manatee2005 wrote: ↑Sat Oct 23, 2021 3:59 pm
It’s horrible. Looks good but empty.
Unfortunately that defines a lot of Hollywood product these days.
With the decline of the aftermarket (DVDs& video rentals) it is (pre Covid) all about the big box office in the early days. Films used to sit for weeks in cinemas whilst people read reviews and heard about them from their friends, building an audience.
To make money, a movie has to do well in international rentals. Generally that means that the story has to be simpler - complex character development or plot lines don't translate as well into the big international markets (Spanish or Chinese, I imagine). It has to meet certain censorship standards (political or adult themes) to even have a chance at the Chinese market, now the world's largest or 2nd largest after USA -- and the number of foreign films each year is restricted there by quota.
(Bollywood is world's largest cinema by ticket sales. But by dollar value, I don't think it is).
(these factors underlie the decline of the typical American mid-list film. For example the sort of Rom-Coms Nora Ephron specialised in writing. I read that if it weren't for Megan Ellison (daughter of Oracle billionaire Larry) a lot of these movies would just not get made).
With the high costs of film making plus the higher risk of not recovering those costs, studios are risk averse. Michael Bay (Transformers franchise) is the most bankable director in Hollywood, I believe I read. JJ Abrams might be another (Avengers. Star Wars?). Sharing common DNA (e.g. Marvel Comics Universe) which has instant recognition w the potential audience.
"Looks good but empty" is how I'd define a very large number of movies. Maybe it was always thus, but it seems the ones that beat that don't get made (or maybe I just don't catch them).