The Fall Of American Royalty
Discover more from Conflicted with Greg Berry
The Fall Of American Royalty
Is This The End Of The Hollywood Ruling Class?
American Revolutionary War veterans rolled in their graves.
They escaped the crown’s rule after years of bloodshed.
Only for future Americans to bend the knee to Hollywood nobility.
But that’s what happens when people get comfortable.
During the Roaring Twenties, industry and city life exploded after we electrified our homes, and technological advancements created new jobs and luxuries.
The US economy was on top, and the livin’ was relatively easy for many Americans.
Naturally, people had less of a need to work and more of a desire for entertainment.
We became spoiled.
And so began the Hollywood Gold Rush, where people nationwide abandoned their homes and families for a shot at superstardom, and film production boomed.
But us chickens evolved as well.
Newspapers and magazines roused audience interest in not only movies but the individual actors themselves.
And Hollywood royalty was born.
Fast forward 100 years or so, and here we are, feeding our celebrity obsession through the internet, “reality” shows, and social media.
But it appears a revolution is on the horizon.
Hollywood Civil War
People forget labor unions aren’t limited to electricians and pipe fitters.
This week, there are multiple Hollywood strikes in progress between the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA).
Over the last two months, thousands of writers have been on strike over a labor dispute between creators and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
SAG-AFTRA joined the picket line this week after authorizing an official strike, making 2023 the first time actors and writers have been on strike simultaneously since the 1960s.
And this doesn’t only impact major Hollywood entertainers.
The standoff halts actors across streaming services and video games as well.
But it’s worth noting that the Christian crowd-funded series The Chosen is an exception to the strike, as it’s the first TV production to receive a waiver to continue production.
Whatever happens, people close to the issue don’t appear to see a resolution in the near future.
Hopefully, that means we’re spared woke Christmas movies this year.
Losing Streak
Even without the labor disputes, Hollywood has suffered financially with a downward box office trend.
Obviously, the government’s failed CV response killed theaters worldwide.
But more recently, producers like The Walt Disney Company lost around one billion dollars between films like The Little Mermaid, Elemental, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Lightyear, among others.
Elemental was the worst release in Pixar’s history. And the Toy Story remake lost $106 million.
As a result, employees received pink slips to the tune of 7,000 at Disney alone.
Even highly anticipated releases like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny fell short, just barely breaking even with $302 million at the box office while costing $295 million to make.
A stark contrast to the series’ 2008 installment, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull, which grossed over $300 million and cost $185 million.
And Mission: Impossible-Dead Reckoning Part One fell short of its opening expectations.
Are Americans done with the theater? Or is there something else at play?
Filling A Void
Apparently, people still enjoy the silver screen experience as The Sound of Freedom exceeded $100 million at the box office this week, which is impressive when it ran producers $15 million to make.
Especially when you consider the film is only available at limited theaters.
The film, starring Passion of The Christ’s Jim Caviezel, tells the true story of a former federal agent fighting to save children from human traffickers.
The numbers speak for themselves, yet critics and the media are doing everything they can to discredit the film, such as calling it Q-Anon propaganda.
But why?
We know everything is politicized these days, but you would think child trafficking would be a non-partisan issue.
Yet it’s not.
And it makes you wonder when California struck down new laws that would increase penalties for traffickers.
Conservative Creators On The Rise
And the success of the controversial flick doesn’t appear to be a fluke.
Other right-leaning producers achieved high praise with releases from The Daily Wire.
For example, Terror on the Prairie (2022) received rave reviews after star Gina Carano was fired from Disney for her conservative political views.
Run. Hide. Fight. (2020) also had high audience ratings.
When The Daily Wire let people watch What Is A Woman for free on Twitter, they got over 100 million views.
It’s hard to compare theater vs. streaming releases regarding views to tickets sold and fictional vs. non-fictional stories, but viewers have an appetite for something new.
A Dynasty Ends
Needless to say, people aren’t flocking to the theaters anymore because we’re tired of woke storylines and casting.
And we’ve reached a new low with the making of Snow White and the Seven Magical Creatures.
Because having Snow White, a German character played by a white woman, and the seven dwarves played by dwarves is offensive.
When films lose creativity and originality, producers lose ticket sales.
But there’s more to the story than cultural issues and labor disputes.
Producers today seek to make movies based on past success instead of taking risks with novel ideas.
Half of the movies above are remakes or part of a never-ending series. If the formula worked before, why not try to replicate it?
Just add wokeness.
So it seems we’re at the end of an era.
Not the end of film itself, but a conclusion to the traditional Hollywood monarchy that serves as entertainment gatekeepers for the masses.
Over the past couple of years, it’s become clear to the everyday American that the government and Hollywood are full of scumbags.
Hollywood enjoyed a 100-year reign.
But it looks like the gates to the LA Bastille have been breached.
The Fall Of American Royalty
Hope we are spared the woke Christmas movies this year 😆 great comment