Why doesn't Hollywood make classic movies anymore?

[Donnie Darko]

You know, I was just scrolling through BoxOfficeMojo.com, and over the last decade, here are some movies that would be overlooked in this thread that I think stand as "classics" among their genres/sub genres (flame on if you want, but I stand by them)...

The Notebook, Mean Girls, Enchanted, Taken

Others that most here would probably agree on but haven't mentioned...

The Departed, Children of Men, 28 Days Later (2002, but close enough), Iron Man

 

[Lord]

Mean Girls was awesome, but sometimes overlooked. Taken's very popular.

 

[samsnee]

Every generation complains about the newer one, be it movies, tv, or music. Nothing new here.

 

[Donnie Darko]

Every generation complains about the newer one, be it movies, tv, or music. Nothing new here.

I agree about movies and music, but with the exception of children's programs/cartoons, I rarely hear people complain about the quality of tv now. Generally, I hear more people say that the quality has left movies and went to tv (citing examples such as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, True Detective, Mad Men, etc).

 

[Octoberist]

You have to give movies time. Let time and future generation decide.

 

[Lord]

Anyone remembers these films?

What? No? The first 2 were topping the box office.

Exactly, even back then there was trash, but they're simply no longer remembered for being that. It wasn't all just glory in the 70s and 80s.

Most trash is simply forgotten, while the films that are remembered become classics.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Anyone remembers these films?

What? No? The first 2 were topping the box office.

That's the thing, even back then there was trash, but they're simply no longer remembered for being that. It wasn't all just glory in the 70s and 80s.

The first one was even nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Keep in mind that it basically kicked off the 70s Disaster Craze, so a good part of the attention was because it was first. In retrospect, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno are both way better.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

If you think about it, there can only be a few classics a year. Movies, like everything else, are mostly mediocre by definition, with a small number being great.

2013 brought, in terms of Hollywood blockbusters alone:
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Frozen
Gravity
Wolf of Wall Street

Isn't that a decent haul?

This. And I thought the year prior with Lincoln, Django Unchained, Argo, Zero Dark Thirty, etc., was even better.

 

[Octoberist]

Yeah you'll also have great movies. Hollywood, despite it's hardheadedness, tends to persevere despite the cynicism.

I do when it comes to Hollywood tentpoles, we're in a weird place. We still have great movies, but they're mostly sequels/reboots/adaptations. But when a movie like 'Gravity' does well, it only HELPS Hollywood to do more risks. A movie like Interstellar, if it's good, can push Hollywood forward.

 

[Lord]

The first one was even nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

Keep in mind that it basically kicked off the 70s Disaster Craze, so a good part of the attention was because it was first. In retrospect, The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno are both way better.

Didn't even realise that the first was nominated for Best Picture, a little weird, considering that even back then it was mostly disliked by critics, who found it a dumb movie. I did like the retro style of the movie though, with the balloons showing people on the other line of the phone without changing from one scene to the other.

 

[Godzilla2000]

Money, that's why. It's far more profitable to stay within a safe, money reliable niche than to actually be creative.

 

[:eek:]

I'm sure some movies released today will be considered classics some twenty years or so from now. As for originality i get a feeling that many people forgets that Hollywood never have been much about originality. You can pick almost any decade and you'll find that the majority of the big releases were based on books, inspired by true events and so on. Although there was a period in the 80's when Hollywood was very succesful with creating original franchises.

 

[Lord]

The big difference is tha now most of their hits are sequels.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

The big difference is tha now most of their hits are sequels.

Also, you used to be able to count on the Summer to produce some classic films. Nowadays, with a few exceptions, all the best stuff comes out in the Fall.

 

[Octoberist]

I'm sure some movies released today will be considered classics some twenty years or so from now. As for originality i get a feeling that many people forgets that Hollywood never have been much about originality. You can pick almost any decade and you'll find that the majority of the big releases were based on books, inspired by true events and so on. Although there was a period in the 80's when Hollywood was very succesful with creating original franchises.

Well true but it seems like the 80's was a magical time for original tentpoles, and we got Spielberg to thank for that.

Also, business has changed. The market has changed. But it doesn't mean that the status quo shouldn't be challenged.

 

[Lord]

Of the highest grossing films of 2013, i can see Frozen and Gravity becoming classics, Hunger Games may become known, but i'm not sure it will have a lasting power, unlike Harry Potter. Iron Man 3 may become regarded the same way as some of Bond's classics, due to being one of the best early MCU films.

People also forgot about Avatar, was an original product (inspired by previous works of course), broke the box office and will definitelly go in history as a classic. People on the internet also like to complain about Titanic, but i think that film can be considered a classic, and people still love it.

 

[Octoberist]

Well in my eyes, the closest things to 'original' franchise would be adaptations like Hunger Game-o or Harry Pot-Pot.. Because..most people don't read.

 

[Lord]

Well, weren't the Harry Potter books ultra popular though? I remember them breaking records, and the first film was a major success partially due to hype.

 

[Octoberist]

Okay...Hunger Games then.

It's the 'closest' thing to an original IP that we have in this movie market.

 

[Deserana]

I'll be surprised if Iron Man 3 is still remembered as a classic. IM1, CA:TWS and Avengers are, so far, IMO the only ones that people will really remember.

 

[Lord]

That's what they said about On Her Majesty's Secret Service and many other films, it wasn't as important as the ones you posted, but been better than most of the MCU films.

 

[slumcat]

Of the highest grossing films of 2013, i can see Frozen and Gravity becoming classics, Hunger Games may become known, but i'm not sure it will have a lasting power, unlike Harry Potter. Iron Man 3 may become regarded the same way as some of Bond's classics, due to being one of the best early MCU films.

People also forgot about Avatar, was an original product (inspired by previous works of course), broke the box office and will definitelly go in history as a classic. People on the internet also like to complain about Titanic, but i think that film can be considered a classic, and people still love it.

Avatar is an absolutely awful movie - simply going by good film-mnaking it is a C grade film.

I find this discussion perplexing without the description of "Classic" - what is a classic - a film that is considered a great piece of cinema or simply a popular one.

I see none in your post that qualify. Gravity loses a lot of its power on a laptop, where it will exist forever and not an IMAX screen but it can be a classic. Frozen is a middling film at best and the Harry Potter films are collectively extremely forgettable. I love Marvel films and even I would say that only Avengers is the one that will last years later, all the others so far will be footnotes.

 

[Octoberist]

You tell that to the countless kids who love Frozen. And I'm sure 20 somethings bashed The Lion King or The Little Mermaid when they first came out.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Another thing I've noticed is that with the cost of movies increasing, there are a lot more major bombs than there used to be. There was always the Heaven's Gates, Cutthroat Islands, and Waterworlds out there, but they used to be pretty rare which is why we remember those ones so well.

These days there is a Waterworld every year, and sometimes several.

 

[slumcat]

Another thing I've noticed is that with the cost of movies increasing, there are a lot more major bombs than there used to be. There was always the Heaven's Gates, Cutthroat Islands, and Waterworlds out there, but they used to be pretty rare which is why we remember those ones so well.

These days there is a Waterworld every year, and sometimes several.

Heaven's Gate is regarded as a masterpiece now.