12 Major Problems With Today's Blockbuster Movies
7. Rushing To Make Release Dates
In an effort to hold onto feature film rights, or to strike while the iron is hot if a franchise-launching project becomes a success, studios stake out release dates years in advance. Big-budget productions often have a locked-in date set before there's even a script, a director or cast in place and it has the potential to severely harm the finished product.
It is this practice that sees such buzzworthy titles as 'Untitled Transformers Bumblebee Spinoff', 'Untitled X-Men Film', 'Untitled Disney Live-Action Fairy Tale', 'Untitled DC Extended Universe Film' and 'Untitled Sixth Transformers Film' all set to be released within the next two years. Never mind having any creative talent attached, we need that lucrative spot in the midst of blockbuster season!
Quantum of Solace, the back-to-back Pirates of the Caribbean sequels, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Fant4stic, Men in Black III and Batman v Superman all went before cameras without having their scripts finalized and it would be fair to say that none of them mark the high-point of the studio blockbuster.
It is a method that makes the filmmakers themselves seem like the least important part of these large-scale productions, which coincidentally makes for a nice segue to the next point...