How the Hollywood Strike Has Affected Cinema

 

I have talked before about how the SAG-AFTRA strike is affecting Hollywood. What many people still are not aware of is the fact that the strike is affecting how films and tv shows are marketed as well. Barbenheimer was an early victim of this. As Barbie is concerned, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and the other stars of the film like Issa Rae, John Cena, and Will Ferrell could only promote the film briefly and the same goes for the very large cast of Oppenheimer. As large as the cast is, the only ones at the premiere besides director Christopher Nolan were Cillian Murphy, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, and Robert Downey Jr. The film had its premiere in London but the premiere was not a full premiere because many of the cast was not there or they left in solidarity with their fellow actors as part of the strike. Films and television shows are successful for many reasons and one major reason is how they are promoted and marketed.

Blue Beetle, DC's latest superhero film has become another casualty of the strike and the rule against cinematic promotion. What that means is that, unlike Barbenheimer, there are no interviews with the likes of the anchors of Entertainment Tonight and hosts like Kelly Ripa and the ladies on The View. There is no press tour which is a major part of promoting an actor/actress' work. Hollywood at a standstill is not a good sign for us the everyday tv and movie watchers because the excitement factor for say the next season of The Kardashians on Hulu or House of the Dragon on HBO is not there. We get hyped for new film and television releases mainly because of the promotional campaigns we see on our phones or laptop or watch on the tv. The strike does not allow that to happen. Instead, these new releases come out with little to no fanfare, and then the directors and creators of said work get mad. A good example of that is how both season 3 of The Witcher on Netflix and Secret Invasion on Disney+. Both shows have seen their fanbase go down and while you can argue the strike played no part in that, you can also argue that creatively the studios should have put more money aside that way these shows could perform well enough to exceed the expectations of fans. 

The strike in my opinion is nowhere near a resolution. All the projects about to come out on film and television face an uphill battle. Studio heads like Bob Iger at Disney are all about the bottom line and lining their own pockets. What they should do is work with the Jon Favreau and Kevin Feiges of the business in order to put out satisfactory projects instead of the half-baked dumpster fire that Secret Invasion became. Actors feel secure knowing that the projects they make reach fans in a way that they come back for more. The failure of Secret Invasion made MCU fans question Kevin Feige but also question Bob Iger. Cinema works when everyone is in the same headspace. Marvel works if Disney is able to cooperate with their overall multi-arc vision. Where I see the strike finding a resolution is that studio heads listen not only to the producers and directors but also to the actors who work under said producers and directors. Then, everyone is able to understand why the project can not fail. Not every tv show or movie is Marvel or DC based but they are also not stupid enough to rely on those who do not understand why actors and writers are striking to begin with. Now is the time for the cinema industry to realize that two heads coming together is a grand idea. At the end of the day, actors and writers are out on the picket line striking because they do not feel seen or heard. What changes is the studios sitting down with those actors and writers and coming to an agreement on when to use them which would then not lead to trust issues with AI. Artificial intelligence has people in Hollywood walking on eggshells. Getting or giving the opportunity for collaboration is key because then every voice will be heard.