Adapting to Hollywood’s Slump: Tips for Filmmakers

Is Hollywood’s Slump a Death Knell for Filmmakers? Not If You Adapt.

Cover image via Shutterstock.

The film industry has just recorded its worst performance at the box office in more than a decade, selling 400,000,000 fewer tickets than the previous year. While studios and publications are finding many avenues to blame for this summer’s poor performance, it seems to simply be a case of changing consumer behavior.

The ways we watch movies have completely changed — from the smallest indie film to biggest Hollywood blockbuster. For filmmakers, observing and adapting to this ever-changing model is the key to a long and sustainable career in the industry.

Image via Shutterstock.

Is Rotten Tomatoes to Blame?

When there’s a new film coming out, many of us immediately go to Rotten Tomatoes and check the film’s latest score. A recent New York Times article reports that Rotten Tomatoes was to blame for the poor performance this summer. While consumers, myself included, and movie-goers do have greater access to reviews and information than ever before, it doesn’t seem to correlate as much as anticipated.

For example, while the film Detroit received excellent reviews, it still performed poorly in the box office. In contrast, The Emoji Movie was reviewed poorly but still performed well at the box office.