Economist Peter St Onge, Ph.D., is warning that Hollywood is facing a significant downturn, pointing to declining ticket sales, shrinking production levels, and job losses across the entertainment industry.
“Hollywood is collapsing. Turns out, go woke, and you do go broke. Cue the world’s smallest violin when random plebs can use AI to make feature-length shows, which will probably happen in the next year or two, it will be lights out in Tinseltown,” St Onge said.
St Onge cited recent reporting and industry data to support his claims about the state of the industry.
“Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported Hollywood is, quote, evaporating with no sign of a turnaround. Ticket sales are down 40% since COVID. Last year’s Oscar winner sold a combined 38% less tickets than the previous year.”
He also pointed to reduced production and employment figures.
“Hollywood’s making half as many movies as it did just four years ago, with production employment dropping by a third among actors and writers. Employment is down 40% it’s actually accelerating. Last year, Hollywood lost one in five jobs in a single year.”
St Onge added that workforce shifts have been significant enough to compare against other industries.
“There are now more people working at Chick-fil-A than in Hollywood. Shooting days in Los Angeles plunged from 27,004 years ago to just 11,000 now.”
According to St Onge, the changes in the industry are tied to a shift in priorities.
“What’s killing in Hollywood, of course, is they forgot their job is to entertain and switch to cramming Marxist propaganda down audience throats, from race-swapped crime shows to kid shows promoting gender mutilation.”
He also referenced industry standards tied to awards and representation.
“The Oscars, Hollywood’s king maker, mandates that 30% of the cast has to be underrepresented groups no matter what the audience wants to watch, even billion-dollar franchises like Star Wars, Toy Story or the Marvel universe were sacrificed at the altar.”
St Onge cited the financial performance of major franchises as part of his argument.
“Star Wars went from 500 million profit force awakens to a $100 million loss on Solo. The Avengers used to make two to 3 billion, like a vending machine that turned into a 300 million loss on The Mavels. They even killed Indiana Jones, losing over 100 million with one of the most beloved franchises for Gen X.”
He also pointed to changes in television production and programming.
“Even TV is a shadow of its former self. Long gone are the days of sopranos Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones, replaced by a proudly queer coded Star Wars, a Scooby Doo reboot with a lesbian South Asian Velma who helpfully lectures us on gender issues, and a Sex in the City reboot where everybody’s LGBTQ to S plus across the board, TV premieres are down 42% in just four years.”
St Onge added that programming trends may be shifting again.
“$1 late. Holly was trying to patch the gaping wound. Recent study found socially conscious programming is now plunging, while gay advocates complain that 41% of LGBT characters will not return due to cancellations. Maybe it’s because audiences didn’t like them. Of course, this isn’t a moral awakening. It’s because they can only lose so much money before they repossess the yacht.”
He also referenced recent industry ownership changes.
“Still, it’s too late. Two of the big five studios, Paramount and Warner, were just sold to a Trump allied Consortium. What’s left may just half what they did in 2019. Hollywood now makes less than sports betting.”
Looking ahead, St Onge said technological changes could further reshape the entertainment industry.
“So what’s next? Hollywood is trying to pull out of the woke nosedive, but AI is coming straight for them. You’ve probably already seen Hollywood-quality AI clips made by random guys in the basement.”
He described the cost differences between traditional production and emerging AI tools.
“The current cost of these paid in tokens is about $20 per minute. So 1000 bucks for a TV episode, maybe 2000 for a movie. Not quite do it because you’re bored, but close and roughly 30,000 times cheaper than Hollywood.”
St Onge said those costs are expected to continue dropping. “Moreover, token costs are dropping fivefold per year. So in three or four years, you will be able to make a Hollywood movie for the cost of a Chick-fil-A value meal. 100 years ago, TV and the silver screen killed vaudeville. Now it’s their turn.”
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