Steven Spielberg Thinks Adult Dramas Will Make A Comeback At The Box Office
It's the million dollar question of our current box office landscape: Can mid-budget, adult-oriented dramas — once thought to be the consistent, moneymaking lifeblood of the industry — ever make a genuine comeback? Movie theaters are all but littered with the remains of countless films that never even stood a chance of turning a profit in recent years (/Film's own Ryan Scott has reported on 2023's first disappointing performance of that nature, the Hugh Jackman-starring "The Son"). The reasons for this trend are far more nuanced than it might seem at first blush, having to do with any number of factors ranging from the ever-changing tastes of moviegoers in general, the rising prevalence of streaming-exclusive releases, studios conditioning audiences to only turn out for the biggest blockbusters, the cost of ticket prices, and, of course, the ongoing pandemic.
Whatever the case may be, however, the end result is still the same: While $200+ million blockbusters, horror films, and other genre fare continue to flourish on the big screen, the relatively more humble offerings of original, star-driven, and adult-skewing pictures that used to thrive alongside those types of movies are no longer a sure bet.
So who else but Steven Spielberg to wade into this discussion and offer up some words of wisdom? Sure, the director who pioneered the very concept of the summer blockbuster with "Jaws" and "Jurassic Park" can't exactly wag his fingers at audiences for simply following his influence. But having seen recent efforts such as last year's "West Side Story" remake and even "The Fabelmans" struggle to find their footing in theaters, perhaps he's best positioned to analyze the future of such movies. Somewhat surprisingly, his ultimate conclusion is filled with nothing but optimism.
Reason for hope?
Steven Spielberg has seen it all. The days when movies like "Close Encounters," "Schindler's List," and even "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" could earn upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars might seem like a distant memory to the likes of you and me. But, remember, it wasn't even that long ago when historical epics like "Lincoln" could gross almost $300 million worldwide. The widely-proclaimed "death" of adult dramas would seem to be a very recent phenomenon.
But that doesn't mean the greatest filmmaker of our time sees no light at the end of the tunnel. In an interview with Deadline, Spielberg offered up some reason to hope.
Referring specifically to the theatrical marketplace, he said, "I think it will come back, but it's coming back slowly, especially for dramas." It's possible we're already seeing the very beginnings of this, as this year's crop of Best Picture nominees happen to be made up of quite a few breakthrough successes. But as for reasons why we've found ourselves in such a precarious place, Spielberg pointed the blame squarely at COVID. "I think the pandemic really encouraged a lot of audiences, not just middle-aged audiences, but younger, to stay at home and watch on the medium screens in their houses." But even while acknowledging the reality of life post-2020, Spielberg noted that:
"We have a social need to be together in the world, I don't think that will be stopped by a pandemic. It can be frustrated by the pandemic, but eventually we'll see more adult films doing decent numbers in movie theaters."
"Decent numbers" might not be the most ringing endorsement, mind you, but it's better than nothing! For those willing and able, it's rarely felt more important to support the art we love on the big screen.