Hollywood has had so many tanks lately it could probably invade a small country. Oblivion bombed, After Earth was a catastrophe, World War Z isn’t doing very well, Pacific Rim is swiftly disappearing while The Lone Ranger is now The Gone Ranger. There are box office flops galore, and here are five potential reasons as to why fewer and fewer people are bothering.
1. Unoriginality
“Do you like movies with numbers on the end? Well then, Despicable Me 2, Fast & Furious 6, RED 2 and Grown-Ups 2 have you covered. If not, then how about remakes!? The Evil Dead, Man of Steel and The Lone Ranger all tread familiar ground. Monsters University is the prequel of the month, while World War Z is based on a book! Wait… What is this ‘originality’ of which you speak? Is that even a word!?” - HOLLYWOOD
2. Actors Phoning It In
Adam Sandler is a famous example of an actor who attracts legions of fans (and their dollar bills) with no actual effort. He just walks on set, makes a joke about poop or transvestism, and then leaves. But he’s not alone: the ensemble cast of RED 2 clearly only showed up for their paycheques, Johnny Depp is doing the routine in The Lone Ranger he’s been doing since Edward Scissorhands, and Jaden Smith’s morph-suit had more range than him and his nepotistic dad combined in After Earth. People are tired of seeing the same old actors doing the same old shtick time and time again.
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3. Growth of Quality TV
What with the advent of Netflix, it’s never been easier for people to access so much high-quality television. It seems that these days, there’s an innovative show to suit everybody’s tastes; Game of Thrones fills the Tolkien void, Mad Men and Breaking Bad show potential writers how it’s done, Community and Parks and Recreation keep us laughing while The Walking Dead thrills all you zombicidal maniacs out there. This avalanche of great TV shows keeps us entertained, and, unfortunately for Hollywood, on our couches.
4. The Apocalypse
Yeah, pretty much all of mankind seems to agree that This Is The End rocks. But it remains the cherry atop an overdone yet half-baked wedding cake of recent apocalyptic movies. Oblivion, After Earth, World War Z, The Host, Pacific Rim, The World’s End… While these films may vary wildly in quality, their common theme of dystopia is seriously getting old. Very old. Old as balls.
5. Indie Cinema
Without becoming too pretentious about the whole affair, it is my belief/hope that people are beginning to realise the relative worth of independent film. This summer alone has already yielded three stone-cold classics in the forms of Mud, Behind the Candelabra and Before Midnight, and people are starting to take notice. Kudos to the Lighthouse, the Screen and the IFI for reminding us that there are alternatives to whichever blockbuster has rolled into town.
