It's list time! So we're kicking things off with five lessons the movie world should, and probably won't learn based on this year. Let's go!
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1. Horror is Fierce, Female, Furious and Financially Viable
The 2022 edition of this list, I noted that horror movies were here to stay. Two years later, I can proudly say that I was very very right.
2024 was a great year for the horror genre, not just in a high volume of quality movies from various subgenres, but also with tons of box office success including the summer's sleeper hit Longlegs and Terrifier 3 making nearly $100 million worldwide.
But what's really stood out has been the kinds of horror movies being made. Because this was a massive year for mad-as-hell feminist horror movies tackling themes like bodily autonomy (see The First Omen and Immaculate), aging and body image through body horror via The Substance, or having an engaging female protagonist unpacking trauma a la the yearly Maika Monroe genre fare in Longlegs once again and Naomi Scott in Smile 2. And about half of the films I just listed also had women behind the camera as well.
So while it may never reach its eighties heyday, 2024 was a great sign for the years to come and for the genre moving forward.
But what's really stood out has been the kinds of horror movies being made. Because this was a massive year for mad-as-hell feminist horror movies tackling themes like bodily autonomy (see The First Omen and Immaculate), aging and body image through body horror via The Substance, or having an engaging female protagonist unpacking trauma a la the yearly Maika Monroe genre fare in Longlegs once again and Naomi Scott in Smile 2. And about half of the films I just listed also had women behind the camera as well.
So while it may never reach its eighties heyday, 2024 was a great sign for the years to come and for the genre moving forward.
2. Pick a Void and Fill It...Or Make An Animated Movie
Looking at the top 10-20 box office successes of this year isn't going to help the risk-adverse thinking of studio heads. Almost every movie in that lot is the second, third, fourth, fifth or even sixth edition of a popular franchise with a number of fun "original" properties relegated to the outside.
However, what does stand out is the variety. This year's box office champs include plenty of animated kids movies, a big budget movie musical, a comedy sequel done with predominantly practical effects, a high-octane disaster movie, a highly anticipated sci-fi sequel that out-performed its predecessor, with the highest performing superhero movie being an R-rated buddy comedy that had production delayed multiple times due to strikes.
Point being is that it appears that the age of single genre domination appears to be over and that there's definitely an audience for R-rated action movies, rom-coms, and generally speaking, movies for adults that people claim no one wants to see anymore.
However, what does stand out is the variety. This year's box office champs include plenty of animated kids movies, a big budget movie musical, a comedy sequel done with predominantly practical effects, a high-octane disaster movie, a highly anticipated sci-fi sequel that out-performed its predecessor, with the highest performing superhero movie being an R-rated buddy comedy that had production delayed multiple times due to strikes.
Point being is that it appears that the age of single genre domination appears to be over and that there's definitely an audience for R-rated action movies, rom-coms, and generally speaking, movies for adults that people claim no one wants to see anymore.
But the one genre that came away from 2024 smelling like roses was...animation. Which is funny, considering how so much of the discourse around movies is that no one wants to see movies in the theater anymore or load up the whole family to go see something...when clearly they do. Pretty clear that people want movies they can take the entire family to, and since animated movies are the only ones fitting the bill most of the time, this genre reigned supreme. It also might be the best place to try out some new ideas to see if they stick...
3. Quick Fire Digital Releases Are A Problem
Here's an experience I had about 2-3 times this year. There's a movie I'm interested in seeing. But I'm a busy adult and it's not always easy to get to a theater in time to see said movie. Based on the opening week listings I think I have plenty of time to check it out. Especially now that solid worth of mouth is building so said movie and...it's not in theaters anymore. And it just popped up on Fandango and Amazon Prime today. Wasn't this just in theaters like two months ago?
The 2020 issue that's yet to be figured out went into overdrive this year, as more and more movies ended up on digital even before the film had finished a proper theatrical run.
There's a lot of reasons I find this very dumb. The biggest one is piracy, which becomes infinitely easier with the digital release (or put another way a giant file is accessible to people who can distribute it as they see fit). Which in turn means fewer online rentals and sales.
There's a lot of reasons I find this very dumb. The biggest one is piracy, which becomes infinitely easier with the digital release (or put another way a giant file is accessible to people who can distribute it as they see fit). Which in turn means fewer online rentals and sales.
