As smaller films struggle and even name-brand titles flop at the box office, big studios are devouring each other up. Netflix is changing the way people watch movies in the film industry, and significant new streaming services from Apple, Disney, Warner Bros., and other big studios are now on the way. And every facet of the film business is being questioned, from the diversity of its creators to the Oscar season goodies.
Producer Jason Blum recently told me, “This is the largest revolution in the content economy in the history of Hollywood.” However, as the dust settles, how will it all look? I gathered a virtual think tank of prominent Hollywood personalities to find out, and their message to the business was simple: Adapt or die. Ava DuVernay (on audiences), Jason Blum (on producing), Octavia Spencer (on acting), Kumail Nanjiani (on comedy), Lena Waithe (on black filmmakers), J.J. Abrams (on blockbusters), Jon M. Chu (on diversity), Jessica Chastain (on dramas), Elizabeth Banks (on female filmmakers), Barry Jenkins (on the Oscars) and Joe and Anthony Russo (on the Oscars) are among the 24 major (on two-hour narratives).
People have been talking for a long time that the business is changing, but it’s now evident. It’s going to happen. I’ve never felt the tense vibe in Hollywood like I have in the last 12 months, and it’s just getting stronger. There is apprehension about the future since change is occurring at such a rapid pace.
Last year, there were 350 more movies released in theatres inside the United States than there are now when “Avatar” was released in 2009. On television, the same thing is happening. There may have been less of everything — even movie stars — and when the numbers become this high, it’s easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees.
When a film as enjoyable, well-made, and well-received as “Booksmart” doesn’t do as much as it should [the adolescent comedy failed at the box office despite critical acclaim], it’s easy to see how the traditional Darwinian struggle for survival has become entirely skewed.
To be honest, there are moments when I think to myself, “God, we should have done ‘A Simple Favor’ for streaming” [the studio thriller, which made $53 million domestically and ended Feig’s streak of $100 million-plus films]. because it’s the type of film you want when you want to have a good time, but is it really the kind of film that makes you hurry out to the cinema, park your vehicle, and take out your cash simply to see it?
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