It's late 2025. Hollywood may be dying.
It had a good run. The age of Spielberg and Lucas is legendary.
Star Wars- the original, not the Disney stuff. E.T. Avatar.
Indiana Jones. Lord of the Rings. Apollo 13.
Rebirth in the early 2000s following Titanic in the late 90s.
But now...
I look at the top American movies from the past two years. This year: A disney live-action remake, a Dreamworks live-action remake, two sequels, one a second-rate sequel to the once great Jurassic Park, and something based on Minecraft. Last year: four sequels and a Lion King remake.
No wonder they make such a big deal about the Wicked movie.
A few years ago, there was life... Avatar 2: The Way of Water, Black Panther 2, two legendary sequels, the Barbenheimer phenomenon, and Everything Everywhere All at Once, Oscar-winner with a fairly major release, all within two years.
There was life. Not like 2001 or 1997. But there was life.
But still...
I look back at the years since Avatar came out in 2009. Only a precious few earth-shaking new works that are not sequels. Black Panther, Wonder Woman, the Barbie movie, Everything Everywhere all at Once, a handful of Pixar classics- and that's it.
Sure, we can always count on Pixar.
But outside of Pixar, Hollywood is dying.
Meanwhile, the new revolution is here.
Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The new quantum revolution.
There is but one follow-up anywhere near mainstream Hollywood. The Barbie movie.
The rest of the revolution is indie and obscure somewhere. Ya gotta search for it.
I'm sorry. Hollywood's dying.
At least the phase of its life that ran from Star Wars in 1977 to Avatar in 2009.
Film is not dying. Not even close.
But mainstream Hollywood is dying.
At least it was able to launch the new revolution- Everything Everywhere All at Once.
And at least the Black Panther and Avatar franchises are alive, and James Gunn's new DC Universe. Not that Marvel and DC- save for a couple of subfranchise experiments like Black Panther- can compare to the legends of old.
The Marvel movies are pop hits. The Star Wars trilogy and E.T., things like that, are Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's.
Mainstream America's last creative thing is dying.
America will be fine- we're just not very creative right now. Except indie on the Internet.
Long live the indie Internet artist, and long live Bollywood! India and Japan will give us movies now!
God loves you!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson