Why Hollywood Studios Keep Making Bad Movies

The Complexity of Filmmaking

Hollywood studios often do not intend to make bad movies; the complexity of filmmaking means that even great ideas with talented directors and casts can fail. The process of creating a film involves numerous stages, from scriptwriting to post-production, each fraught with potential pitfalls. Even the most promising projects can derail due to unforeseen challenges such as scheduling conflicts, budget overruns, or creative differences.

Moreover, many big-budget movies are made by committee, which is an ineffective way to create anything creative. When too many voices are involved, the original vision can get diluted. This often leads to a final product that lacks coherence and fails to resonate with audiences. The collaborative nature of filmmaking, while essential, can also be its Achilles' heel.

The Role of Existing Brands and Multiple Writers

Studios often decide to make movies based on existing brands and then hire multiple writers to keep rewriting until executives are satisfied. This practice is intended to minimize risk by leveraging known intellectual properties that already have a built-in audience. However, the constant rewriting process can stifle the creative spark, resulting in a script that feels disjointed and uninspired.

The creative process is often further hampered by repeated rounds of executive feedback and focus group testing. While these steps are meant to refine the film and make it more appealing to a broader audience, they frequently lead to compromises that dilute the original vision. This can result in a film that tries to please everyone but ends up satisfying no one.

Financial Motivations and Risk Aversion

The primary goal for many studios is to make money, not necessarily to produce good movies. This financial motivation drives studios to opt for safe, formulaic films that are more likely to turn a profit. Risk aversion leads studios to produce films that are broadly appealing and can be easily edited for multiple markets, often resulting in bland content.

The reliance on comic book movies and cheap loans gave studios a false sense of security by introducing a genre that was broadly pleasing and financially manageable. However, even successful box office performances can fail to cover massive budgets and advertising costs, as seen with "Fast X." The current economic environment, with rising interest costs on borrowed money, is making it unsustainable for studios to continue their high-spending practices.

The Gamble of Movie Production

Every movie is a gamble, especially big-budget ones, involving a lot of money and sometimes thousands of people working toward an uncertain goal. Shareholders and other stakeholders involved in movie production may not always have creative or aligned interests, affecting the final product. Studios often use well-known intellectual property, famous actors, simple stories, and extensive marketing to maximize their chances of success.

Despite efforts to ensure success, some movies still fail because public interest cannot be guaranteed. For every financial failure like "John Carter," there are unexpected successes like "The Blair Witch Project," helping studios balance their finances. Bad movies can still be profitable; for example, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was critically panned but made over $800 million.

Remakes, Sequels, and Focus Groups

Studios prefer making remakes and sequels because they have already proven to have an interested audience. This strategy reduces the financial risk associated with original content. However, the decision-making process in studios often involves multiple rounds of revisions and approvals, diluting the original creative vision. Focus group testing can lead to changes in movies that may not necessarily improve them but are intended to appeal to broader audiences.

Despite the high risk and frequent failures, studios continue to invest in big-budget movies in hopes of achieving blockbuster success. The allure of a box office hit is too strong to resist, even if it means producing films that are creatively compromised. Ultimately, the complex interplay of financial motivations, risk aversion, and the collaborative nature of filmmaking contributes to the ongoing production of bad movies in Hollywood.