The 2010s Major Changes in the Film-Making Industry Part 4 Film History of the 2010s Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 Film History by Decade Index | Pre-1920s | 1920s | 1930s | 1940s | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s |
Erotic Cinema: E. L. James' 2011 trashy, erotic romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey, which sold over 100 million copies worldwide, was adapted into three films, beginning with director Sam Taylor-Johnson's controversially-sexy film, Fifty Shades of Grey (2015). It was a highly-anticipated pop cultural phenomenon about a sado-masochistic relationship. It starred Dakota Johnson as assistant literary editor Anastasia 'Ana' Steele and Jamie Dornan as charismatic Seattle billionaire sadist Christian Grey. Before its Valentine's Day release in 2015, the movie sold more advanced tickets than any other R-rated movie in history, and it was the widest R-rated opening ever (at over 3,600 theatres). It eventually earned $166.2 million (domestic), and a whopping $570 million (worldwide). It became one of Universal Pictures' highest grossing R-rated international releases, topping Universal's previous original R-rated comedy, Ted (2012) (at $549.4 million).
The initial movie, with production costs of $40 million, attracted an audience that was overwhelming female. It was clear that the film would spawn a few sequels - unusual for Hollywood which had recoiled for years from films about sex. Its effective advertising slogan was "Are You Curious?", although most of its reviews were critical and unfavorable. Initially, it was quite a phenomenon at the box-office (especially internationally), but then faltered due to horrible reviews and weak word-of-mouth. An erotic, glittery drama sequel, Fifty Shades Darker (2017) was directed by James Foley, and was also released around Valentine's Day. Its taglines were: "Every Fairy Tale Has a Dark Side" and "Slip Into Something a Shade Darker." A sequel followed the next year in February of 2018: Fifty Shades Freed: The Final Chapter (2018), directed again by James Foley, with the tagline: "Don't Miss the Climax." Two 'chick-flick' movies featuring hunky, bare-assed male strippers in a dance revue did well in the decade:
There were two other mainstream, erotic romantic comedy/dramas, and at least four other foreign entries in the sub-genre:
However, the most rampant and explicit nudity was not on the theatrical big-screen, but in a myriad number of premium TV/cable shows, always pushing the envelope of what was acceptable. The sheer number of new shows on premium TV cable channels - to escape the FCC's rules on indecency, was astonishing. It had become commonplace and frequent to see bare breasts, butts, and some glimpses of genitals (and even some full-frontal male views) - and these instances were not blurred out. On-screen nudity and sexual scenes boldly saturated the market. See Filmsite's History of Sex in Cinema - the 2010s decade: beginning with the year 2010. Independent Film Success Story in the 2010 Decade: A24 Founded in August of 2012 in Manhattan, an American independent entertainment company, known as A24 Films (and later simply as A24), became a sign of the times. It proved that a small, low-budget, smart-minded film company, concentrating on the art of film, could still be founded and become successful and powerful. Its main purpose was to provide a distinctive point-of-view and radical tone for its unique film output, including these examples:
The studio's success was furthered by deals with DirecTV Cinema and Amazon Prime in 2013. By the end of the decade, the studio had acquired 25 Academy Award nominations and 6 wins. After its initial success, the studio also branched out into TV production and a deal with Apple to produce originals films. YouTube Growth for Filmmakers: The popular free video platform YouTube (started in 2005) was growing in leaps and bounds, in terms of new posted content per minute and the number of unique user visits to the site each month. Their two most popular categories of channels were "film" and "entertainment" - hinting that they could function as a primary platform for filmmakers to distribute their product. Some film-makers were using YouTube as a means to provide video-extras (behind-the-scenes, 'making of' clips, interviews, etc.) to create interest and provide further marketing to a fan base. In this decade, some of the biggest celebrities among teens, millennials, and Generation Z were digital stars (often YouTube personalities). In late 2013, YouTube launched their own annual film festival, the Buffer Festival, entirely dedicated to YouTube content. The Buffer Festival, held in Toronto each year, was a publicly-attended theatrical showcase that presented digital video content from the most prominent creators on YouTube. The annual showcase of YouTube video premieres brought together the most acclaimed digital creators and their audiences.