But the one thing no one seems to be discussing is how this can create bad habits in the movie watching audience. At this point, if I don't make it to see a movie that isn't a runaway box office success I start my mental countdown for the release on digital. Which means I'm in no hurry to get to a theater after week one, because what's the point.
This is definitely not helped by the sheer number of streaming platforms which also get new releases a few months after movies were just in theaters including Warner Bros. dumping their box office misses onto Max in a hurry, Paramount + doing the same, and Netflix releasing everything Sony puts out.
I feel like this quick draw tendency is going to reach a breaking point fast, but then again, I've never known studio heads to look too far ahead.
This is definitely not helped by the sheer number of streaming platforms which also get new releases a few months after movies were just in theaters including Warner Bros. dumping their box office misses onto Max in a hurry, Paramount + doing the same, and Netflix releasing everything Sony puts out.
I feel like this quick draw tendency is going to reach a breaking point fast, but then again, I've never known studio heads to look too far ahead.
4. Movie Discourse Continues to Get Dumber
As someone who loves movies, 2024 was a difficult year to be online in and around movie discourse.
And I'll do my best to summarize why modern movie discourse irritates the s*** out of me by pointing out some tropes of online movie discussion that make me want to throw things.
1. The Logic Cop
And I'll do my best to summarize why modern movie discourse irritates the s*** out of me by pointing out some tropes of online movie discussion that make me want to throw things.
1. The Logic Cop
The perspective of this particular irritant, the unfortunate evolution of the "well, actually" person, can best be summed up by a number of people who watched The Substance and decided that the movie was stupid because..."umm Margaret Qualley's character would never be able to get a job without a Social Security number." As if, this movie about a substance that makes a middle aged woman shed her older skin and become a youthful sexpot is based in any kind of reality and isn't just a giant metaphor and oh my god shut the f*** up.
To watch a movie in good faith is to turn off certain parts of your brain that are looking for reasons why this simple or fantastical story can't work in our world and too many people are failing at this.
To watch a movie in good faith is to turn off certain parts of your brain that are looking for reasons why this simple or fantastical story can't work in our world and too many people are failing at this.
2. The Agenda Pusher
If I never hear the word "woke" again in reference to a movie, it won't be soon enough. 2023 was pretty bad in this regard, thanks in large part to Barbie being the highest grossing movie of the year, but 2024 seemed to kick everything into overdrive when it came to gauging a movie's quality based on its alleged ideological outlook...even before it comes out.
There are plenty of movies that push out ideas and concepts I completely disagree with that are still good movies because they are effectively told stories. And if you're someone who actually considers themselves intellectually salient, you should be able to navigate what/why a movie invoked certain feelings within you without buzzwords.
3. The Praise One Movie By S***ing On Another Person
As Wicked was on it's way to make almost a billion dollars, a coup for the musical loving crowd, I saw a surge of the movie community decide...you know what, now's the time to point out all of the musicals that look and feel better than Wicked. Which is such a shitty outlook that will make fans of Wicked dig in and ensure that they will never take your perspective on movies seriously again, or turn people against Wicked for surface level reasons.
I know online discourse and algorithms encourage negativity but I think it's much more effective and fun to say "hey, if you liked Wicked check out this!" It's also making a nicer and more inviting space for people to learn about and take in new movies.
I know online discourse and algorithms encourage negativity but I think it's much more effective and fun to say "hey, if you liked Wicked check out this!" It's also making a nicer and more inviting space for people to learn about and take in new movies.
4. Popular Movies Aren't Cinema
This group is difficult to talk about because to some extent, I get what a lot of these folks are talking about. When someone complains about a movie like Twisters making money, they're not frustrated at the director, stars, or even the film itself. They're mostly irritated that all of the time, money and attention is dedicated to blockbuster movies vs. the "films" they enjoy.
But that doesn't mean that every single blockbuster movie is inherently dumb "slop" that we the piggie masses will eat up. Did I think Deadpool and Wolverine was the 2nd best movie of the year? No. Did I have a lot of fun with it regardless? Yes. Doesn't mean everyone has to like it, but it doesn't make me less of a fan of movies like I Saw the TV Glow or Blink Twice. Done right blockbuster movies can be used to buoy the industry and get the fun art made, even if said art doesn't make a ton of money.
The reason you think they can't co-exist isn't because filmmakers or artists feel that way. It's because studios think that way...
