No Business Like Show Business...

Saw this story in the NY Times about changing times in the movie business and it reminded me of a book I just finished. In The Big Picture: Money and Power in Hollywood, Edward Jay Epstein writes about the trend in movies toward developing franchises with scads of licensed products that make a lot of money for everyone through toys, video games, clothes, DVDs, etc.

The NY Times points to former Universal executive Stacey Snider, who presided over the studio during the Peter Jackson King Kong remake. The movie, as the article says, was considered a disappointment despite making $547 million worldwide. Snider left her job not too long ago and is now at DreamWorks, working on far fewer movies.

Says Snider:

“It’s not like I view this as a private, artistic enterprise. I certainly felt the pressure. I felt the uncertainty. It galvanized the angst. We went from making movies to making product and content. I didn’t want to make franchises. I wanted to make movies.”

Epstein's book goes on to note that the trend in movies is to appeal to pre-teen and teen-age boys, the most reliable moviegoers. Thus the slate of comic book movies and action flicks with little dialogue, which also easily translate overseas.

His hypothesis makes sense and on one hand, the young at heart in me loves to see all the comic book flicks. But hopefully there will always be a place for more serious and more challenging movies.

Caught on Film: A Growing Unease in Hollywood [NY Times]