10 VIDEOAGE June 2024 Data, Political Correctness, Sequels, Prequels, Reboots: A Must No More Trends & Countertrends These days, in some sectors, the decision-making process is not influenced by personal preferences. Instead, the powers that be rely on data-driven insights to guide their choices. Data miners say that streaming, for example, with its ability to collect data from hundreds of millions of daily searches, provides an unparalleled source of information. But even though data is now the new gold standard for the entertainment biz — with “data rooms” and “data executives” popping up all over the corporate aisles — there are some potential problems with data. Most importantly, what if the data is wrong? Take the algorithm used by the streamers, for example. Content creators often complain that when their new programs premiere they don’t show up on streamers’ home pages. This is because the streamers’ home screens highlight content that corresponds to a given user’s viewing patterns. But viewers often fail to select their ideal shows because of the difficulties in finding them. This concept is known as “viewer fatigue.” Instead, they settle for the least objectionable new show, until, after one or two episodes, they simply turn the TV off because said show turns out to be unwatchable. Besides, by relying on data, even if it’s on target, the same suggested program selection line-up could, in the long run, cause the effect that the superhero genre is having on moviegoers: narcolepsy. Another problem is that accounts are shared among people with different tastes, so recommendations tend to be misguided. Recently, Apple Music developed a ranking of the 100 best albums ever made by skipping data and instead relying on the opinions of 250 people. The limitations of data were also demonstrated in 2023 when the onetime “sure winners,” like Marvel’s sequel films, failed to earn the expected $100 million at the U.S. box office, because up until recently, nothing moved in Hollywood without first knowing who wanted what and when. The “sure bets” in 2023 were reboots and sequels like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Fast X, Creed III, Mission Impossible 7, and Scream VI, and they took the short stick from consumers. In 2024, the list of sequels is even longer, and includes: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (a sequel to 2021’s Godzilla Vs. Kong), which was released in March by Japan’s Toho and Warner Bros.; Dune: Part Two, also released in March by Warner Bros.; Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, released by 20th Century (a Disney company) in May as a sequel to the 2017 movie War for the Planet of the Apes; Bad Boys: Ride or Die, a sequel to 2020’s Bad Boys for Life, distributed by Sony Pictures in June: Deadpool & Wolverine (a sequel to Deadpool’s 2016 and 2018 movies), to be released by Disney in July; Inside Out 2, released by Disney in June; Despicable Me 4, to be released by Universal in July; Twisters (an update of 1996’s Twister), to be released by Universal in July; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (a sequel to 1988’s Beetlejuice), to be released by Warner Bros. in September; and Joker: Folie a Deux (a sequel to 2019’s Joker), to be released by Warner Bros. in October. The “sure bets” this year are mostly prequels. Soon we’ll have Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the 1994 Disney movie, The Lion King, which will be released in December; and Apartment 7A, a prequel to Rosemary’s Baby, which will be released by Paramount in the fall of 2024. We’ll get back to the origins with Transformers One, to be released by Paramount in September. Other spin-off prequels include A Quiet Place: Day One, coming from Paramount in June (with A Quiet Place Part III coming out in 2025); and Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, which was released by Warner Bros. in May. If this new wave turns out to be successful, let’s be prepared for other variations on successful stories, like the (newly coined) “circumquel,” wherein the story revolves around both the time before and after the main story; the “interquel,” meaning the movie bridges the gap between two stories; and the “paraquel,” which will tell two parallel stories. However, there are signs that fresh movies will eventually come back. Disney’s Bob Iger, for one, admitted that his studios “have indulged in too many sequels.” And in 2023, originals such as Barbie and Oppenheimer became favorites worldwide. Indeed, in spite of data, or in the absence of data, original movies found success with audiences both in theaters and on television. For example, the documentary 20 Days in Mariupol, which documented the atrocities of Putin’s forces in Ukraine, was a big success. There was also Flora and Son (on Apple TV+) and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (VoD), and in cinemas, there was The Zone of Interest. All of these were favorites with audiences. Together with “data,” filmmakers, programmers, and commissioners also had the tendency to apply the political correctness mantra that put all kinds of creative limitations on film and TV content. In the case of Disney’s movie Wish, for example, this did not work at the box office, where the film generated just $180 million worldwide against a $200 million cost, prompting Disney to declare that the new priority is “to entertain.” The animated film was described as a “woke disaster” by several news outlets. And, in light of the theatrical success of If (distributed by Paramount), the movie trend of “imaginaries,” about imaginary friends, is returning, and this time includes children’s movies, whereas in the past only adults — see Psycho’s Norman Bates — seemed to have imaginary friends. Today’s “imaginary movies” include Ricky Stanicky (MGM Studios), The Imaginary (distributed by Toho), My Secret Country (a documentary by Marlo McKenzie from Parker Film Company), and the simply titled Imaginary (distributed by Lionsgate). The imaginaries trend is considered a great vehicle for storytelling that doesn’t rely on any “data” input. There are signs that fresh movies will eventually come back. Disney’s Bob Iger, for one, admitted that his studios “have indulged in too many sequels.”
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