Yes, Capitalism is a big reason why we have an abundance of product. Capitalism is also the reason why the focus on what gets made has narrowed until there is less and less risk involved in what gets chosen to be produced. It's deep in the dna of this recent need for films to make obscene amounts of money or not be worth it. That's capitalism, or at least the shitty end of it.
Because of all this Capitalism is very much responsible for the glut of superhero movies. But it was also responsible for the American New Wave. Those guys wanted to make money too. And they believed they could do so with a different model. Where quality and pushing unique voices was a bankable commodity.
So the problem isn't exclusively Capitalism, as it can be both blamed and praised for all the good and bad in the industry, since the beginning of time. But the purity of our modern strain of capitalism is definitely a new hurdle in getting new voices to the table. Producers have always wanted profit, but with new economic models, and higher and higher needs for maximum megabucks at the end of the day, aversion to risk has never been higher. I would also argue, cynicism towards the public has never been more corroded, allowing for the 'problem' of endless remakes and rehashes. The men with the money have come to finally and truly realize they can fill seats producing the same thing over and over, with diminishing results, and keep getting away with it. This has always existed to some extent, but the last twenty years have put this philosophy on steroids. And I almost think it could be argued that audiences actually couldn't care less, for the most part. So, since Capitalism is still working, and only weirdos on message boards and the occassion movie critic squawk about it, maybe they shouldn't change what they are doing. The strange bedfellows of art and commerce, which has intermittently flourished at different times through the decades, has now been able to kick the nuisance of art out of the sack. Capitalism is free to fellate itself, presumably for all eternity.
Which has led to a kind of seemingly indestructible kind of capitalism. So no, not entirely the problem. But still definitely the problem.
Because of all this Capitalism is very much responsible for the glut of superhero movies. But it was also responsible for the American New Wave. Those guys wanted to make money too. And they believed they could do so with a different model. Where quality and pushing unique voices was a bankable commodity.
So the problem isn't exclusively Capitalism, as it can be both blamed and praised for all the good and bad in the industry, since the beginning of time. But the purity of our modern strain of capitalism is definitely a new hurdle in getting new voices to the table. Producers have always wanted profit, but with new economic models, and higher and higher needs for maximum megabucks at the end of the day, aversion to risk has never been higher. I would also argue, cynicism towards the public has never been more corroded, allowing for the 'problem' of endless remakes and rehashes. The men with the money have come to finally and truly realize they can fill seats producing the same thing over and over, with diminishing results, and keep getting away with it. This has always existed to some extent, but the last twenty years have put this philosophy on steroids. And I almost think it could be argued that audiences actually couldn't care less, for the most part. So, since Capitalism is still working, and only weirdos on message boards and the occassion movie critic squawk about it, maybe they shouldn't change what they are doing. The strange bedfellows of art and commerce, which has intermittently flourished at different times through the decades, has now been able to kick the nuisance of art out of the sack. Capitalism is free to fellate itself, presumably for all eternity.
Which has led to a kind of seemingly indestructible kind of capitalism. So no, not entirely the problem. But still definitely the problem.