Feature

Why Hollywood won't gamble on good summer movies

2010's "Inception" was an anomaly, says Mark Harris in GQ. More typically, the concepts of "creative ambition" and "summer movie" just don't mesh in Hollywood

The summer tent-pole movie season is coming soon, but don't expect another quality thriller like Inception at the multiplex, says Mark Harris in GQ. Both this summer and next will, instead, see a glut of comic-book adaptations, sequels, and prequels. Indeed, movie studios are "trying very hard not to notice" the Academy-Award-nominated precedent set by Inception, afraid of the risks similar projects might entail. "It's really bad news," says Harris, "when the industry essentially rejects a success, when a movie that should have spawned two dozen taste-based gambles on passion projects is instead greeted as an unanswerable anomaly." Here, an excerpt: 

For the studios, a good new idea has become just too scary a road to travel. Inception, they will tell you, is an exceptional movie. And movies that need to be exceptional to succeed are bad business. "The scab you're picking at is called execution," says legendary producer Scott Rudin (The Social Network, True Grit). "Studios are hardwired not to bet on execution, and the terrible thing is, they're right. Because in terms of execution, most movies disappoint."

With that in mind, let's look ahead to what's on the menu for this year: four adaptations of comic books. One prequel to an adaptation of a comic book. One sequel to a sequel to a movie based on a toy. One sequel to a sequel to a sequel to a movie based on an amusement-park ride. One prequel to a remake. Two sequels to cartoons. One sequel to a comedy. An adaptation of a children's book. An adaptation of a Saturday-morning cartoon. One sequel with a 4 in the title. Two sequels with a 5 in the title. One sequel that, if it were inclined to use numbers, would have to have a 7 1/2 in the title. ...

Let's just admit it: Hollywood has become an institution that is more interested in launching the next rubberized action figure than in making the next interesting movie.

Read the entire article in GQ.

Recommended

The daily gossip: March 23, 2023
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon
Daily gossip

The daily gossip: March 23, 2023

The Mandalorian's best Star Wars Easter eggs
The Mandalorian
Feature

The Mandalorian's best Star Wars Easter eggs

The daily gossip: March 22, 2023
Gisele Bündchen
Daily gossip

The daily gossip: March 22, 2023

The daily gossip: March 21, 2023
Jamie Foxx
Daily gossip

The daily gossip: March 21, 2023

Most Popular

Mosquito species from South America discovered in Florida
Culex lactator.
new in town

Mosquito species from South America discovered in Florida

Essential molecules for life may have been 'delivered' to Earth from space
Asteroid Ryugu.
alien invasion

Essential molecules for life may have been 'delivered' to Earth from space

DeSantis' no good, very bad week
Ron DeSantis at a podium
Behind the scenes

DeSantis' no good, very bad week