Is the Sun Finally Setting on Hollywood?

Industry insiders who make it their business to predict ticket sales are expecting the worst box office turnout in a decade. The LA Times reported that some Hollywood insiders are preparing for an awful summer, due to franchise fatigue and an abundance of ill conceived sequels.

This is actually a good thing, in my opinion. For way, way too long the Oligarchs have controlled every minute detail of the film making world in Hollywood and the same 10 companies are producing the same 100 movies we’ve seen over the last decade. They think that a sequel or a reboot is a “Sure thing” and that it means money in the bank for years to come.

The reality of the situation is far worse than they could’ve dreamed, however. People are getting tired of sequels and reboots. Yes, there are some monster hits that are going to really rock the business this year (Alien Covenant, for one), but the vast majority of them are going to show poor box office numbers.

I think it is time for these studio executives to start branching out, taking risks on smaller projects and seeing what new blood can be infused into the business. For example, instead of making another 500-Million dollar sequel or Superhero movie, why not take that money and invest in some new independent film makers?

More and more “A-List” celebrities are working in the independent sector, mainly because they just want to act, and there’s no shortage of great stories from unknown people. What there is a shortage of is money.

That’s why I launched the Film Fervor Funding platform and why I’m building it as fast and as best as I can. Instead of taking a 5% platform fee for the business, I’m collecting that 5% fee into a pool and will be funding an Independent Feature every month on the site (here) but that’s not the point of this post.

The international market, mainly China, is seeing a huge boom in the film industry and Hollywood is struggling to keep up. I think we’re on the edge of a major paradigm shift in the film industry and maybe, just maybe, we’ll start to see more money flowing into the independent sector.