The WGA and SAG-AFTRA are officially on strike, which has halted almost every Hollywood production. Strangely, Steven Spielberg predicted this would happen ten years ago, and films like The Flash would be a reason that show business would come to a screeching halt.
Related: ‘The Flash’ Is Officially Dead, Reportedly Pulled From Theaters
One of the biggest issues brought forward by the writers and actors of the world is the threat of AI being used in productions, effectively removing the need for a real person to be used. While AI is certainly not at the height of its capabilities, everyone in the industry can see the writing on the wall.
Take de-aging technology, for instance. While Harrison Ford is certainly not in his 30s anymore, he was shown to be something like that in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Funny enough, Steven Spielberg was initially working on that film until he handed the keys to James Mangold. The point is that Ford would not have even needed to be there for those scenes.
The actor did admit they used his body, and the movements are still him, which is quite unbelievable. But Mangold could have easily found a body double, used the de-aging tech, and not even had to use Harrison Ford. Technology will constantly be advancing, but it reached a point where most filmmakers are almost reliant on using CGI tricks.
That has everything to do with the current makeup of the industry and how superhero films are king. However, because of overly produced films like The Flash, the industry was already starting to hemorrhage, and now there are strikes from both the writer’s and actors’ unions. This should not come as a surprise to Steven Spielberg, as he predicted this ten years ago.
Steven Spielberg Predicted Huge Budget Films Would Collapse the Industry
A decade ago, Steven Spielberg predicted that an “implosion” in the film industry would happen where a half dozen movies with high $250M budgets would flop at the box office and alter the industry forever.
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— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 13, 2023
In 2013, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas spoke about filmmaking at the University of Southern California when the opening of the Interactive Media Building went live. During their conversation, Speilberg predicted that a handful or more films would cost around $250 million to make.
These predicated films would bomb the box office, altering the industry forever. So far, Speilberg is not far off the mark of the prediction. He also stated that theaters would charge around $25 for any film, though that has not happened yet. According to the filmmaker, “You’re gonna have to pay $25 for the next Iron Man.”
Though nothing has entirely jumped to that, it is interesting that he saw the potential threat of superhero films being the culprit in changing the industry. Quite honestly, they have.
Steven Spielberg saw how powerful Marvel had become between 2008 and 2013, and the company was only getting started. Still, realizing that the only way to make superheroes seem real was to use CGI like never before, Steven Spielberg was likely worried that higher-budget films would severely increase ticket prices. If a film had a budget of $250 million, it would only make sense for a theater to have to meet the demands of a studio to showcase that film, which could be to raise ticket prices.
This is an interesting take to have had ten years ago, but let’s look a little deeper at ticket prices.
Cost of Theaters Now
Ticket prices are not universal, so I will only compare prices to how things are in California. Considering this piece is about Hollywood, it only makes sense.
Steven Spielberg stated that prices would rise to $25 for any movie. That is quite absurd, but he is not far off. According to a piece from The Hollywood Reporter in 2014, the average price for a movie in California in 2013 was $8.13. We want to point out that inflation plays a huge part in this conversation, and the cost of living between 2013 and 2023 has increased.
Still, the average price for a movie ticket now is around $15, depending on what time of the day you are attending a theater. That is an increase of 87% in 10 years. That might not sound like a lot, but it’s a bit scary compared to Speilberg’s prediction.
That is not to mention IMAX, ScreenX, and the multitude of immersive theater experiences also available at theaters like Regal and AMC. The new Mission Impossible film releases today, and the price for an IMAX ticket is around $19. That is also not far off from what Steven Spielberg predicted.
Though patrons do not have to see movies in IMAX, many films are shot on IMAX cameras, so it stands to reason people want to get the whole experience. Still, even after paying nearly $20 for one movie, we get hit with films like The Flash.
Steven Spielberg Predicted the DC Collapse
Steven Spielberg predicted that high-budget films would lead to the industry’s collapse; one of the bigger proponents of high-budget disasters is DC. Shazam 2, The Flash, Blue Beetle, and Aquaman 2 will reportedly cost around $1.1 billion to promote and release.
So far, Shazam 2 and The Flash have bombed horribly at the box office. The Flash is the biggest box office bomb in superhero movie history. It reportedly cost around $300 million to make and is only at$262 million in worldwide box office numbers.
Why are people not convinced by this film? It could be because everyone is tired of films that rely on flashy images instead of focusing on more in-depth stories that appear to our emotions. Spielberg might not have known it in 2013, but his comparisons to the current DC mess would be spot-on.
Now, tying everything back together, the issue with the strikes is that AI has become far too dangerous. That conversation started with CGI and studios relying more on computers to create their films than people sitting behind cameras. If a robot can do a real person’s job, why pay that real person anything?
The producers union (AMPTP) is not wanting to bow to the demands of the writers and actors simply because it likely sees their jobs as not as crucial when VFX is more rampant than ever. That is not to say that VFX workers are not vital, as they have been at odd ends with Marvel for years. One person using a computer to do the job of five people will not result in higher pay for everyone.
Related: AI Could Force SAG-AFTRA Strike
We certainly hope that the strikes can be ended soon and an outcome that benefits the hard-working show business folks is drawn. Maybe Steven Spielberg can predict when this Hollywood collapse will end, considering he saw it happening ten years ago.
Do you think Steven Spielberg is right? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!