It's 2023. Hollywood has a money problem
They spend way too much of it and spend way too little effort developing talent and creativity.
This is still a fine age of movies.
Probably the worst age in the history of American movies, but hey, we've never had an age of American movies that isn't great.
(there have been a few incredibly great movies in recent years, like Everything Everywhere all At Once and the Black Panther movies.)
But Hollywood, according to a news article, is relying on the Chinese market to make money.
They can only at best break even domestically.
They say that movies are less popular because of streaming.
I look it up. Two movies have already made well over 500 million dollars this year- in America alone.
The movies are popular, all right.
Then I look up something on a hunch.
The Empire Strikes Back had more big money special effects and sets than probably any movie up to its time.
Along with a few others, it had by far more big budget special effects and sets than any other movie ever made.
They looked AMAZING.
That movie was made for just over 30 million dollars.
I looked up inflation in the US. A dollar in 1980 would be worth less than 4 dollars today.
The Empire Strikes Back cost the equivalent of 110 million dollars or less.
The biggest big-budget special effects movie ever, by far, up to its time, with a few others, and with more amazing looks than all but a few movies made in the last 10 years.
Cost the equivalent of 110 million dollars or less.
Many of today's big budget movies cost nearly 300 million dollars!
This is rediculous!
This is Hollywood's financial problem!
A great filmmaker can make a movie that will look just as amazing with a third of that!
Hollywood needs to stop overspending in big budget special effects and start investing in talent and creativity!
George Lucas needed a third of that money to make The Empire Strikes Back!
Top Gun: Maverick cost some 170 million dollars- and looks inexpensive by comparison!
And is regarded as a better, more amazing movie than those 300 million dollar movies of the past two years!
This is my advice, I don't know if anyone in Hollywood will hear it, but here goes!
Invest in developing talent and creativity, and stop overspending on special effects!
God loves you and keep making movies!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson
P.S. good luck on the writer's unions and their strike!