Bull Shannon
Well-Known Member
It's weird: I feel more optimistic about movies and moviegoing than I have in a while. Remember Dune II was pretty huge. And remember Furiosa is a rated-R, offbeat action movie; as much as Fury Road paved the way (ha ha) for Furiosa, the audience is narrow. The high-profile, big-budget releases are getting attention for their inability to pull in profits, but midsize and low-budget features released by entities such as A24 and Neon are doing better than ever.
I'd like to posit we're already past a certain breaking point, and what we're seeing now is the experience/industry settling into a new mode. 5-10 years ago I'd say the problem is studios keep engineering four-quadrant blockbusters which appease everyone but please no one, out of hopes of recouping a $150-200 budget. Covid closures and superhero fatigue basically demolished this model. While streaming services have been eating the mid and low budget market's lunch by scooping up movies and dumping them on their services, they're starting to come around to the fact that a theatrical release window is money on the table.
I'm noticing the indie and foreign market picking up somewhat, reflected both in box office and awards success; I think we're moving away from the movies being a family outing where you sink $100 into tickets and concessions, but individuals or small groups seeing smaller, more specifically-targeted movies is on the rise. Cineplexes are becoming untenable to run, but smaller screens where curated selections and thoughtful snacks are able to draw in loyal movie freaks.
eta: I wonder how much Barbenheimer is indicative of "narrower" (as narrowly aimed as two mainstream corporate blockbusters could be) films winning out; these movies were highly anticipated more for the artists making them than the spectacle being put before us, and they ostensibly fit into convenient demographic categories. For the first time in a while an opening weekend wasn't about the movie opening vs. the alternatives riding its wake, there was an "equal" choice put before us: see one, the other, or see 'em both. People went to Barbie dressed up in pink as a personal expression, and not just for the Thursday night previews. Earlier today on his insta story Hanif Abdurriqib mentioned enjoying writing about live music more than recorded music because the act of witnessing was an important part of the experience; I think moviegoing will always have that appeal to a certain set, and I have some optimism that not only will there always be a market for that, the market will recognize and lean into how witnessing communally is why we go to the movies rather than stay home.
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