Hollywood on the bottom line

The cinema boxoffice downturn has been blamed on poor films.
Well, well, well.
At last someone has clued up.
The movie industry has been churning out lowbrow, gross, dire, moron movies for some time now. The lowest common denominator has ruled its selection process. But the lowest common denominator is also the poorest - since low achievers are low earners. So the box office has slumped.
I often lament the power of the dollar, but this time I celebrate it. For it is only when hit in the pocket that moguls and corporations will sit up and take notice. Now they must recognise that they have been targeting losers.
And cinemas are empty because the rest of us are staying away - forlorn that there are so few movies with appeal.
I blessed George Clooney for being perhaps the only one in 2005 to send me out of a cinema both enlightened and filled with admiration - "Goodnight and good luck".
And that, of course, is an arthouse movie.
The general public would not put up with such a thoughtful, historic production. It has to have car chases. Or just chases. "Lord of the Rings" is just one great big chase. Yawn.

But the good thing is that Hollywood has clued up. It has stopped blaming half a dozen "pirates" trying to flog dreadful films of new films (taken with cams in the cinema, complete with audience coughing). It has stopped blaming videos and DVDs - for they are the big part of their market. It has realised that it, wonderful Hollywood itself, has lost the plot - and are the world experts in crap.

Meanwhile, is it not an odd thing that, when looking at how the make the idea of going out to the cinema more appealing, they are coming up with a concept of fewer screens and more comfortable theatres. Back to the future, methinks.