On the other hand, aside from the massive big-budget hits of Barbie and Mario, there were also a number of mid-budget films that did very well: John Wick 4, Sound of Freedom, Five Nights at Freddy's, Cocaine Bear and M3GAN all exceeded expectations.
So it's hard to interpret this as the "middle class" of movies disappearing. I'd say it's the opposite, in fact. People have gotten sick of the big-budget crap that follows the same formula (note how most of those bombs are superhero movies). It's really the big-budget films that are falling apart.
And rightly so. The so-called special effects in those superhero movies are really getting exhausting. What's the point of having superpower yet battling like a peasant in medieval times? What's the point of having super intelligence yet making so many illogical decisions? What's the point of having the best technologies on earth yet having your tribe living in dirt and fighting with rhinos and using duels to elect your leaders? I can even tolerate such plot holes if the movies have good stories or interesting characters, but do they?
Also: I presume you meant duel. Using a duet to elect your leaders has a certain charm to it...
I feel like marvels been decent at that since Thor 3.
Yes, Marvel is shit now, but escapism and fantasy entertainment doesn't work on real world logic. If I want to see realistic battles going on I just turn on the news. I go to the cinema because I want a dose of escapism while I turn off my brain for 2 hours.
Comparing 2006 to 2023, I see more sequels early in the list, and fewer originals.
Have a look at your 2023 disaster list.. superheroes and remakes.
I’m bored with the same old movies, characters, plots… have been for at least a decade.
The Marvels: $197,035,186
That's how badly Marvel movies are bombing now. FNaF actually straight-up beat Marvel, and by a very comfortable margin.
There is no minimizing this. This is disastrous for Disney.
Theater going is expensive (I think it's expensive), the alternatives are "pretty good", so that impacts overall theater presence.
Having a "block buster" that can justify the expense of marketing and distributing to the now weaker theater market seems like a prudent thing for the studios and it's just part of the current reality of entertainment.
I know I don't see many movies in the theater. I don't know if I've seen anything since Top Gun. I was hoping to see Dune 2, but it's delayed. I will be seeing the Ferrari bio-pic, simply because I'm a Mann nut. Otherwise, we rented Barbie. We rented GoG3, we'll be renting Oppenheimer.
And whatever other random stuff I sleep through from Netflix.
Examples;
Theater: $6 discount discount tickets, $12-$20 normal tickets, $20+ Imax (light) ticket; $10+ in refreshments per person.
At Home: $13/month streaming service, $20 purchase, $2.99->$5.99 rental for 2-6 people. Soft drink; $1, Popcorn $1
Then consider the comforts: No drive; no other patrons on cell phones or making noise, can pause a 2hr+ (more commonly 3) for bathroom and refreshment breaks.
We can't have any like those in this age because someone on Twitter will claim to be offended. Good thing to back-up those old gems as well before they get cancelled/edited to comply with modern sensibilities.
I think this is mostly an exaggeration. I think there will always be an audience for tasteless and raunchy movies. It might be a good long while before we see another white actor in blackface though, I'll grant you that.
John Wick is a really good example. Without the DVD aftersales, John Wick would never have gotten a second movie. Without DVD aftersales, movies in the $10-$25 million range simply can't exist.
Matt Damon talks a lot about this.
Furthermore, these graphs don't appear to take into account the production cost of movies. If a low-budget film garners critical acclaim, it means more than a studio movie that just broke even, although their gross incomes could be pretty similar.
Secondly, as others have pointed out, the mid-budget movies are now on streaming or cable channels.
But yes, special effects extravaganzas are going to die out, just like Westerns and musicals did. Until they get revived.
