In the Golden Age of Hollywood there were cinemas in almost every town, even my tiny hometown of Pamplico, South Carolina. If you were to visit it today, however, you would discover an empty building. This experience is common enough now, but it will soon become epidemic. This is due to a variety of factors: the shrinking middle class, the advent of digital projection which has high upfront costs small town cinemas can't afford, and the popularity of home theater movie viewing. One of the main causes, however, is the different way studios try to make profits now, which has much to do with globalization.
Let's take a look at the box office numbers of some iconically successful movies. The Godfather (Coppola, 1972) is considered one of the greatest films of all time and is archetypal of the Hollywood New Wave. 55% of its box office was domestic, i.e. from America, the rest of the profits coming from the world market (1). Compare this to Avatar (Cameron, 2009), the current highest-grossing film of all time and a nominee for Best Picture. A full 72% of its grosses were from foreign markets (2). The lessons studios are taking from data like this are: whatever qualities Avatar has are more palatable to foreign markets, and foreign markets constitute a majority of profits in this day and age.
Many would argue that this trend began after Jaws (Spielberg, 1975), but studios still made much of their profits from domestic gross back then (2)(3). The release of Jaws and then later Star Wars (Lucas, 1978) proved that simultaneous wide release and merchandising were effective means to maximizing profits, but they still relied on Americans to watch American films. Thus they could rely on complicated, nuanced films to reach their intended audiences.
1. “The Godfather (1972) - Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
What are the differences between The Godfather and Avatar? The Godfather is infused with American themes, is heavily concerned with American problems, and has nuances that only American audiences can pick up. Avatar is a fairly universal story of bad guys versus good guys, featuring immense and expensive spectacle that doesn't need much translation or localization. Movies like Avatar are becoming the tentpoles of the studios' financial reports. Making movies that aren't like it is seeming less and less like a fiscally good idea. However, that means that movies like The Godfather, with substantial budgets and relatively small profits despite the prestige, will no longer be produced. They don't translate well to foreign audiences.
In the 1970s, directors like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Robert Altman were creating unique and intelligent films within the studio system. Every decade since seemed to birth a new generation of directors to reinvent or evolve cinema: in the 1980s Michael Mann, James Cameron, and John Hughes defined the atmosphere of the Reagan years, and in the 1990s Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson and Gus Van Sant brought their personalities to the cineplex. However, with the 2000s, things seem to have changed. The only name that comes to mind that may join these directors in the pantheon of the greats is Jason Reitman. What could explain this deficit of new talent in the last decade?
The answer is, studios are no longer willing to take chances on untested talent. The old guard of proven talent like Mann and Wes Anderson are allowed to make their own movies, provided they can work under restricted budgets and don't expect wide release if there isn't a star name attached. But don't expect Paramount to give the keys to the lot to a novice like Francis Ford Coppola again. The only way to break into this system now is to produce something loud enough and spectacular enough that it can be sold overseas, as demonstrated by Christopher Nolan and most recently by Josh Trank, director of Chronicle. They have managed to preserve some intelligence and nuance despite working in genres that demand simplicity and bombast. This may be the only avenue of success for the American filmmaker with aspirations to work in the studio system.
The most exciting things in cinema are now happening underground, or ironically, overseas. Places like South Korea and Hong Kong are now taking the reins, and the vitality of their film scenes rival America's in the 1970s. It is comforting, at least, to think that somewhere in the world talent is being allowed to stretch its wings.
1. “The Godfather (1972) - Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
2. Avila, Michael. “‘Jaws’ 35th Anniversary: How Jaws Changed Summer Movie Blockbusters - CSMonitor.com.” The Christian Science Monitor. Newspaper. 18 June 2010. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
3. “Jaws (1975) - Box Office Mojo.” Box Office Mojo. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
