Movies have become big business, with studios and fans alike obsessing over box office numbers.
Every weekend brings new debates about which films are hits or flops based on ticket sales. But this focus on profits often overshadows discussions about the actual quality and artistry of the movies themselves.
The rise of the internet has intensified this trend.
Online communities spend countless hours analyzing financial data and predicting a film’s commercial success. Meanwhile, conversations about storylines, performances, and cinematic techniques get pushed to the side.
This shift takes away from the magic of moviegoing and reduces films to mere products. It’s time to put the focus back on what makes movies special as an art form.
Is Star Wars Talk Taking Over Again?
Star Wars keeps popping up in movie discussions. The latest trilogy made big bucks at the box office, with each film pulling in over a billion dollars worldwide. The Force Awakens even hit the rare $2 billion mark. But money doesn’t always mean quality.
Fans have mixed feelings about these new Star Wars movies. Some love them, others hate them.
The Last Jedi got praise from some for matching the original trilogy’s best moments. The Force Awakens was fun but safe. The Rise of Skywalker left many fans disappointed.
The huge success of The Force Awakens set the bar too high. Disney expected every Star Wars movie to make that much money. But it was a one-time event that couldn’t be repeated.
When later films “only” made a billion dollars, some saw it as a failure.
Solo’s box office numbers show how expectations got out of hand. It made $400 million worldwide – not bad for a spin-off with a new actor as Han. But Disney spent way too much making it. They hoped for another billion-dollar hit. That was never going to happen.
Now, talk about budgets and box office numbers takes up too much space in Star Wars discussions. It’s hard to chat about the movies without bringing up money. This focus on cash has pushed out talks about the stories, characters, and filmmaking.
Past Star Wars trilogies got people talking about what they liked or didn’t like in the movies themselves. Fans debated the artistic value of each film. Now, we’re stuck arguing about when Star Wars “lost its touch” by looking at ticket sales.
It’s a shame that big-budget blockbusters eat up all the attention. There are so many other great movies to talk about. But it seems like Star Wars and other huge franchises will keep hogging the spotlight for now.
The Growing Problem of Big-Budget Movies
Movie fans have seen a big change in recent years. Big-budget films, often part of the same few series, now make up most of the money earned at theaters. This wasn’t always the case. In the past, movies from many different types of stories and directors could become popular hits.
Things shifted in 1999 with the release of “The Phantom Menace.” This Star Wars movie set new trends for blockbusters:
- Lots of special effects
- Stories that connect to other movies
- Building huge worlds for sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero stories
At the same time, the internet became more popular. This led to a change in how people talked about movies.
Websites and news outlets began to focus on sci-fi, superhero, and franchise films more than other types of movies. They did this because it’s what most readers wanted to see.
This created a cycle:
- Websites write about big-budget movies
- Readers click on those stories
- Websites write even more about big-budget movies
As a result, smaller movies don’t get as much attention. People only talk about them during film festivals or award shows. This makes it hard for regular moviegoers to learn about these films.
It’s not that all smaller or new movies fail. But the way we talk about films has become too narrow.
Every year, talented filmmakers make unique and interesting movies. But these aren’t usually the $200 million blockbusters from big studios.
To find these movies, you might need to:
- Look for films shown at festivals
- Check out smaller movie companies
- Be willing to try something new
These films might play in fewer theaters. But they often lead to more interesting talks about movies. They might ask you to think a bit more, but that can be a good thing. Trying a new type of movie that challenges you can be more fun than watching the same kind of film over and over.
Time Proves a Film’s Worth, Not Box Office Numbers
Movie fans often get caught up in opening weekend figures and total earnings. But these numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Many films that didn’t make much money when they came out are now seen as classics.
Take “The Thing” and “Blade Runner” for example. Both hit theaters on the same day in 1982 and didn’t do well at first. Now, they’re on almost every list of top sci-fi movies ever made.
The horror film “Possession” from 1981 was hardly known when it came out. Today, scary movie buffs love it and talk about it all the time.
Even recent films face this issue. People talked more about how much “Furiosa” cost to make than how good it was. This misses the point.
The movie has great acting and deserves praise for its art, not criticism over money.
“Godzilla Minus One” is another good example. It made some profit but way less than big superhero or Star Wars films. Still, it won awards for its special effects and had a strong story.
Fans will likely remember it long after they forget about some bigger movies that made more money.
Money talk about movies can be tricky. Many people think they know how Hollywood finances work, but it’s very complex.
Ticket prices change over time. Streaming has changed how actors get paid. Movies sell to different countries in different ways. Big films often make less money after the first weekend. Even experts have trouble keeping track of it all.
Watching a movie shouldn’t feel like doing math homework.
It’s nice when a film you like does well, because it means others enjoyed it too. But movies stick around in people’s minds because they make us feel something.
They have art and creativity that speaks to us years later.
If you want to make a movie that lasts, focus on that creative spark. It matters more than breaking records on opening weekend.
If we all thought about movies this way, talking about them would be more fun and less about judging their worth by dollars earned.
Featured Image Credit: icholakov01, depositphotos.com
