It is wild to me how well they have done at the box office. They just kept getting worse and people have only recently stopped going to see them. I wonder if hese do poorly after release, but are big events in the short term.
A huge amount of people go to see Disney stuff in theatres because they feel like they're supposed to. Disney has done a great job creating a sense of their stuff being a mandatory experience to keep up with pop culture
They have had lots of misfires though. Has anyone even heard of strange world? Even going back to the original lion king, they used to release lots of straight to video sequels. Cheap to make, high margin.
As you say, they have monopolised children's entertainment very successfully. Even with inside out 2, they have taken the character and made them older so the original target audience of viewers can follow the arc personally.
Movies are bombing now, and they keep churning out the same, and consistently worsening, garbage.
Studios will fire their entire staff in exchange for an AI megafarm before they consider "wasting" any more of their time on quality. Why would they when quantity is enough to fill their pockets?
So called enshitifaction is taking hold everywhere, what makes you think the entertainment industry is any different?? Hoping for shareholders to give a shit, at this point in time, is laughable.
I have faith in some kind of course correction, if it becomes profitable in some way. Otherwise we're watching the death of cinema in real time.
"We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make history. We have no obligation to make a statement. But to make money, it is often important to make history, to make art, or to make some significant statement. We must always make entertaining movies, and, if we make entertaining movies, at times, we will reliably make history, art, a statement or all three. We cannot expect numerous hits, but if every film has an original and imaginative concept, then we can be confident that something will break through."
-Michael Eisner
Then neither you, nor Michael Eisner are paying attention (though LMFAO at you bringing a former Disney exec, not even a creative but a business man, as representation of someone who gives a shit about cinema. That's like quoting Musk on environmental issues. Hint: People like that absolutely have been paying attention, things are going great for them, they just can't not lie to make themselves feel important, and to make their shareholders, and people like you, believe in some white/greenwashed fairy tale they spin for you while they continue exploiting people and destroying industries out of sheer greed for money and power).
Also, the idea that if the big corporate propaganda machines fail, cinema fails, just goes to prove how well said propaganda works.
I thought your argument was that the movie industry isn’t immune to enshittification? I was pointing out how you’re correct by using a quote from a film exec that proves your point. Films are a business, and if businesses want to make money then they have to appeal to audiences, so course correction is possible. I’m allowed to live in my duality.
They're just going to see bad numbers and fire everyone below them to use more AI and cheap rebrands or remakes and wonder why nothing is getting better