more than Top Gun, and it was terrible. As for the budgets, a lot of these movies have had delays and reshoots due to COVID. And let's not forget inflation.

[@iamrysheem]

Lion king was not terrible. Only people who wanted the orignal thought that. Transformer was early in the big budget mania. So it had a large ingrained following already as a action extravaganza they were clearly well made just everything else about them sucked.

[@delmarfrazier2727]

Transformer use scenes from different and the same movies

[@cinemapigeon4898]

Budgets are just out of control and it's not very visible on screen. The first Indiana Jones movie adjusted for inflation is only like 70 million budget. Plenty of great blockbusters have been made on "low" budgets (like 125 million or under). Why have budgets double/tripled within the past decade or so? CGI too expensive, too many CGI shots, not enough cheaper model sets? Cost of certain types of labor too much, actor salaries massive? It's comical, and when your budget is 300 million, it makes turning a profit much much harder.

[@andrewshanley2704]

It's remake fatigue, fans are sick of fan baiting, woke garbage with no story. People are DONE

[@lancethomas3310]

Also, we live in the age where they feel like they have to put out multiple trailers, so by the time the movie comes out, you have seen all the good parts. Social media spoils "surprises" in movies and if you dont see it the first day, someone will inevitability spoil it for you.

[@CodySider]

Nostalgia isn’t enough anymore, they gotta follow Top Gun Maverick’s example and give us substance with the nostalgia

[@EdgeO419]

Lol Its a sad day in movies when a fucking Top Gun movie is considered the gold standard of action films, a literal ad for military service and completely reliant on nostalgia.

[@CodySider]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@EdgeO419but when an action film has a compelling script and pushes the boundaries of practical effects, it deserves the accolades. Nostalgia in this case was just the cherry on top (as it should be)

[@EdgeO419]

@@CodySider Practical effects or not the movie still relied on it being a sequel to a extremely popular 80's movie with one of the most bankable and profitable starts of all time as the lead.

[@angelalita77]

Movie expenses are definitely a factor. Even In the early 2000s (before 2010) I would only see action or horror in the theaters because I didn’t see how watching action or romance movies, which doesn’t need surround sound to emphasize their stories or jokes, was worth the money. But now, because of the pricing, it has to be an absolutely great. And if not, then I’m assuming more “possible” blockbusters are going to be mediocre and will less likely go to see them.

[@CulturedDegenerate]

Spider-Verse is the only movie I saw in theaters this year that I didn't regret paying for. So far at least

[@rommix0]

I would say same, but I also saw Puss In Boots 2 in theatres as well. That makes two movies I've seen in theatres this year thus far.

[@geronimo1595]

Both of those had legs and excellent word of mouth. Seems like making a great, unique movie is key

[@gumpyflyale2542]

you can see it again at a reasonable price if you go on tuesday discount days

[@Ixzion]

The brutal reality is that the cost of living has gone up drastically in the last 3 years, let alone a decade ago. We live in a America where a McDonald's Big Mac combo is like 12 dollars. Regular groceries and rent are higher and wages have not kept up with inflation at all. Movies and entertainment are usually the first to go when you have to make hard decisions. It's even easier when the movies aren't that interesting.

[@dougdeveloper8850]

You know big budget blockbusters are in trouble when people are talking more about a Netflix show about two people who got into a road rage incident…than The Flash. Just tell a good story! Nuff said.

[@DaveRedsky]

TF? I don't know anybody talking about Netflix. You're talking about your small bubble and small circle of friends

[@cyatram]

Movies studios are acting like the internet doesnt exist. Gone are the days when you can release a shitty movie and pay the news to hype it up. If I see a shitty movie now, you know what Ill do? Im gonna go to the internet to talk about how shitty it was lmao. Not to mention the whole streaming mess.

[@terryf3282]

Yeh especially when you know a lot of the pro reviewers want access so they hype movies up. This happened with the Flash after people from the studio claiming it was the greatest you had people like John Campea calling it great? I saw it it was far from great.

