Prediction two: Not because studios are nice, but because the streaming wars have cratered. With Wall Street demanding profitability over subscribers, studios can no longer afford to only make $200 million blockbusters. They will have to make Aftersun and Past Lives again—$10 million dramas that make their money back slowly, over years, on digital rental.
This has created a fascinating anxiety in the C-suites. Executives know that audiences want originality. But they are terrified to pay for it. The result is the "highbrow franchise"—taking a beloved IP and handing it to an auteur. The Batman (Matt Reeves). Andor (Tony Gilroy). The Last of Us (Craig Mazin). These are not products; they are arguments that genre can be art. It is a truce in the culture war. Perhaps the most profound shift is where and how we watch. a27hopsonxxx
On the other hand, you had The Marvels and The Flash —expensive, sequel-laden, universe-building films that crashed and burned. The audience has developed a sophisticated immune system to mediocre franchise fare. We will show up for a great Spider-Verse movie. We will not show up for the fourth Ant-Man . Prediction two: Not because studios are nice, but
But here is the hopeful note: Popular media has always been a mess. In the 1950s, they thought television would destroy reading. In the 80s, they thought the VCR would kill cinema. It didn't. It just changed. This has created a fascinating anxiety in the C-suites