As life returned to normal after the pandemic, I was excited to return to movie theaters. All I could think about were the exciting new stories, the smell of buttery popcorn and the anticipation before the film as the lights went down. Emerging from quarantine, box office movies like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” in 2023, or “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Top Gun: Maverick” in 2022, inspired a boom of audiences going to theaters. But, as someone enthusiastic to see fresh and original stories, I was disappointed to realize the movies that were getting the most traction were the ones connected to franchises or already-existing films.
Save for “Oppenheimer,” the 10 highest-grossing films of the year have been franchise movies. But, even “Oppenheimer” could be considered a “chain” or franchise movie because of the cult following for director and writer Christopher Nolan. Other popular films, such as the recent installments of “The Fast and the Furious,” “Mission Impossible” and “Indiana Jones” use a base plot developed decades ago with the understanding that it’ll bring in audiences and profits. It’s disappointing to see that the movies that we consume are trying to base themselves on an already existing algorithm instead of attempting to break the barriers of what audiences may like.
In the past month alone, two of the most popular films to see in the theaters were “Five Nights at Freddy’s” or “The Eras Tour” film. While nothing is necessarily wrong with either of these movies, it’s frustrating to know that they originate from franchises with already large followings. The motivation for making these movies was to make money by reusing existing work in place of creating and telling a new story.
The reboots and “new spins” on the classics are exciting every once in a while, but when they dominate movie theaters, it becomes exhausting. In the past, only a fraction of funding for these reboots or fan-favorites would be necessary to help independent projects get in the movie theaters to promote innovation in the industry. But now, because movies are much harder to make, only established franchises with huge budgets are able to turn out new films in theaters.
The challenge stems from the rapid increase in streaming services. A subscription service tends to cost less than a movie ticket and pays for far more content. In turn, theaters are actually showing fewer films to accommodate for audiences understanding that streaming services have a lot of movies for a cheaper price. If executives plan for a movie release in theaters, they have to know it will make a considerable profit.
For example, it seems obvious that a film like “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” would get a theatrical release because it has a large, pre-existing fanbase who would eagerly pay to see it in theaters. Its success seemed guaranteed to the studios — the existing story around the characters and the unique art style in which that story is represented was expected to bring in a lot of money. There is nothing wrong with bringing back existing franchises to excite audiences, especially when they are so well-crafted like “Spider-Man.” But new, independent films should exist at the same time, especially since franchises help attract all types of audiences to theaters. If someone was going to see “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” for example, and they saw a trailer or poster for an upcoming independent movie while they were at the theater, it may help grow its audience.
A24 is an independent organization already helping with the problem of the erasure of independent film on the big screen. The company is already acclaimed as a game-changing organization for the indie genre. A24 started from humble beginnings, producing smaller films before partnering with services Amazon Prime and Showtime, allowing A24 to sustain their films online after a short theatrical release. “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Moonlight,” “Lady Bird” and “Hereditary” are all examples of A24’s mastery of independent film and their ability to bring lesser-known talent into the forefront of the entertainment industry. In the past month, esteemed director Sofia Coppola collaborated with A24 to produce “Priscilla,” a biopic about Priscilla Presley. A24 has expanded significantly while still being independent, showing the strength independent film can have when given resources and a high budget.
It may still be a while until the mid-budget film returns to theaters. But, there are action steps that we can all take to make sure they don’t disappear: support projects by small filmmakers on your streaming service, pay attention to the array of options in movie theaters and keep track of the winners of film festivals to get excited about new projects on the horizon. If our consumer culture starts to demand a growth in independent film, then the industry will respond.
There are so many amazing things about independent movies that the industry and audiences should keep in mind when looking for their next feature film. Independent filmmaking helped beloved filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson and Greta Gerwig become household names and will help new artists break into the industry later on. Throughout the past couple of years, audiences have shown that they still respond to independent films: the Best Picture success of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “CODA” are proof. Rather than repackage franchises to make a meaningless profit, studios need to pay attention to audience demands and highlight original stories in the theaters.
Contact Eliana Joftus at joftus@oxy.edu
