10 Reasons Why Disney's Fox Takeover Is Terrifying

Until now, big budget film-making has been dominated by six major studios, nicknamed the Big Six, now reduced to five with Disney’s takeover of Fox. The number of major studios has changed a lot over the years but the difference here is that a company isn’t downsizing or shutting down. The same amount of content is being produced but it’s now a single company generating an estimated 40% of box office takings in the US. It also means that filmmakers now have fewer options.

Take the unfortunate events surrounding the production of the upcoming Han Solo film. It’s safe to say that fired directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are not in Disney’s good books anymore, which will now extend to Fox because it all comes under the jurisdiction of one company. It also means a narrower selection of films being produced. Ridley Scott is concerned about the future of the Alien franchise following the takeover, and in general it comes down to numbers.

If a director’s pitch for a movie gets rejected by one studio, the next step is to take it somewhere else. Along with some barefaced lies, it’s how Peter Jackson saved the Lord Of The Rings trilogy after Miramax wanted to squash the series into one film.

But the fewer major studios that exist, the more limited a director’s options get, which means a narrower selection of films going into production, and a less diverse box office line-up. Something we desperately need in the age of franchise-dominated cinema.