[@DaveRedsky]

@@terryf3282 trashy comment. Dc has never gotten fair reviews. Take that stupid shit somewhere else 🤣🤡 Marvel has ALWAYS got this... Don't even lie like it hasn't

[@thearchivist250]

Remember when Will Smith owned July 4? Other films dodged him so he owned at least a full week. So many entertainment options now. Films come out on streaming in a month when it used to be 6 months at least. We are done with mediocre films

[@matheuslascasas134]

The audience’s standards are becoming a bit higher and these budgets are out of control.

[@metallicnole4514]

I have no idea why universal would allow fast x a budget of $340 million. That's close to the budget of avengers infinity war and no fast and furious movie will ever come close to making infinity war money

[@morganyu812]

I call bullshit. The fast and the Furious franchise, transformers, and most Disney live action films are objectively bad films yet they make bank at the box office every year. So audience standards are not getting higher.

[@rommix0]

@@morganyu812 > yet they make bank at the box office every year Prove it.

[@morganyu812]

@@rommix0 Fast franchise made up to 7 billion dollars combined while Transformers has made 3. This is easy stuff you can look up since you're so ignorant about it

[@monkeymanbob]

Of 1984's top grossing movies, I'd argue that 8 of them (Gremlins included) weren't pitched as Blockbusters, they became them. Only Indiana Jones & Ghostbusters had budgets north of $15m. Beverly Hills Cop took $316m on a $13m budget and was a mess in pre-production due to Stallone. The pressure to make blockbusters is basically the industry fecking itself in the arse

[@chasehedges6775]

Because of poor writing and lack of effort to tell a GOOD STORY, along with poor effects and CGI

[@truboss9470]

You can’t blame it on poor writing when nobody is seeing it to know😭😭

[@antwanjenkins6735]

I agree, also relying so much on nostalgia that nostalgia is the only thing they are relying on instead of telling good stories. I'm not against nostalgia but there has to be more underneath the surface to give it more substance.

[@Prydl3Zz]

Yeah also Transformers movies of the past had no good writing so it can't be that😂

[@xdomeman]

As well as as the noticable obsession with disgracing legacy characters to make the newer generation look better

[@elijaharvinger1178]

That's always been the case. Nobody believes that the writing for Jim Carrey movies or Adam Sandler movies was amazing. And they both had a string of box office hits. Arnold and Stallone weren't killing it in the well written category. In fact I'd argue that you're average blockbuster was mindless dumb fun that wasn't particularly well written or well acted. All you needed was the right star the right genre and a big budget. Now people don't want to spend upward of 75 bucks for movies tickets and dinner for two to see something they can watch at home 30 days after it hits theaters. I believe personally that streaming is doing to theaters what video game consoles did to arcades. It's making the theatre experience obsolete.

[@rhondac.891]

We see regular TV shows like Succession deliver us meaningful content delivered to us essentially with people just talking in a room. If they can make people talking in a room captivating then they can certainly find a way to do more with less with these budgets

[@joshcopelan818]

It is an interesting commentary you brought up regarding this problem and how people will not settle for mediocrity for big blockbuster movies, let alone ones that are cramped in the same month and bad word of mouth for different reasons. But it is also interesting as you are now comparing tv show and video games as being better in terms of quality with a lot of their narrative (which for the former is more fascinating because of streaming and how they compete with movies in the theaters). And after hearing these comments it reminds me of this Siskel and Ebert Special called “The Future of the Movies” with Spielberg, Lucas and Scorsese talking about their movies and the future of them going into the 90’s and for one part in particular (well 2 for the future) are with future technology through HDTV and Speilberg and especially Lucas talking about where the movies would be placed to watch, but I do think it is outdated cause of the massive amount of choices we do have now due to the technology. And what can theaters do to get people to come to watch their movies in theaters.

[@GrayWolf5000]

Ever since the pandemic I rarely go to the theater. The experience for me is almost the same for me at home. Only reason I went to theatres was because I didn't want to wait and wanted to see a movie immediately. Now I don't have to wait as long for a digital or physical release

[@JulesGunn]

Back then the turnaround time between theatrical release and home video was anywhere from six months to a year so movies would earn at the box office for an extended period of time. Conversely, nowadays movies are in and out of theaters in 45 days…

[@ixiahj]

My favorite movies to this day is the Back to the Future trillogy. During the 80's it seemed like people had the balls to take risks so we got new ideas. Star Wars, Ghost Busters, Indiana Jones. They were originals when they came out. Now all we're getting are sequals. What's this generation's Star Wars or Back to the Future?

