Talking Movies
Lords of no rings; Bond, shaken bond; Adidas got this; Ballpoint Shakespeare.
Loving blockbusters and spectacular cinematic experiences is not mutually exclusive with enjoying crafted cinema from around the world. Or at least, it should not be. Do you love the onslaught of (often brilliant) blockbusters and franchises and the seemi9ngly unending chase for “IPs”? Or do you feel like it has diluted films and filmmaking more in an era already being drowned in a sea of sameness?
Today we look at some perspectives on movies (mostly English)- the franchise/IP monster that has devoured and stumbled; the studio that has bucked the trend; a new streaming service offering a distribution model that could prop up indies & ‘international’ films; a scathing take on Netflix’s film strategy.
Inevitably, I also waded into the recent James Bond news to check if the franchise was it was all shaken or if the pot was merely stirred.
Curated/Cuts finds reassurance and positive power from Adidas globally and in India. Elsewhere, a hardy BIC pen writes an old classic from the bard.
+ Quickies on a budding podcast empire, Youtube diluting premium (or is it elevating Lite?), the biggest animation film ever, and how Tiktok trends are missing cultural weight.
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Talking Movies
I love me my blockbusters and spectacular cinematic experiences (in cinemas). I also love discovering stories that only great movies can craft, from around the world. Indeed, one my biggest grouses with myself is not finding enough time to watch more ‘independent’ films, and films from around the world.
This streak also makes me sometimes wince at the obsession with ‘building IPs’ and the incessant search for franchises and ‘flywheels’ that can milk merchandises and parks and cruises and hotels and experiences. Good films are an experience, not merely a tool to something else. The reality that attention is so manically fragmented now, does not justify the need for only more massy, lowest common denominator fare. Telling profoundly entertaining or resonant stories is a real thing, a real niche with meaningful purpose to be had.
I am aware this is a view of either filmmakers or consumers of a certain ilk. It is not a ‘commercial’, studio one, and definitely something entertainment lawyers and consultants will scoff at. But let me not moan on this. I share these thoughts as an intro to some recent perspectives on the movies that I have found interesting.
Lords of No Rings
Some argue Hollywood is in a franchise crisis—major studios are struggling to recapture the magic that once made blockbuster sagas cultural landmarks. As franchises stumble, The Lord Of The Rings trilogy towers as a shining example. Two towers, if you will.
In 2001, New Line Cinema took a monumental risk by greenlighting Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's beloved trilogy, investing $281 million ($540m in today’s terms) to film all three movies simultaneously—an unprecedented move. We know this gamble paid off spectacularly, grossing billions worldwide, sweeping multiple awards, and creating an enduring fandom. Indeed, as a long time lover of the books, I sometimes bristle how an entire generation’s love for Middle-Earth comes almost entirely from the movies, not the books.
This success redefined franchise filmmaking, setting a template for episodic storytelling and the adaptation of intellectual property. Yet, more than twenty years on, replicating this achievement remains, shall we say, challenging.
"The reality is that it’s extremely difficult for a new-to-screen concept to break through these days, even on streaming platforms where franchises don’t face the same scrutiny (or boast the same cultural footprint) as theatrical. Audiences want familiarity. With magnified social media attention and divisive online factions, it’s harder than ever to deliver a general crowd-pleaser."
Brandon Katz explores ‘Why Hollywood Hasn’t Created a Blockbuster Like ‘The Lord of the Rings’ in 23 Years’.
Inevitably, A24.
Talking of challenges, Hollywood’s studio system is in flux. One already storied company seems to have cracked the code. Well, of sorts.
In the chase for blockbusters and struggle with audience fatigue, A24 has built a powerhouse by championing filmmaker-driven storytelling. From Everything Everywhere All at Once to Hereditary, their films thrive on originality, proving that niche appeal can translate to massive success.
“The real success is selling the idea of something, never mind the thing itself.”
I was reminded of this piece from a couple of years ago, The Cult of A24. But how does A24 operate differently—and what can legacy studios learn from its playbook?
and at Open Gardens attempt to break it down, exploring how A24’s innovative approach to marketing, community-building, and filmmaker collaboration is reshaping the industry.“A24 isn’t trying to be for everyone. That’s their superpower. Legacy studios, on the other hand, can be for everyone—but not by making everything for everyone at once.”
Its a space calling for more in-depth explorations.
Netflix ruined movies
And lastly, a long read: ‘Why Netflix looks like that’ is an unabashed takedown of Netflix’s approach to creating shows, and especially movies. It begins with a rather bleak view of the streamer’s origins, and continues to lay out its evolution as a TV & film studio. The piece has a whiff of an agenda, a dollop of cynicism, and yes some hard truths. It spends time with the premise that Netflix doesn’t need to make a hit to succeed, nor even something that was memorable, just “enough of everything to attract anyone.”
