the audience gets what it asked for
Writing in Paste, Jacob Oller argues that the venture capital-style pursuit of billions has ruined movies, specifically in the way studios have tried to ruthlessly capitalize on intellectual property to generate mega franchises.
โTidy, consistent, sustainable profitsโthe kind of thing generated by movie studios that once offered a diverse slate of reasonably budgeted adult dramas, teen-date rom-coms, family films, and fence-swinging art moviesโare a thing of the past for those in charge of the industry,โ Oller writes. However, โThere must be growth. There must be domination. There must be Shared Universes.โ
Thus, the rise of IP-driven blockbusters. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the most notable iteration of this; you also have...