Shuffling Deck Chairs

I am always casting a cynical, wary eye toward the studios because I always feel they are up to something. One of the things I have been noticing is the disturbing trend of traditionally linear feature-length movies being reshaped into a multi-part event.? If confronted by the statement, the folks behind the curtain at the studios would claim that Star Wars is multi-part. Look how many James Bond movies were made. That’s true, but each one of the movies produced under the Bond or Star Wars banner has a beginning, middle, and end, and each has a plot resolution.

?The closest comparison of this rising trend is the old movie serials. The classic sound serial would start with a first episode of about 30 minutes.? The serial would run up to 14 weeks.? After that, an average episode is nearly 20 minutes in length.

?I started thinking about reshaping the cinematic form when I sat down and watched the latest Mission Impossible movie, Dead Reckoning Part One, theatrically released in the United States on July 12, 2023, by Paramount Pictures. The movie received critical acclaim and grossed over $567.5 million worldwide. As far as expectations for the movie, they still needed to be met. The studio referred to the Barbieheimer effect as the cause for the lack of performance, but frankly, given the subject matter and demographic appeal, I think that excuse does not fly in this case. I suspect the audience, who collectively are the most intelligent participants in the exhibition, suspected they were being had.

?I watched the full movie, all 162 minutes of it. I watched it forensically since I wanted to see how they would structure this movie into 2 parts. The first part will be released in July of 2023; the second part will be delivered in May 2025.? There was little plot resolution; some antagonists did die, but at the end of the day, the movie was, in a classic sense, a serial and not a feature-length motion picture. Audiences will have to wait two years to see how the movie resolves itself. Now, supposedly, they shot both halves concurrently, so I am a bit baffled by the delay.

?The first part of this movie cost $291 million, making it the most expensive Mission: Impossible movie and the most expensive movie ever produced by Paramount. The Cook Islands, which has a population base of 18,000 people, have a gross national product revenue roughly equivalent to this motion picture's budget.

?For me, this restructuring of the narrative motion picture is concerning. The revised structure is put into place to create synergy on the streaming platforms after the second movie is released.

??“Horizon: An American Saga,” a two-part Western helmed by Kevin Costner, is coming to theaters this summer. Part one is due to be released on June 28th. “Chapter 2” will land on Aug. 16, 2024, according to Warner Bros.. There are rumors that Costner’s initial plan was to make this a four-part series, releasing a new movie in the theaters every three months. The movie(s) tells the story of 15 years when the West had just opened up.

?Here's how Warner Bros. describes the two films: "In the great tradition of Warner Bros. Pictures' iconic Westerns, Horizon: An American Saga explores the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner's ambitious cinematic adventure will take audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America." For me, though, it’s another way to place a streaming title in a marquee environment by giving it a theatrical release. It is the studio's ploy to use the exhibition as a medium for PR and cross-collateralizing marketing costs.

?Streaming and its machination are causing the exhibition to endure some harsh changes. In late 2018, just before the outbreak of COVID, 28% of moviegoers wanted to see a movie for the first time in a theater; the same year before COVID, 15% wanted to experience a movie for the first time. Fast forward, now 14% of moviegoers want to experience movies for the first time in theaters. Now, 36% want to watch movies on streaming.

?Now, the cruel eradication of the Paramount decree has created a golden opportunity for the streamers and as well the ability for a powerhouse like Netflix to create a rather poisonous ecosystem for motion picture and television production.

?Since its inception, Netflix has produced over 6,000 original products. This includes television series, documentaries, movies, television showcases, and other media products. Internally tracking, Netflix, feels that if its growth and market share remain consistent, the following reality evolves.

?Netflix is acquiring masses on intellectual property,

?·? ? ? By July 2023 programming consisted of? 60% Netflix originals vs 40%. licensed content?

·? ? ? December 2024 programming will consist of 75% Netflix originals vs 35%. licensed content

·? ? ? May 2027 programming will consist of 100% Netflix originals vs 0%. licensed content

?The efforts to re-instill some form of Antitrust legislation by Senator Klobuchar have ground to a halt. This is dangerous and corrosive and is quickly evolving into a captive market.

??Houston, we have a big problem. Rob Arthur John Sullivan Domenico Del Priore Sean Branagan Tony Franks Patrick von Sychowski Laura Peralta-Jones