20/08/2024
In the grand tableau of modern cultural decline, there are few spectacles as captivating as the slow-motion implosion of Hollywood. Once the Olympus of global entertainment, where cinematic gods and goddesses strutted before the adoring masses, it has now become a ta**ry spectacle of mediocrity, hubris, and self-sabotage. To borrow a phrase from an entirely different realm, Hollywood today is a monument to "one big pile of..." Well, you know the rest.
HOLLYWOOD'S TITANIC STRUGGLES
There was a time when Hollywood's grip on the global imagination was as firm as a director's grip on a camera. The box office boomed with the reliable churn of major franchises—Marvel, Star Wars, the DC Universe. Sequels, remakes, and reboots, though often derided for their lack of originality, at least had the decency to fill theatres. Even if one had to endure the indignities of an overpriced ticket and an increasingly lacklustre experience, the promise of a grand spectacle kept the throngs coming.
But that was then. Today, the once-reliable engines of Hollywood are sputtering, and the decline is as undeniable as it is alarming. You can see it in the empty theatres, the tepid box office returns, and the increasingly desperate attempts to reignite a dying flame. Take the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a juggernaut that once seemed unstoppable. Its latest offering, "The Marvels," a $270 million gamble, opened to near-empty theatres—a scene that would have been unimaginable just a few short years ago.
What happened? The answer is both simple and complex. The pandemic, that global event which upended so many industries, played its part, accelerating a shift in media consumption that had been creeping up for years. Streaming services, once a supplement to the theatre experience, became the main event. Why brave the crowds and the exorbitant prices when you can be disappointed from the comfort of your own home?
But the pandemic is only part of the story. The more profound problem is that the golden geese—those beloved franchises—have simply stopped laying eggs. The MCU is a shadow of its former self Star Wars has been driven into the ground, and the endless parade of half-baked, politically-driven content has alienated even the most die-hard fans. The blockbuster, once the reliable workhorse of the industry, is now a bloated, lumbering beast, more likely to flop than to fly.
THE DISCONNECT
What we are witnessing is a colossal disconnect between Hollywood and its audience. The industry, once attuned to the pulse of popular culture, has become a tone-deaf echo chamber where the desires and demands of the audience are not just ignored—they are actively dismissed. Films and shows that no one asked for, let alone wanted, are being churned out with reckless abandon. Disney's "Haunted Mansion," a $157 million disaster based on a lacklustre 2003 Eddie Murphy movie, is just one glaring example. Who, in their right mind, thought this was a good idea? Well, Disney did, apparently.
This is not just bad business; it is a fundamental failure of imagination. The studios are no longer run by people who love movies. They are run by corporations whose interest in film is purely financial. The result is a culture of "upward failure," where mediocrity is rewarded, and the same tired formulas are repeated ad nauseam. It's a situation so absurd that even Christopher Lee's prophetic words from years ago about the absurdity of this system seem like an understatement today.
POLITICS AS POISON
Of course, no discussion of Hollywood's current malaise would be complete without addressing the elephant in the room: politics. There is a pervasive belief in the industry that movies and TV shows must be vehicles for progressive values, even if it means sacrificing storytelling, character development, and basic logic. This obsession with political correctness has not only alienated a significant portion of the audience, but it has also led to the production of content that is, quite simply, bad.
Gender and race-swapping characters for the sake of diversity might seem like a noble idea in the boardrooms of Hollywood, but in practice, it often comes across as preachy, lazy, and—dare I say it—pathetic. The backlash against these efforts is not because audiences are opposed to diversity; it’s because they recognise pandering when they see it. They see through the thin veneer of virtue-signalling to the hollow core beneath.
Take, for instance, the upcoming "Snow White" adaptation. In an effort to be more inclusive, Disney has turned the iconic Seven Dwarves into a politically correct mix of various heights, genders, and ethnicities—dwarves be damned. This absurdity is compounded by a lead actress who has openly criticised the character she is supposed to embody. The result? A film destined to be more of a punchline than a success.
THE DEATH OF ESCAPISM
The real tragedy here is the death of escapism. Movies used to be a refuge from the harsh realities of life, a place where audiences could lose themselves in fantastical worlds and thrilling adventures. But today, instead of being transported, viewers are bludgeoned with political messages and social commentary that have no place in the stories being told. Escapism, once the bedrock of the industry, has been sacrificed on the altar of woke ideology.
It's not that social commentary has no place in film. When done well, it can be powerful, thought-provoking, and even necessary. But subtlety is a lost art in Hollywood. Instead, we are treated to ham-fisted moralising that detracts from the story and leaves audiences feeling lectured rather than entertained. The result is a growing sense of fatigue—a feeling that Hollywood no longer understands or cares about what its audience wants.
DESPERATION AND DECLINE
As the crisis deepens, Hollywood's response has been one of sheer desperation. The recent "Marvels" trailer, which shamelessly trotted out Iron Man, Captain America, and Thanos in a bid to stir up interest, is a perfect example. This cynical ploy, using nostalgia as a last-ditch effort to save a failing film, reeks of a studio that has run out of ideas.
Adding insult to injury, Hollywood continues to throw obscene amounts of money at these failing projects. Budgets have ballooned to ridiculous levels, even as box office returns shrink. The idea that spending more money will somehow guarantee success is a fallacy that the industry clings to with all the desperation of a gambler doubling down on a losing hand. Yet, they fail to grasp the simple truth that money cannot compensate for a lack of creativity, passion, or respect for the audience.
A CALL FOR CHANGE
In the final analysis, Hollywood’s decline is not just a matter of bad business decisions or changing consumer habits. It is a cultural crisis born of arrogance, laziness, and a profound disconnect from the very people it purports to entertain. The industry is rotting from the inside, and unless there is a radical shift—a return to the fundamentals of good storytelling, respect for the audience, and a rejection of hollow political posturing—it is hard to see how it will survive in anything like its current form.
Perhaps, though, there is hope. The success of films like "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Oppenheimer" suggests that audiences are still there, waiting for something worth their time and money. These films, which eschew the tired formulas and cynical pandering of their peers, offer a glimpse of what Hollywood could be if it remembered that its primary mission is to entertain, not to preach.
But time is running out. The industry must change, and it must do so quickly. If not, the curtain may fall on Hollywood’s reign as the epicentre of global entertainment, and what a tragic fall it would be—a once-great empire reduced to a footnote in the annals of cultural history.
©2024 Paul Friesen
(Photo by Karen Zhao on Unsplash https://bit.ly/46VCLy1)
