The Era of Fading Movie Icons

Why Star Power is Fading in Hollywood

The rise of franchise culture has made it challenging for Hollywood to develop the next generation of stars. The industry’s focus on big-budget, IP-driven films has led to a lack of spillover from these tentpole titles to smaller features.

Stars like Sandra Bullock and Denzel Washington avoided franchise fare, which allowed them to maintain their drawing power for non-IP films. In contrast, actors such as Robert Downey Jr. and Johnny Depp became closely associated with defining roles in franchises.

The theatrical window is shorter than ever, and the market is oversaturated with big-scale fantastical storytelling that was once uncommon at multiplexes. Profitability is more reachable when budgets are lower, but today’s blockbuster budgets have ballooned.

Reviving star power is not as simple as delivering quality mid-budget films. Hollywood has continued to do this in the 21st century only to be met with a shrug of indifference from audiences more often than not.

Actors like Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya are exciting young talents, but none have proven they’re consistently able to draw audiences to non-franchise films. For every major franchise success, there are smaller efforts that fail to make notable box office dents.

The industry and studios can play a big role in developing a new generation of stars by shifting focus towards low-to-mid-budget, non-IP projects early in an actor’s career journey. These types of initiatives give emerging talent the opportunity to showcase their skills without being overshadowed.

Before Tom Cruise was synonymous with death-defying action, he built his career by working with beloved filmmakers such as Ridley Scott and Martin Scorsese in grounded, star-driven dramas. Similarly, DiCaprio uses his star-power to make well-received prestigious adult-skewing event movies.

Hollywood faces monumental financial pressures, especially on the back of the pandemic and production shutdowns. However, enduring some short-term pain by developing and investing in more affordable non-IP films with emerging talent can raise the long-term ceiling of the industry.

A better balance between big franchises and smaller, more diverse films—and an emphasis on talent development and strategic public availability—can help foster the next generation of stars.

The industry needs to invest in three-to-four years of star-vehicles that allow well-liked young actors to play normal character types like a lawyer or doctor. This is how you get people to show up for movies that are just movies, which helps give high concept and new-to-you films a chance and gets us out of this franchise rut.

Key Takeaways:

• The rise of franchise culture has made it challenging for Hollywood to develop the next generation of stars.

• Stars like Sandra Bullock and Denzel Washington avoided franchise fare, which allowed them to maintain their drawing power for non-IP films.

• Reviving star power is not as simple as delivering quality mid-budget films.

• The industry and studios can play a big role in developing a new generation of stars by shifting focus towards low-to-mid-budget, non-IP projects early in an actor’s career journey.