Warner Bros is set to be the latest studio to gamble on fewer blockbuster movies.
But there’s a big silver lining, Simon argues…
This article originally appeared onDen of Geek UK.
The box office tail off ofBatman V Superman: Dawn Of Justiceis said not to have helped, either.
Fox too, to an extent, although its Searchlight arm continues to throw up some pleasant surprises.
Disney, of course, has the model that every major studio is looking to follow right now.
The risks are (relatively) low, the investment high, the returns have been astronomical.
The disappointment in the case of Warner Bros following such a path is palpable, though.
In my lifetime at least, its always been a studio that values its filmmaker relationships.
Long-term director and star relationships were always important to the studio, which prided itself on them.
In recent years, of course, movie star power has changed, but directors still hold sway.
And those movies will be big, expensive, and part of those aforementioned box sets.
But the system seems content with decent to good movies.
Yet before we hit the uproar button, theres something of a paradox thats worth considering.
Far from it, in fact.
And with big companies taking fewer, bigger steps, theyre leaving lots of gaps for others to exploit.
Lionsgate is an interesting example at the moment.
The fear was thatEddiewould be swamped by Warner Bros and Zack Snyders juggernaut.
But that didnt happen: instead, Lionsgate positioned and sold the film well, andEddiefound a niche.
Go back not too long, and a couple of smaller art films would be programmed against blockbusters.
Its still imperfect, of course.
