Why does Hollywood keep rebooting the same movie properties over and over again? It's not just because studios want fans of those franchises to be happy. It's because the movie business is about supply and demand, and the demand is strongest for a few known quantities, writes Scott Feinberg.
Over on his blog, the industry analyst talks about this past "summer of the dud" and explains why nothing will change. And he concludes:
The film business, like any other, operates in a market of supply and demand. So while we critics often complain about the supply side, we ought to consider the demand. After doing so, we’ll see why the blockbuster culture will not change.
Those of us calling for change — film critics and readers of the film critics — are most likely in the 25-65 year old age range and not who the studios are trying to reel in...
Hollywood execs [are] not desperately searching for ways to change the paradigm and appease critics, but ways to capitalize off of past investments. In fact, comparison between new material and old franchises this summer suggest that studios will rely even more on remakes and sequels down the road. This suggests, of course, that we’ll see even less originality in the coming summers. Even if Hollywood were trying to change, it would take several years, since many of the 2014 and 2015 summer blockbusters are in production and pre-production.
Read the whole essay over at Feinberg's site.