2023’s Most Important Movie Lesson Involves Elemental, M3GAN, And Not Betting On The Internet
There’s an old adage in Hollywood that says “No one wants to be the first, but everyone wants to be the second.” This is in reference to the hesitancy studios have to make something that has never been done before out of fear that it won’t bring home massive profits, but are eager to chase trends after one of their competitors is rewarded for taking a risk. Studios will also often chase said trends and oversaturate the market until audiences are sick of it, thereby tainting whatever good the trend once held.
In 2019, “Avengers: Endgame” became the highest-grossing film of all time (at the time), and the industry responded by flooding the market with non-stop superhero projects. In 2022, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” and “Jurassic World Dominion” all ranked higher at the box office than a super flick, and in 2023, “The Flash” is just the latest in a string of misfires from DC. As of publication, the two highest-grossing releases of the year are films based on characters that frequently appear on backpacks donned by elementary schoolers (For the record, I, an adult, own both Barbie and Super Mario Bros. merch. I’m generalizing, here).
We may still be caught in a storm of sequels, remakes, and IP mining, but that is only part of the problem. The homogenous approach studios have to determine their output isn’t the only issue, it’s also the obsession with trying to become an instant, viral hit. 2023 has been a year dominated by the fruits of studios trying to chase a high they can’t manufacture, and the successes (and failures) at the box office are proof of the golden rule anyone who has spent much of their life online already knows:
Never bet on the internet.