[@colossalgent]

I'll tell you one thing that has made me go to the movies less, OTHER PEOPLE! When I saw Shang-Chi, some asshole took their shoes off behind me and blew up the spot. When I saw Guardians of The Galaxy, there were two stray kids climbing all over the seats and running back and forth behind me unsupervised. When I saw Across the Spiderverse, someone was scrolling instagram with their phone glaring during the movie right next to me. I don't know if it's just Marvel movie goers or what, but I seriously am considering waiting for movies to stream until it seems like movie theater etiquette returns. I'm pretty sure the teenagers that talked through No Way Home as a collective gave me Covid-19 coughing on my neck.😅

[@Lowclef]

Back in the day you really had to MAKE a movie. You had to go on location, use the right lenses, get stuntmen, prop masters and modelmakers to build a piece of art. Today you need a crummy script with a known property name, a green room and a really good computer. There’s no art or passion in it anymore. Even still the production cost is so high, a movie almost has to make a zillion dollars just to break even so producers take no risks and make movies to the lowest common denominator of people so any unique property you had initially ends up as bland and safe as toast and saltines.

[@BaithNa]

Another factor is that Hollywood is up its own @ss and they look down on other forms of entertainment. They refuse to properly adapt video games, books, comic books and anime/manga because they see themselves as above them but in reality, those industries are thriving and far larger than the movie industry while Hollywood and the theater industry are dying. Humble yourselves and properly adapt things. It worked for Mario and it can work for a ton of other franchises too.

[@jmbeats3308]

I agree, especially with video games that have a larger amount of fans than Marvel and DC combined, they rarely get the attention and treatment they deserve. If they did, there might be a low-key renaissance for video game films.

[@spicymemes7458]

I skipped Flash and Indy, but I did see No Hard Feelings. It's basic, but ended up being a throwback to an 80s coming of age film. That was refreshing and being Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence's first foray into R-rated comedy was interesting.

[@Vaajraath]

Hollywood needs an ego check, and if this doesn't do it, then just let it burn out. We've got plenty of incredible independent film makers across the country and world. Let them have a chance to truly shine while Hollywood implodes.

[@HavokUnbound]

They are not gonna give us movies we want with a 50k budget.. please 🙄

[@Vaajraath]

​@@HavokUnboundWell, apparently they can't do it with $300million+ either.😅

[@eddiechase305]

Media created a monster when Netflix and all of these streaming services started producing original content. Add that on top of how expensive it is to go to the movies and concessions, this was bound to happen, sadly. I still love going to the movies and am AMC member for a decent monthly subscription with some perks. Luckily, the place I go to doesn't charge for parking.

[@yeastori]

Went to see Transformers and it was a packed theater so imagine my surprise when you claim it underperform. It wasn't even bad it was actually quite good in fact

[@nickbeam5541]

I enjoyed it. The bumblebee scene with mama said knock you out playing was nice

[@laurenj6802]

Just cause your theater was packed out doesn't mean that it does well in the box office.

[@Phil-For-Reel]

@@nickbeam5541 The ending reveal had me shook!

[@allanbroady2970]

That was the best movie since Dark of the moon

[@adu1991]

It looks alright, but I think the 1st live-action Transformers film is, by far, the best out of the franchise. They tried to overblow the 2nd one and I lost interest by the 3rd movie.

[@MSgt_0699]

First, today's "blockbusters" have been somewhat sucking. Besides that, it's not just the blockbusters. Most films are flopping. Second, why go to the theater if the movie is just going to drop onto streaming a few weeks later? Today, a "blockbuster" like Fast X will release to theaters on May 19 and hit streaming just three weeks later in June. Used to be the studios put distance between theater release and home media release, forcing people to get to the theaters. The studios are killing their own Box Office because they can't figure out how to fit streaming services into the mix. And a lot of movies are last seen as a trailer. They hit the theaters and drop to television before most even knew they were in theaters.

[@MorrisB3]

What I said

[@darcanjel7]

Seeing Ghostbusters in the theater was epic to me. I think I saw Gremlins the following week. What a great time to be alive.