Facing declining sales and declining interest from a population that is increasingly shunning their product, Hollywood studios have apparently decided to release “substantially fewer films” over the next year or two. Not only that, but Hollywood is also less interested in footing the bill for motion pictures.
According to a Sunday Variety column:
“Substantially fewer films will be produced over the next year or two. And a significant portion of the production costs of the reduced slate will be borne by hedge funds and other investment groups.
“Talk to the corporate hierarchs and you quickly elicit the thinking behind this pullback: Too many movies have been crammed into a market whose appetite for new product has obviously leveled off.”
Apparently, this sentiment is broadly felt across the movie industry:
“Sony believes a cutback in production is vital to clear the clutter in the marketplace. Disney is intent on pushing further resources into animation, ESPN and ABC to create new content for newly expanding digital platforms. Warner Bros. wants to focus more on big ‘event’ movies and cut back those discomfiting ‘middle’ films. So it goes across the board.”
This might be a radical idea, but maybe Hollywood moguls and producers should address ticket sales by reviewing the content of their movies.
