An Argument For Hollywood
Every year, an unimaginative, sequel-filled, remake-tainted, adaptation-drenched tidal wave of films fill the box office to its gills. And after every year, the same group of people come out from their holes and go on and on about how fed up they are with Hollywood and its terrible obsession with making poor movies. They go on rants about how Hollywood has run out of ideas and that cinema is dying.
Let’s be serious here. Its not dying. Hollywood has been backed into the position its in right now by profit, and it’s all thanks to us, the audience. No, this isn’t an argument against piracy, because I don’t believe that has any real impact on Box Office take, but that’s another argument entirely.
There were plenty of good films this year. But they often got overlooked for the more action packed or “fun” movies that have taken over the Box Office. Example: No Country for Old Men won this year’s Oscar for Best Picture. I absolutely loved this film, as did many others, as is evident by its win. It also did pretty well during its run in theaters, grossing $73M so far. But on the list of movies from 2007, that paltry amount only puts it in the 36th spot for total BO. This is twenty spots below Rush Hour 3, Live Free or Die Hard, and Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. And most of the money it brought in was due in part to its Oscar buzz early on. Are We Done Yet? grossed $10M more than There Will Be Blood. This is the market Hollywood has to appease.
The top 10 grossing movies of 2007: Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Harry Potter, I Am Legend, Bourne Ultimatum, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Alvin and the Chipmunks, and 300. While I thought The Bourne Ultimatum and 300 were two of the coolest movies stylistically I’ve ever seen, the rest of the top 10 is filled with sequels or remade cartoons from the 80s. Hollywood executives see what makes money, and attempt to find movies that fit into that category.
Every summer, an army of Blockbusters come rolling out and rake in millions. Like lemmings we all get in line, buy $10 buckets of popcorn and watch the lights and flashes on the big screen. Sometimes we leave the theatre generally content. “That was pretty good.” “The special effects were cool.” Other times, which happens more often, we leave feeling cheated. “That wasn’t very good.” “I waited a year for that?” I’m not saying that this is wrong, because I do this same thing too. But for those that think Hollywood is just throwing out swill because it has no other ideas, that mindset has to change. They do it because there’s no money in it.
Hollywood movies take huge amounts of money to make. Scouting locations, buying equipment, catering a 30+ crew every day of shooting, as well as paying that crew, costs a lot of money. Even a small, more independent film like Little Miss Sunshine cost over $8M to make, not including advertising and publicity. These movies need to make enough to cover what they cost, as well as turn a profit to warrant another film of the style/type.
If you’re content with just paying to see the huge blockbusters that have to be so generic as to pander to every moviegoer in the country, then that’s fine. Just don’t go on about how Hollywood doesn’t make good films like you remember there used to be. If you want to see better films made, go to see the ones that are already out. Do some research. Look into what’s coming out in limited release and try to go see those. There are plenty of great films out there, you just have to find them and support them. Some movies in 2007 that nobody cared to see in theaters: The Zodiac, The Namesake, Once, August Rush, The Lives of Others, Black Snake Moan, Eastern Promises, Gone Baby Gone, Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Into the Wild, and Sunshine. Sometimes its hard to see this films during their theatre run because of such small releases.
Next time you’re in line, ready to buy your tickets, look up at the board of available titles. Pick one that you normally wouldn’t see and check it out. It’s only two hours of your time, and you can’t do any worse than 10,000 B.C.
All numbers were retrieved from Box Office Mojo.
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I share your thoughts exactly, mostly what Hollywood is coming out with now are mostly sequels or remakes of older films. That is fine considering that that is what brings home the bacon so to say. You see original ideas come every once in a while, like the first Shrek movie or the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie, after it was shown how much money it could make, studios rush into making seconds and thirds of mostly anything they can now. I know that I’m guilty of going to see these second and third movies mostly because I’ve become engrossed with the characters and want to see what happens next.
I will however go out to see movies that are not sequels or parts of a trilogy though too. I have no problem with going to see No Country For Old Men, or Sweeney Todd, or 300. They are movies that can catch interest and be original at the same time. It’s only when you start getting into the third and fourth (and sometimes even fifth) movie installments where it starts getting silly. The Shrek series comes to mind with a fourth being confirmed and the Ocean’s 11, 12, 13…could go on forever…series that starts to get old after a while.
I think it’s ok to go see sequels as long as your interested, (Indiana Jones 4 ring a bell?) but also mix it up and go see some unheard of flick, like Be Kind, Rewind. Just mix it up!
Pat Ruddy on April 1st, 2008 11:54 pm
I’m not saying don’t go see movie sequels. I’ll be in line to see Indie just like everyone else. But, don’t blame Hollywood for the bloodbath of sequels that come down the chute each year when they are just giving the consumers what they keep paying to see.
Sameer Barkawi on April 2nd, 2008 12:41 am
I agree with ya Sameer. However i do not attend the Theater anymore. I’ve been a proud supporter of indy film shows in my area. It’s cheaper and I can spend a whole day watching great short films. I wait for big theater movies to come out on dvd. Ticket prices are ridiculous and the popcorn is always disgusting. I enjoy sitting on my couch and watching a movie and if it sucks I don’t feel so bad about wasting 4 bucks.
Anna D on April 6th, 2008 10:56 am
Glad to hear that Anna. Here in State College there is a small theatre that holds a lot of independent screenings for only 5 dollars a ticket. I still have to hit the major theaters every once in a while though, because it takes forever for some titles to make it to the State Theatre.
Sameer Barkawi on April 8th, 2008 7:55 pm