But that doesn't mean that every single blockbuster movie is inherently dumb "slop" that we the piggie masses will eat up. Did I think Deadpool and Wolverine was the 2nd best movie of the year? No. Did I have a lot of fun with it regardless? Yes. Doesn't mean everyone has to like it, but it doesn't make me less of a fan of movies like I Saw the TV Glow or Blink Twice. Done right blockbuster movies can be used to buoy the industry and get the fun art made, even if said art doesn't make a ton of money.
The reason you think they can't co-exist isn't because filmmakers or artists feel that way. It's because studios think that way...
5. The Yearly "F***" Studio Heads" Rant
Last year had more than enough cannon fodder to fire off at studio heads from the strikes alone. But because big business is booming, consolidating, and shitting the bed yet again, 2024 had more than enough ammunition for my gattling gun of complaints to fire off at studio heads.
Let's start with AI, which the Writer's Guild fought tooth and nail to keep out of their processes, thank god, but still started to find it's way into the promotion and production side of the business thanks to a bunch of AI posters and promotional materials with obvious mistakes being used by both independent and big budget movies alive. A move that so many movie people hated, that filmmakers are now pre-empting the outrage by letting everyone know that their promo materials did not use AI to create images. Talk about not reading the room.
We also have studio heads blaming their biggest box office bombs, namely Sony, not on the quality of the scripts or movies they're developing, or whether or not there was even an interest in a Kraven the Hunter movie, but on reviewers who crapped on a bad movie...because the audience's just regurgitated what they heard from reviewers? What the f*** is happening on that mental journey?
But we it comes down to almost everything that irks me and you about the movie business, it can be chalked up to studio heads being the dumbest people in the entire world.
Warner Bros. had an impossible amount of buzz...for movies that will never see the light of day. All of those early digital releases? That goes through studio heads. Even movies that aren't great but could still make money like Red One, you know a holiday movie that was out during the holidays, got dumped onto Amazon Prime where the studio bragged about how many people watched it there...
Let's start with AI, which the Writer's Guild fought tooth and nail to keep out of their processes, thank god, but still started to find it's way into the promotion and production side of the business thanks to a bunch of AI posters and promotional materials with obvious mistakes being used by both independent and big budget movies alive. A move that so many movie people hated, that filmmakers are now pre-empting the outrage by letting everyone know that their promo materials did not use AI to create images. Talk about not reading the room.
We also have studio heads blaming their biggest box office bombs, namely Sony, not on the quality of the scripts or movies they're developing, or whether or not there was even an interest in a Kraven the Hunter movie, but on reviewers who crapped on a bad movie...because the audience's just regurgitated what they heard from reviewers? What the f*** is happening on that mental journey?
But we it comes down to almost everything that irks me and you about the movie business, it can be chalked up to studio heads being the dumbest people in the entire world.
Warner Bros. had an impossible amount of buzz...for movies that will never see the light of day. All of those early digital releases? That goes through studio heads. Even movies that aren't great but could still make money like Red One, you know a holiday movie that was out during the holidays, got dumped onto Amazon Prime where the studio bragged about how many people watched it there...
Here's some thing's to bear in mind.
The only reason that Marvel could seemingly right itself at the box office this year, was because Ryan Reynolds or his proxy once released test footage from the original Deadpool movie which generated enough interest in the original movie getting made, which meant they would be able to make one of the most successful movies of all time a decade later. Because according to studio heads, there was not a market for R-rated superhero movies.
The only reason that Marvel could seemingly right itself at the box office this year, was because Ryan Reynolds or his proxy once released test footage from the original Deadpool movie which generated enough interest in the original movie getting made, which meant they would be able to make one of the most successful movies of all time a decade later. Because according to studio heads, there was not a market for R-rated superhero movies.
Christopher Nolan ended a decade long plus partnership with Warner Bros. over its decision to not put movies into theaters for 2021 and immediately went on to create a Best Picture winning box office smash hit about Robert Oppenheimer.
The people making decisions about which art does or doesn't make it to 3,000 screens across the nation not only don't understand their audience, they also have no vision. All they'll take away from this year was that we need more "IP"
At this point, this is an industry succeeding in spite of the people in charge, not because of it.
The people making decisions about which art does or doesn't make it to 3,000 screens across the nation not only don't understand their audience, they also have no vision. All they'll take away from this year was that we need more "IP"
At this point, this is an industry succeeding in spite of the people in charge, not because of it.
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