“Netflix has developed a powerful business model to conquer television, only to unleash its strange and destructive power on the cinema. In doing so, it has brought Hollywood to the brink of irrelevance. Because Netflix doesn’t just survive when no one is watching - it thrives.”
Olyn
Meanwhile, a new kind of streaming service has appeared, with a call to filmmakers: Own your audiences. OLYN aims to connect filmmakers directly with their audiences to bypass mainstream providers like Netflix or Apple. They mean to provide full control over distribution, marketing, monetisation and data to filmmakers.
Olyn claims to offer a new model for distribution that leans on the power of ‘social referrals’, rewarding viewers for sharing movies they like.
“Viewers trust personal recommendations from influencers more than impersonal algorithms. By enabling influencers to share unique content links, Olyn leverages this trust, ensuring that viewers find content they truly enjoy and care about. Together we democratise content distribution.”
Ah there you have it again- democracy, that great virtue of every aspect of modern human civilisation.
[Aside: Clearly, asking filmmakers to think like at least three other related but separate professions equates to providing more freedom. This is not dissimilar to how, over the years, content creators who had the joy of getting tools like Youtube, camera phones, high-speed internet and social media to express their creativity, have also been required to grasp the mechanics behind selling, engaging, hacking and propagating their creativity.
This also sounds like the kind of thing where- if it catches on- a middle level appears to help such filmmakers navigate an ecosystem like this. Much like YouTube , or even MCNs? Won’t be surprised if Olyn itself offers that. ]
Bond, VeryShaken Bond.
Talking of Hollywood and franchises and box office, I must also wade into secret service territory.
You’ve surely heard that the James Bond franchise is now entirely Amazon’s. Here’s a franchise that has been passionately shepherded by a small group of people (one family) with very distinct ideas around who Bond is, who he is not, and what should and should not be done with the films. It has not been submitted to creative by committee, nor to some auteur’s vision, nor to some number-crunched algorithmic play. All of this, proudly and unequivocally so.
Have the bad guys finally won? After decades of taking down megalomaniacs with designs on the world, James Bond appears to have been bested by a bald man with far too much power. - Joe George in DenOfGeek
Since 2021’s No Time To Die, we’ve had no meaningful update on the series. Though Amazon bought MGM around three years ago, only now have 007’s long time stewards Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson (finally) ceded control. The payoff is reportedly around a cool billion dollars. Now that’s building a valuable franchise.
So now? Cue rampant speculation, optimism and apocalyptic scepticism. Who will be the new Bond? How will Amazon mess up build the franchise? How many spinoffs might we have? Is this the beginning of the end? Or is it a glorious new era? What would Ian Fleming and Albert Broccoli say?
Curated/Cuts.
Adidas You Got This Intnl + India. The brand with three stripes has had the “You Got This” campaign going since last year, their stake in the ground for supporting athletes and dissolving negative pressure. I find it a nice offset to Nike’s “Win” approach.
The 2025 spot uses The Velvet Underground‘s ‘I’m Sticking With You’ pretty emotively. ‘You Got This’ moves now to an even more positive take, bringing into focus the incredible role played by those who support athletes- coaches, friends, parents and others- a view that resonates deeply with both my life and worldview.
In India, Adidas found a way to pull this off with the Indian cricketers, ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy. Its a different mood, but the vibe (and the song) is the same- you got this, bro.
Extreme product tests as a form of advertising is not a new thing, and can yield some striking results. The latest is pretty cool one from BIC, the pen makers celebrating 75 years. Originating from Brazil, the spot takes the claim that BIC pens can last for 3 kilometres worth of writing(!), and marries it with some pretty serious writing.
I am not sure about a robotic arm being labelled AI, but its a more than effective spot. The effort has produced a 212 page copy of Romeo & Juliet donated to a library, the magnificently named ‘Real Gabinete Português de Leitura’ in Rio de Janeiro, “a cultural institution deeply rooted in literature and history in Brazil.”
Quickies
“A trend used to represent a changing pattern of values, ideas and behaviors. Trends were emergent, transformative and semi-permanent. Trends are now viewed as fleeting moments, void of cultural meaning.” Kian Bakhtiari makes the case why brands must Escape The TikTokification Of Cultural Trends
Youtube might be launching a cheaper premium version (yes, I contrived cheap and premium in the same description) called Premium Lite (yes Youtube has contrived premium & Lite in the same name). It is meant to include many but not all videos being ad-free, and/or limited ads. Music videos will not fall into the lite category. How does this affect the podcasters & other creators whose revenue is tied directly to the advertising volume?
Ne Zha 2, the animated megahit from China, has become the biggest animation film ever. Not in China, globally. It went past Inside Out 2, but with the majority of its surge to nearly US$2B coming from its home market.
Ashley Flowers hosts the second biggest podcast in the US. She has loved crime stories since childhood, and began Crime Junkie as a side project. Today her company is valued at $250 million. Lucas Shaw has a fascinating piece on her plans.