TJ Walker argues Hollywood isn't out of ideas, it's out of money for risky bets. In 1977, original films like Star Wars and Close Encounters were blockbusters. Now studios chase sequels and franchises because they're safer. Creators need to build their own audiences instead.
Hollywood is not out of ideas. Hollywood is out of affordable risk. In 1977, the top movie was a weird space opera called Star Wars. Not yet a religion, not yet a lunchbox empire, just George Lucas asking America to care about a farm boy, a princess, a wizard, and a heavy-breathing guy in a helmet. That same year, audiences also made hits out of Smokey and the Bandit, Close Encounters, and Saturday Night Fever. Today, the top of the box office and Broadway look less like a creative culture and more like a museum gift shop. Sequels, revivals, toys, games, pop star biographies, old movies and new costumes. The message is brutal: nobody is coming to discover you. Build your own audience. Ultimize.
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