The film industry of Hollywood is worried because there is a visible downward trend in business this summer due to a shortage of movies that can fall in the category of blockbusters like “Wonder Woman” and “Dunkirk”. Predictions are not materializing into actuals and filmmakers are unable to pinpoint the reason. It seems the earn revenues of less than $4 billion which will be not only the lowest combined gross since 2007 but also a 13-15 percent drop when compared to the previous year.
Have sequels lost their charm?
New Zealand Herald reports film studios in Hollywood look to invest in new franchises in summer and hope that it will be profitable for the future.
That is apparently not happening and except for “Wonder Woman” and “Dunkirk”, there are very few that can claim to be blockbusters in this season.
Once a movie strikes gold, a sequel is planned and, some of these have been successful but there have been flops also. Observers feel that sequels have become non-starters. An example is “The Mummy” that had Tom Cruise in its cast. It was not a success. Similarly for “Alien: Covenant” which was a sequel to “Guardian of the Galaxies Vol. 2”. “Alien” had good reviews but the financial returns were not as expected. The fate of “Baywatch” was no different. It was not a sequel as such but the film adaptation of the hit TV show and had a star studded cast.
In spite of that, it was failure and filmmakers are racking their brains to find answers.
Who is to blame?
Hollywood has to realize that the taste of the viewer has changed. He wants to see something different from the run-of-the-mill affair and filmmakers must offer variety and look for stories that will sell. It has been seen that good reviews need not necessarily guarantee success at the box office.
The reviews of the film are released before the release of the actual movie and do influence the decision of the viewer but unless it is backed by a story with a difference, it will not make an impact.
Dwayne Johnson has blamed critics for the poor showing of “Baywatch” but “Wonder Woman” made a killing as did “Baby Driver” which was made on a budget of $34 million and netted $167 million.
The secret of success of blockbusters is the method of handling the story and the cast. It is all about how the story unfolds and boils down to the basics of how to captivate the viewer who must have his money’s worth. A well told good story always has takers and can never fail.