The video platform YouTube went further to help encourage development of some YouTube channels by allowing owners the option of joining Multi-Channel Networks ("MCNs" or "networks"). Third-party service providers affiliated with multiple YouTube channels offered services, including cross-promotion and audience development, content programming, creator collaborations, digital rights management, funding and monetization, and/or sales. An MCN promised to broker brand deals, connect with other top YouTube channels or brands, and sometimes provide studio space to produce content. In exchange for signing up with a MCN, channel owners had to give up a percentage of their revenue or whatever else was negotiated. Increasingly, MCNs catered to niche audiences like gaming, beauty, dancing, music, film, comedy, and cooking/food to better serve audiences looking for a specific type of content. In the latter part of the decade, MCNs were affected when YouTube networks adopted controversial and radical new policies and dropped thousands of creators. This marked a major pivot for the business, to focus more on studio or media-brand models (by identifying great talent, connecting with audiences, and creating original entertainment content (TV-like shows) that could be scaled). This approach was similar to how Netflix had evolved its streaming business with more original shows and movies. As TV and movie consumption continued to fragment across media distributors, shifting from home video and theatrical viewings to low-cost media consumption on mobile devices by a new and growing demographic, this new model was making inroads on Hollywood's traditional models. Disney's Purchase of Lucasfilm: In late 2012, The Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm from George Lucas for $4.3 billion. It was an advantageous move for both studios since Lucasfilm hadn't really produced anything significant since Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) - and no other major installments in the Star Wars saga since Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005). It was subsequently announced that Disney would release a new Star Wars trilogy, beginning with: Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015). When the film was released, it became the highest-grossing film (domestic) in the franchise at $936.6 million, and the highest-grossing (domestic) film of all-time. It was also a sign of top-earning films in the series each successive year for the next three years:
However, the release of the first anthology film: Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), the 12th highest-grossing (domestic) film of 2018, at only $213.8 million, caused a re-evaluation of the studio's strategy. Movie Musicals (Not Including Animations): Although from time to time in film history, musicals have disappeared or faced periods of rejection (during the 1980s and 1990s), the decade of the 2010s was good to the genre. It had always been feared that Broadway and theatrical adaptations couldn't be box-office hits or win major Oscar awards, but the trends appeared to show that a new generation of millennials were embracing musicals:
Fewer Original Films - and Sequel-itis: In the decade, there were fewer and fewer one-off or original films - they were viewed as too risky or less safe. Filmmakers and studios were also being more careful about sensitive or offensive subjects, especially after the hack of Sony by N. Korea in 2014 - thereby causing some film ideas or projects to be either censored or heavily edited. Because the multiplexes were crowded with major franchise films, smaller, indie movies were being edged out - and were appearing in other places, such as on Netflix and other VOD services (without a theatrical release). Remakes and sequels (made in abundance) were often mediocre efforts that only reshaped storylines, characters, and recognizable brands that had already been successful, rather than investing in more original works or new material. There was poor audience response to the superfluous comedy Sex and the City 2 (2010) with its extravagant stars not in the Big Apple but in the Middle East, or the third episode of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) that was received only lukewarmly as another fantasy film with nothing special in it. But it was clear why Hollywood studios were concentrating on sequels and remakes as the centerpiece of their business. In 2011, the top twelve films at the box-office (domestic) were all sequels, franchise films, or continuations of previous films.
However, the downside was the creation of a dangerous glut of remakes, new installments, or franchise sequels - unnecessary and poorly done - and mostly flops or disappointing attempts, especially by the year 2016:
It was no surprise, then that movie theater attendance in the US and Canada in 2017 fell to a low point in the decade, with only 1.23 billion tickets sold (a drop off of 5.8% from the previous year). And even with higher ticket prices, domestic revenue also dropped 2.7% from 2016, from $11.4 billion to $11.1 billion. (See earlier discussion in Part 1). One of the major reasons for the decline of original programming was that mass audiences were not supporting movies that were not sequels, remakes, reimaginings, spinoffs or an adaptation of a young adult novel. For example, in 2016, five of the top 10 domestic films were superhero films (or related franchise films) that took in almost $2 billion - about 18% of the entire year's box-office revenue.
Sequel and Franchise Craziness: The decade spawned dozens of successful derivative formats, including remakes (or reboots), sequels, prequels and spin-offs in major franchises or film series. Special attention should be paid to Disney's new strategy of reimagining (or remaking) its classic animations from the past as live-action films. In the decade of the 2010s, this marketing ploy really accelerated, with five films premiering in 2019:
Also, with the release of Avengers: Endgame (2019), the latest (third) phase of Marvel Studios' Marvel Cinematic Universe essentially came to a close at the end of the decade. The Three Phases (composed of the first 23 films) were known as "The Infinity Saga."
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 |