By No one went to the movies last weekend. Sure, it was Labor Day weekend, but it was the capper on the worst cumulative summer box office in more than a decade. While some movies performed rather well (Wonder Woman, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2), there were many others that fell flat (The Emoji Movie, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, The Mummy, King Arthur: The Legend of the Sword, etc.). According to a piece in The New York Times, America’s three largest theater chains have lost a whopping $4 billion in market value since May.
While major studios could blame themselves for making a bunch of garbage no one wanted to see like Baywatch, CHiPS, and The Dark Tower, instead they’re blaming Rotten Tomatoes. Because a review aggregator site clearly has the power to make kings and queens, while rendering ye anointed summer royalty but mere paupers. This isn’t new, and we’ve even reported that Hollywood is trying to thwart RT’s Tomatometer by using embargoes and other strategies.
This is just another example of Hollywood’s up-its-own-assness. Just because some moneyed Baby Boomers or older Gen-Xers throw money at something doesn’t mean it’s entitled to earn money. Instead of greenlighting Monster Trucks (a movie developed by the 4-year-old son of a very dumb Paramount studio head), maybe studios can focus on making better movies.
Frankly, Hollywood, you shit your own stupid pants. Don’t blame a third-party for your own mess. Now, for heaven’s sake, change your trousers and wash up.
[via The New York Times]