The highest grossing film of the year since 2008 has also been one of the best received; The Dark Knight, Avatar, Toy Story 3, Harry Potter 8, The Avengers, Iron Man Three all got there thanks to a mix of wide appeal and overall quality. You could use this to say that in general big films are improving, but if you move down the list of box office giants things become less endearing. Therell always be critic proof movies - the likes of Transformers that will survive no matter what the professionals think - but whats disturbing are the films that you wouldn't think are immortal enough to fit in that category. This year Grown Ups 2, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and The Smurfs 2, each one following up on what can at best be described as minor successes, all netted a good amount of cash. When did sequels to mass disappointments become sure things? There is the increasingly difference between critics and audiences (just look at how The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is regarded), but no one would stare at you funny for saying those three films are dire. So with poor word of mouth, why the success? What marks them out from other big hitters is that theyre light hearted. Look at the box office for 2013 and it basically alternates from serious to comedy every entry. And anyone can tell you blockbusters are geared towards bleakness. If theres not enough good light hearted films for audiences to see then theyll go watch the poorer stuff. To many watching rubbish is better than watching nothing and thus to the studios there appears to be a demand for all this tat. The real issue here is the casual filmgoer; the people who dont know the state of the industry, dont care whats over a month away and only catch a film once in a blue moon. Collectively they form a larger part of the audience than fanatics and thus their choices bring more sway. If one week the choice is G.I. Joe, a cheery flick advertised everywhere (and starring The Rock), or Trance, a serious film with an odd poster, the choice for them is obvious. The impetus is on the studios to provide more variety, but if the current method makes them money, why would they want to change it? What disturbing things did you learn about the movie industry this year? Let us know down in the comments.
