Two hundred million dollars.
In only seven years, the most grossing movie of 2023 brought in $200 million less than that of 2018. Adjusted for inflation, 2018’s “Black Panther” grossed the equivalent of $865,155,829, while 2023’s “Barbie” grossed $636,225,983.
This is the sad truth of cinema’s fall: the culture surrounding movies has yet to regrow in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite it being four years. Designed to make more money, the rinse-and-repeat plots have taken the magic out of movies.
People are opting to wait for a movie to make it to streaming services rather than spending $30 or more on tickets, gas and popcorn. This is proven as the box office’s further declines. Comparing the 10th highest grossing of the same years, 2018’s “Star Wars” prequel, “Solo,” brought in the equivalent of $264,180,675 — almost $100 million more than 2023’s “Sound of Freedom” ($184,177,725). While I’m all for cheaper things, the lack of movie-lovers leaving their house for a new film has had an effect on our culture.
Even movies usually guaranteed to do well in the box office, like superhero movies from Marvel and D.C. Studios, have been dramatic flops this year. Movies which introduced new characters flopped, such as “Blue Beetle,” failed to break even. Sequels of well-performing movies struggled at the box office, such as “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantamania.” Teachers used to warn kids from spoiling the latest blockbusters by threatening detention; now, a film is lucky to be mentioned once in the weeks following its release.
One of the biggest reasons the culture behind movies has declined is because of the rinse-and-repeat of plots. Companies no longer push themselves to branch out in fear of not making as much money as storylines and tropes believed sell. While some “big name” actors earned their fame by being good at what they do, marketing often focuses on those actors and pushes away every bit of originality the movie may have.
There is still hope, however, as new blockbusters have proven movie-lovers are still willing to swarm the theaters for movies with new, interesting twists. Films like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” grew cult-like followings, and “Minions: the Rise of Gru” created the #GentleMinions trend. Movie theater culture still exists, but it is spread thin and far — only there for new takes on storytelling, not predictable plots and overused actors.
Movies are supposed to tell stories in a way nothing else can — to share the struggles and victories of characters in a beautiful echo of life. Films are no longer doing this; therefore, they are no longer drawing large crowds. Until the film industry changes its ways, the nostalgic culture we grew up with is as good as gone.
