Death of the Drama | Frontpage Mag

Some were heavily marketed. Many were championed by critics. Most had star power.

But not one of the 25 dramas and comedies that movie companies released in North American theaters over the past three months has become a hit, certainly not in the way that Hollywood has historically kept score. Some have played to near-empty auditoriums, including “After the Hunt,” staring Julia Roberts; “Christy,” with Sydney Sweeney; and “Die My Love,” featuring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson.

The dearth has added to what has already been a troubled year for Hollywood. The summer season — filled with fantasies and science-fiction sequels — was the least attended since 1981, after adjusting for inflation and excluding the COVID-19 pandemic years.

The article says three months. Offhand, I’m guessing the clock here started with the latest Conjuring movie which was also the last significant hit. But the metric here seems to be specifically excluding horror movies anyway. The latest Downton Abbey is probably excluded on account of being British.

Comedies died some years back and the kind of dramas that are making an impact. like House of Dynamite, mostly seem to be getting released on streaming anyway. Ditto for the upcoming Jay Kelly. Blue Moon probably should have made more of an impact, if for nothing else because Hollywood loves a famous actor making himself unrecognizable for a role, but it too does not seem to have delivered.

But Hollywood is dying. Movie theaters have become pricey amusement parks for seeing special effects laden fare but not actually movies for adults. And those aren’t delivering as steadily as before. And once they flash out, if theaters can’t draw in adults, they’re finished.