January 23, 2006
Hey Hollywood - Make Fewer Movies!
Could it be that some sanity is actually peaking it's head up?!?! I've mentioned here on The Movie Blog for some time that there are just too many films being produced to be sustained by the current market. At the rate of 3-4 major releases each week, the films have too much competition, AND little chance of sustaining revenue as 3-4 new films open again the following week.
It's also inevitable that with this many films being released... worse films (that wouldn't have been produced a few years ago) are being made and released... souring the movie going audience even further. It's just a bad idea.
Well according to the good folks at Hollywood North, it looks like some studio execs might finally be clueing in:
According to Variety's Peter Bart, the major media companies are reducing their financial commitment to the motion picture sector, with 'fewer' films being produced over the next two years.Gee... YA THINK? The math here shouldn't be that hard. Cut down the worst films that are getting released (like anything with Rob Schnieder in it), invest more time, energy and finances into the better projects with slightly less competition and you'll earn more money.Bart said too many movies have been crammed into a market whose appetite for new product has 'leveled off', with Sony believing a cutback is vital to clear the 'clutter' and Warners looking to focus more on 'big event' movies.
So why am I not getting paid millions to sit around and think of this?
Posted by John Campea at January 23, 2006 06:32 AM
Comments
Posted by: Edward Lee at January 23, 2006 06:49 AM
Hey Edward,
Oh I agree with you. But consider this....
If a studio is budgeted to green light 15 projects... but then later on only gets green light to release 12... then in theory (it's always in theory) the bottom 3 of that original 15 WON'T get made. The overall average of quality goes up a little.
Just my thought.
Posted by: John Campea at January 23, 2006 06:52 AM
I was happy to hear the news, but I worry it means crappy, low budget, high return films will get greenlit (ie- crappy horror movies, cheap comedies ala Rob Schneider's tripe) and the good stuff that might be a little more risky (ie- Historical Epics, Sci-Fi, etc.) will get set to the side.
Hopefully, it's not his kind of double-edged sword.
Posted by: chark hammis at January 23, 2006 02:42 PM
good news, but john, have you thought that there may be a downside?
sure, less crap is always a good thing. but sometimes there's a kernel of corn within the crap that , after digging through the turd you can appreciate for its own brilliance.
if there's less crap, there may be fewer undigested kernels of corn inside.
my point, for those who havent got it yet, is that studios do release a few really good under-the-radar movies per year. what does this mean for those smaller, less promoted films? ( none spring to mind but i'm sure you could think of a few )
of course, with fewer big house releases, the indie film market just may be able to get a bigger piece of the pie.
Posted by: mogulus at January 23, 2006 07:16 PM
No, no, and no. I think everyone's terribly oversimplifying what impact this "strategy" will have.
Hollywood truth #1: anything gets greenlit b/c investors are happy to pump $$$ in so long as the right names/talents/stories are attached. If you ask me, it ain't necessarily the studios that are the problem ... its the shysters who shill crap on behalf of the studio in order to get the investors. You don't have to look any further than SERENITY to know that Universal can get folks to shell out investment dollars for anything despite the guarantee of a profit.
Lesser films will have a harder time getting made by the major studios, but they'll still find an outlet. and the real dreck -- vanity projects == will always be there. This news is no different than the old punchline to the best way to beat an economic depression: "print more money." In the end, it means essentially nothing.
Posted by: Edward Lee at January 27, 2006 07:04 PM
Erm ... the problem remains that crappy movies will still get greenlit. Honestly, it isn't the spending ALONE. It's the fact that Hollywood embraces crappy ideas.