Oh hey, Her Campus readers, are you busy on the night of June 1st, 2033? I was planning to get a group together for the midnight premiere of Fast and Furious 18 — and you’re all invited.
Alright, alright. Though this invite has been made in jest, the message behind it still rings true. At the rate Hollywood is going, the newest installment of the Fast and Furious franchise will be the only “must-see” film in theaters ten years from now (if theaters are still a thing, of course).
But let’s back up to the root of my discontent with contemporary filmmaking: I recently took my sixteen-year-old sister to see The Super Mario Bros. Movie and was astounded at the staggering number of unoriginal trailers previewed beforehand. They were all remakes of previous box-office successes or an umpteenth sequel to a popular series. Every. Single. One. I’m sorry, but we do NOT need another Transformers movie; we just don’t.
I’d like to point out that the truly innovative ideas coming out of Hollywood are few-and-far-between nowadays, but they are still there. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was the first film to actually get me into a theater rather than just waiting for the movie to be released on streaming services after a few months. And apparently, I’m not the only one — Mario raked in $377 million during its opening weekend, becoming the largest five-day movie debut of all time (that’s right, even bigger than Infinity War).
But how did Universal and Illumination achieve this? Three words: Originality. Creativity. Novelty.
As an avid reader, I’m a personal advocate for silver-screen adaptations of my favorite YA series (ahem, ACOTAR, ahem, Shatter Me and Red Queen). The yearly output of novels proudly outweighs the number of screenplays circulating through production companies, so why not give these series — or their authors — a crack at creating something new?
Another idea could be to introduce younger writers to professional writing rooms. Who cares about experience if the next Steven Spielberg walks in with an award-winning, record-setting movie concept? All of this is much easier said than done, but perhaps the hard way is the right way if it means creating content that excites audiences rather than permitting watching habits to remain in stagnant comfort zones.
Let’s be fair though, this industry revamp is a two-way street: If studios are going to create new ideas for audiences, then those audiences need to be willing to support them. Theaters are way down in numbers due to the increasing popularity of streaming services and the residual effects of COVID-19 lockdowns. People just don’t want to go to the theater anymore.
But maybe, just maybe, this new norm could change if there were films that necessitate big-screen viewings — films that won’t find justice through cracked iPhone screens and the crappy audio input of old AirPods. I’m talking about the film industry version of Radio Disney’s “Next Big Thing.” (Do y’all remember that show? The stepping stone for up-and-coming artists like Chloe and Halle Bailey?)
The ball is now in Hollywood’s square, so in the meantime, go support Universal and watch The Super Mario Bros. Movie (okay, and Fast X — love you Dad!) in theaters now. Support the studios, continue to encourage creativity and start writing your own scripts/screenplays if you want to be part of the difference. Let’s save Hollywood!