Well, let’s start by trying to be fair since disaster movies aren’t at the bottom of the barrel just yet and might not be anytime soon. But they’re certainly not rising to the top either as Moonfall would indicate, especially not when compared to the big franchises that Roland Emmerich and several others have called out over the past few years. Star Wars, the MCU, DC, and several other movies have been doing far better at the box office for a while now, and I’d be remiss to forget the Fast and Furious franchise as well, and it would appear that Roland and those that are of a like mind simply can’t stand it. No doubt, it would be childish to thumb your nose at this idea and tell the disaster movie maestro and many others to go chew on their sour grapes and be content with what they’ve done, but it’s insanely tempting at times. The fact is that disaster movies are still selling, but at this point, they’re not nearly as popular as other movies that tend to give people hope and something to believe in, rather than another disaster to think about.
Think of it this way, if someone falls and breaks a bone, do you show them pictures or videos of other people doing the same thing? Or do you show them something positive that might still involve struggle and hardship, but is also meant to inspire and take their mind off of their troubles for the moment? Granted, a disaster movie can show the necessity of struggle and not giving up, and a hero movie can show desperation and despair, but one thing that the franchises have been doing for a while when it comes to entertaining people is to entertain them without scaring the living hell out of them, especially after weathering a pandemic that’s been hyped up beyond belief over the past couple of years. Disaster is a part of human life, unfortunately, and while people have enjoyed it in the movies for years, a lot of folks are worn out after two years of wondering whose number will be up next due to a virus that many have come to believe can’t be controlled. The point is that people are weary and worn out, and disaster movies, no matter who makes them, can be a little depressing at times.
That’s not to say they’re not popular, but like all things, there are cycles in which certain ideas tend to be more popular, and those that were prized a while back are forced to take a back seat. This isn’t going to sit well with those that are invested in making movies that aren’t part of a franchise since the strength of said franchises is enough to keep them at bay for now, but Roland and those that believe as he does are going to have their say. That’s fine, to be honest, they’re allowed to talk as much as anyone else and their opinions carry a great deal of weight with a lot of people. But what’s funny about this is that if disaster movies were currently trending at the top of the box office, it’s very likely that Roland might still talk about the MCU, Star Wars, DC, and other action franchises, but he probably wouldn’t be nearly as vociferous about it.
That’s curious, isn’t it? There’s a good chance that if confronted with this that Roland and many others would claim that they’re not that worked up about it and that the media is taking things out of proportion. And that could be so, given that media outlets do tend to stretch and expand the truth in the manner they see fit to get their own point across. But where it all breaks down is when it comes to the idea that Roland might have an actual issue with the big movie franchises that are currently sitting pretty at the moment. It’s easier to believe that Roland is throwing out comments such as wondering how many superhero movies can be made (have you seen how many are out there Roland?), and perhaps even why people are so invested in them. But to think that it might confuse him as to why people are willing to spend money on such stories is even harder to grasp.
They represent hope, they give people something to dream about, to be inspired by, and no matter how ridiculous or over the top they get, hero movies are often a lot of fun in several ways that disaster movies can’t match at the moment. Things will likely turn around in the next five to ten years and that disaster movies will make a comeback, but until people feel that the pandemic is well behind them, Roland might have to recognize that a real disaster is bound to keep people from enjoying a fabricated one, at least for a while.
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