The Death of Hollywood? Don’t Count on It

Thanks to the lockdowns in 2020, several industries have taken a major hit, a hit from which it may take them years to recover, if they can at all. One industry that has been particularly hard hit has been Hollywood (i.e. the mainstream American film industry), thanks to the sheer amount of movies that had to have their release delayed. And, while the lack of any Marvel movies for the first time in years does feel like nature is healing, this has raised an interesting question – did 2020 trigger the beginning of the end for Hollywood? It’s a question that has both intrigued and excited many on the Right thanks to the role (both historic and current) Hollywood has played in the destruction of traditional Western values; especially, since the 1960s saw the Legion of Decency lose its nerve and those in the industry that did support traditional Western values either died or saw their profiles greatly diminished (i.e. Walt Disney or John Wayne).

While 2020 seemed like an exercise in “that’ll never happen” actually happening, from lockdowns to open attacks on the Founding Fathers, I seriously doubt that 2020 will be the end of Hollywood. The industry will change, perhaps significantly, but history suggests that Hollywood will find a way to recover. To keep this article from becoming a complete blackpill, I do think there is at least one semi-positive change we could see – the return of the pre- Jaws/Star Wars mentality where every film was expected to carry its own weight rather than what it has been for the past several decades where a handful of film franchises (Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel/DC) are expected to keep the industry running. It’s an unstable model that I am frankly surprised has lasted as long as it has. We’re at the point where some films have to gross at least 1 billion dollars to be considered a proper hit, but what this does mean is that it will become harder to financially justify many of the more aggressively subversive films that critics like but the general public doesn’t. I think this would have been a more significant chance 20 years ago, when those big franchises tended to not be pozzed (albeit, still brainless and artless) and now that they’ve been pozzed, it’s going to limit the decline of attacks on Christianity and Heritage America (especially Dixie), but take a victory when you can. It also may mean the end of spectacle for the sake of spectacle, and more attention will actually have to be paid to acting and writing. That one is a lot more unlikely, but not out of the question.

However, history suggests that Hollywood will find a way to survive. In the early 1930s, the death of Hollywood was widely predicted. Who, after all, can afford to spend money on something like a movie during the worst global economic crisis in history? It was predicted again during the 1950s, when most Americans could afford a television. Why get dressed up and drive to see a movie when you can stay home and watch television for free? Again, it was predicted during the 1980s with the rise of VHS. Why pay to see a movie when you can rent it for far less money, not pay a markup on food, and not have to worry about someone talking during the film? Yet, in every single one of these cases, the industry found out not only a way to survive, but thrive. Considering the long history of “this is the end of Hollywood” predictions not coming to pass, I think it is best to err on the side of caution and say that the industry will find a way.

More distressingly though, I think 2020 could signify the beginning of Hollywood getting even worse. You see, while I think the industry that makes films will be fine, the industry that shows films, the theater industry, is in serious trouble and this could be the beginning of the end. Thanks to streaming, the two industries are no longer joined at the hip as they had been during the 1930s, 1950s, and 1980s. With streaming becoming the default way to watch a film, Hollywood now has ever greater monopolistic control over what is seen, for while they legally can’t own theaters due to anti-trust laws, they can own streaming services. It will allow them to effectively overturn United States v. Paramount Pictures. And while monopolies are dangerous, especially those run by people who hate us and want to see us dead, it also is the final nail in the coffin for any sort of local control of the industry.

This doesn’t get discussed often, but one reason why the attacks from Hollywood have gotten more brazen in recent decades is because back in the 1960s and earlier, theaters were typically locally owned and operated by someone who actually lived in that community, giving him power over what was and was not viewed. Understandably, that person would be reluctant to show something that attacked the values of his community. But, beginning in the late 1960s and more or less completed by the late 1980s, the independent theater died off and in its place were massive chain theaters that were, by their nature, separate from the communities they served. Now, rather than being an owner with the power to reject a film that attacked his community, he was now merely an employee. Complain all you want about what is being played; that person can hate it as much as you do, but if he refuses to play it, the corporate executives can easily find someone who will. Ultimately though, even these big chains can only go so far in their attacks on local America. If, as I predict, 2020 does kill theaters and leaves only streaming in its place, even those controls will be gone.

To be honest, Hollywood has wanted to go to an all-streaming future for a while now. The film industry is not the music industry, which refused to see the internet as the future of listening to music with the rise of Napster and embraced it far too late. They still have yet to recover from their 1990s highs. The film industry saw what happened and positioned themselves to benefit from the rise of the internet as a viable way to watch movies. It is a future in which they can sell you something and still own it. It is a future where they can censor anything that has been deemed “problematic” at the drop of a hat. There is a reason why they pushed to have illegal streaming declared a felony.

They’ve waited for this moment for years, and now it’s come. Rightwingers, who are hoping to see Hollywood finally collapse, are being naïve. History suggests they can find a way to survive, and unlike earlier “deaths of Hollywood,” they weren’t blindsided. They could never have seen the coming of the Great Depression in 1928, and they were shocked by how quickly television and video caught on in the 1950s and 1980s, respectively. A world where movie theaters are irrelevant did not catch them by surprise, they’ve seen it coming and have prepared for it. Hollywood will survive and will likely become even bolder.

Any local control over the industry? It is now gone. Expect full-blown progressive propaganda from here on out.

-By Harmonica