Mark Harris over at GQ online has written a great commentary on the current state of creative decision-making in Hollywood, and questioning if it is the beginning of the death of the art form.
For the studios, a good new idea has become just too scary a road to travel. Inception, they will tell you, is an exceptional movie. And movies that need to be exceptional to succeed are bad business. “The scab you’re picking at is called execution,” says legendary producer Scott Rudin (The Social Network, True Grit). “Studios are hardwired not to bet on execution, and the terrible thing is, they’re right. Because in terms of execution, most movies disappoint.”
With that in mind, let’s look ahead to what’s on the menu for this year: four adaptations of comic books. One prequel to an adaptation of a comic book. One sequel to a sequel to a movie based on a toy. One sequel to a sequel to a sequel to a movie based on an amusement-park ride. One prequel to a remake. Two sequels to cartoons. One sequel to a comedy. An adaptation of a children’s book. An adaptation of a Saturday-morning cartoon. One sequel with a 4 in the title. Two sequels with a 5 in the title. One sequel that, if it were inclined to use numbers, would have to have a 7 1/2 in the title.
And no Inception.
2011 is set to break the Hollywood record for the most sequels ever released in one year (topping out at 27, breaking the previous record of 2003’s 24 sequels). A list and perspective on that can be found at Box Office Mojo here. Harris’ article is made even more frightening when one considers the cost of attending movies with your family is skyrocketing (in part thanks to the extra 3-D glasses fee), and that the overall quality of the number of films being tossed into theaters is at a low point. As inexpensive Netflix becomes more integrated into our homes through X-Boxes and Blu-Ray players, it gets harder to justify taking the kids out to the show.
I don’t think we’re seeing the end of the great American art form as Harris’ expounds, but I can’t say I disagree that we are definitely looking at some troubled times ahead that I hope studio execs will see and react with some change to.
