Theaters in the near future are unlikely to project anything aside from expensive blockbusters such as Marvel’s superhero films.
This is according to Ben Affleck, who was recently interviewed by Matt Damon for the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly and discussed some of his thoughts regarding the movie business. One prediction that Affleck made was that studios would no longer invest in smaller projects for theatrical release, resulting in less variety at the cinema.
“If I had to bet, a drama like Argo would not be made theatrically now,” Affleck said regarding the 2012 historical drama thriller, which he directed and went on to win multiple Oscars including Best Motion Picture of the Year.
“That wasn’t that long ago. It would be a limited series. I think movies in theaters are going to become more expensive, event-ized. They’re mostly going to be for younger people, and mostly about ‘Hey, I’m so into the Marvel Universe, I can’t wait to see what happens next.’ And there’ll be 40 movies a year theatrically, probably, all IP, sequel, animated.”
Affleck also brought up Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, which he starred in alongside Damon. While the movie flopped at the theater, the actor pointed out that the movie managed to reach number one on iTunes, proving that there was still an audience for these kinds of epics.
“The Last Duel really clinched it for me. I’ve had bad movies that didn’t work and I didn’t blink. I know why people didn’t go — because they weren’t good. But I liked what we did. I like what we had to say. I’m really proud of it. So I was really confused. And then to see that it did well on streaming, I thought, ‘Well, there you go. That’s where the audience is.'”
Source: Entertainment Weekly