With ticket sales down and newly released movies hitting streaming and video-on-demand (VOD) services in record time, it’s not surprising that films are struggling to make it big in theaters. For comparison, 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road grossed a whopping $45 million over a non-holiday opening weekend, which ultimately led to an impressive $380 million global box office draw. Meanwhile, Furiosa, which is equally well-received, earned just $32 million over the four days that make up Memorial Day weekend. Sadly, Hollywood’s slump is becoming much more of a pattern, and there are clear-cut reasons why.

They are:

  1. The Movie Theater Experience Isn’t Always Great
  2. Movie Theaters Are Expensive
  3. Bigger Budgets Puts Greater Box Office Expectations On Some Movies
  4. The COVID-19 Pandemic Changed Moviegoing Habit
  5. Audiences Have Been Conditioned That New Theatrical Releases Will Quickly Go To VOD
  6. Streaming Means There’s More Choice At Home Than In Theaters
  • JowlesMcGee@kbin.social
    35·
    6 months ago

    Just because it’s a sequel doesn’t mean it’s derivative. All 5 movies are directed by the same guy. I can’t speak for the first 3, but if you saw the 2015 movie and couldn’t tell that it was a passion project, then I don’t know what to tell you. We don’t call Sherlock Holmes soulless even though Doyle wrote over 50 short stories starring Holmes.

    It’s entirely possible for someone to be creatively invested in a world they’ve built and want to keep exploring it in future works.

    • acockworkorange@mander.xyzEnglish
      111·
      6 months ago

      I absolutely love the Mad Max series, but I’ll be the first to say that yes, it’s derivative, except for the very first one.

      All the others follow the same formula: Max Rockatansky wanders into a shitty situation while dealing with Bad Guys™️. Shitty situation escalates and ropes him in. He reluctantly helps and, with a ragtag team of anti-heroes, they save the day at a great cost. Max is left to wander the Outback once more.

      It’s a great formula, I love it, but I won’t blame anyone for not wanting to watch more of the same.

      • dingus182English
        7·
        6 months ago

        In '85, they brought on Tina Turner just to cash in on previous releases. Kinda like casting JLo or Beyonce in another Mad Max and expecting it to do better.