There has been huge outcry about Indian film industry experiencing loss in business these days. Some of the latest commercial movies like Shamshera and Raksha Bandhan that tanked at the box office are proof of it. Now let’s see Hollywood ke kya haal hain!
We have Hollywood icon Matt Damon explaining why the West isn’t making the movies like in the 90s and only focuses on formulaic movies that will ‘work’.
Best known for films like Good Will Hunting and Saving Private Ryan, the actor appeared on the sets of American YouTuber Sean Evans’ series, Hot Ones. A video of him talking about the film business along with the show host is going viral on Twitter.
The clip posted by a Twitter user, @Todd_Spence, shows Evans asking Damon about his opinion on how the production of films has changed since the 90s. Evans begins the conversation saying, “Viewers are sitting on the couch on a Friday night, going through the streaming services, cycling through the movies and thinking to themselves, ‘They’re not making movies for me anymore’.”
To which, Damon, who has been a part of Hollywood film industry for over 30 years and recently featured in MCU’s Thor: Love And Thunder this year, says:
So what happened was the DVD was a huge part of our business, of our revenue stream. Technology has just made that obsolete and so the movies that we used to make you could afford to not make all of your money when it played in the theatre because you knew you had the DVD coming behind the release (sic).
-Matt Damon
Watch the video here:
Matt Damon explains why they don't make movies like they used to. pic.twitter.com/BhWypzcsgQ
— SPENCE, TODD (@Todd_Spence) August 21, 2022
Here’s how netizens are reacting to his thoughts:
I don’t disagree with Mr. Damon on the financial end of movie making but the other factor is the low caliber of actors/actresses and the inane stories being told. If you want to see good movies and films (there is a difference), check out TCM some day.
— Nancy MacLachlan (@nem56) August 22, 2022
Raises an interesting point. We still have VOD services like iTunes, Prime Video and YouTube where you can buy and rent digital movies individually like back in the DVD era, but streaming services are still much preferable for consumers (sic).
-@Samuentaga
So this is why they stopped making all those original rom-coms and family movies :’(
— Matt Ramos (@therealsupes) August 22, 2022
Eloquently put – Fight Club was a clear example of this – a movie that was artistically daring but became a commercial success through its dvd sales 🧼 pic.twitter.com/wg3SviOByr
— SrinWriter (@srin_writer) August 21, 2022
the 90s is “like they used to”??? he’s erasing that you can watch so many more movies now than you could when you were renting one at blockbuster. this doesn’t make sense (sic).
-@gyulahalasz
that’s not true movies that were abandonned in theatre but had good dvd revenues were abandonned as franchises
— PnJ amateur d’IPA (@RetardTaisou) August 22, 2022
plus, theater revenues are rising year after year, look at all time records, top 10 is mostly movies from less than 5 years ago
So they not gonna make good movies anymore cause they can’t afford to make them? Bring back DVD’s Wtf
— Marijuana Bronson (@JoDirtt) August 22, 2022
Huh, well, I guess this is why the last decade plus of films have felt so homogenized and focus tested. https://t.co/GmuqQZdjHg
— Okay Guardian Sailor Zeon (@Lady_Zeon) August 23, 2022
Both Family Guy and King of the Hill got uncancelled because the DVDs sold so well. And I feel this just because fun movies that didn’t have this gigantic plot are no longer a thing in theatres. We have maybe Greta Gerwig making money off movies like that now. Like these https://t.co/ueIn3jE81H pic.twitter.com/uPl052q748
— Cal Vin (@CalcalCalvi) August 23, 2022
I never thought about the dvd asepct how much they relied on them to break even. and this is why they’re constantly making some action blockbuster they can turn in to a franchise compared to quirkiy romcoms and that hurts my heart ngl (sic).
-@stewyotype
This is actually really sad. Like streaming has taken so much and with the HBO madness it’s only going to get worse https://t.co/HLsYdvKk92
— ⛔️dnd⛔️ (@jannababie) August 23, 2022
The end of DVD revenues are the reason why now every film has to be diverse and empowering. https://t.co/jPR0jyMcrP
— Climate Warrior🐬 #ClimateJustice🇵🇸#BDS⚧️ 🌈🇺🇦 (@ClimateWarrior7) August 23, 2022
Reason why those anime Blu-ray & DVD sales really really matters
— anon54 (@anon54980) August 23, 2022
Also merchandise- the reason why superhero type series / movie is everywhere this day
Because they are easy to be sold as merchandise, well compared to your ol classic scifi / drama https://t.co/5Yzz2McXSE
Although it’s not the end of the world, these examples always make me worry about streaming and subscription services for games
— Elena Yoshizawa (@lenhishiro) August 23, 2022
Those services condition people to consume media in a somewhat unnatural way, and even limit the experiences they can have within the service’s library https://t.co/wTx6Y2wzA8
That make sense cause it be like 8 new movies a year now and they all be awful (sic).
-@MissErinB_
What do you think of his opinion?