Are TV Series The New Blockbuster?
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What makes a movie a blockbuster? Many movie-watchers share different tastes and interests when it comes to film, yet they all want the experience of watching a movie with high production value with high-quality storytelling and acting. Watchability is also a crucial factor, as many viewers want to rewatch a film simply because of how well they enjoyed it.
While there exist many examples, one of the best ones comes from the mind of Steven Spielberg, producing Jaws back in 1975. The movie garnered a ton of buzz outside the theater, which sparked an interest in other directors to create more high-scale productions. With fast-paced entertainment and action becoming the norm in movies, what was there to dislike?
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As the years go on, however, more and more blockbuster movies are being created, usually pertaining to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or being a spin-off/sequel to previous films. While other films are equally respected, it's clear that their box-office grosses are different from their more recognizable counterparts. Even Spielberg, who helped kickstart the blockbuster era, isn't immune. While Jaws brought in around $476 million, his newest passion piece, The Fabelmans, has been struggling, only earning up to $4.6 million in the opening week.
With a new blockbuster released just about every other month, it's hard to keep the hype up for other movies when a new one is right around the corner. At this point, Hollywood is bombarding the audience's attention span with anything that the average movie-goer might find familiar. It's starting to feel as if everyone is being pandered to. When the movies that used to challenge the mainstream of movie-making no longer push the line, where else do we go?
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When one is disappointed in the theaters, they look to TV and streaming services for their desired taste in entertainment. TV series are usually longer than full-length movies and come with the convenience of individual episodes. This does more than provide dramatic breaks in between plot twists, as it allows time for the viewers to analyze and talk about what they watched. This creates excitement, speculation, and hype, a blockbuster's biggest attributes. Plus, it allows the watcher some time to go to the bathroom.
Does it make sense to call a TV series a blockbuster, however? The most significant and noticeable difference between most movie blockbusters and a series comes from the fact that movies are typically seen in a movie theater. If you were fortunate enough to watch Avengers: Infinity War in the theaters when it was first released in 2018, chances are you're familiar with the energy that buzzed around. Whether you were waiting in line for the ticket or sitting through numerous Disney advertisements, the excitement for one of the biggest Marvel films of the time was palpable.
The hype was one of the most essential parts of the movie-going experience for many watchers since they could share a similar bond with others. After Covid swept through the country, however, it took a little while for production companies to release new movies through streaming services. Even with theaters reopening back up, many audience members realize they can watch almost any movie they want from their living room.
When one hears 'streaming,' one of the first services to come to mind is Netflix. Being one of the biggest streaming companies, it's not surprising whenever they market a new show or movie. Recently, Netflix distributed Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery to theaters. For a little while, anyways. Netflix decided to limit the release to one week, wanting to create buzz and excitement for its eventual release on the streaming service itself. Seeing as how they plan to allow theatres to show Glass Onion afterward, the marketing move feels less like Netflix is trying to hype up a blockbuster and more like they're trying to beef up their subscriber count.
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The technique was effective at the end of the day, as many viewers were pleased with the movie. With the release of Wednesday on Netflix, however, it didn't take long for audience viewership to shift from the whodunnit to the quirky TV series. The show has already garnered more than enough hype with how it intermingles a well-known character with the modern era. Once again, the familiarity of known properties is more prevalent over a more recent franchise, but this time it's a TV series outshining a film. Of course, the convenience of watching an Addam's Family spin-off from the comfort of one's couch whenever we want helps.
Not every TV series needs to be based entirely on an existing property to become extremely popular, however. One of the hottest shows circulating the internet for a while now is Better Call Saul. While it is something of a spin-off from Breaking Bad, an equally popular series, the characterization and story of Jimmy McGill are all independent from Walter White's. Regardless, both shows have been sung praises, with multiple internet memes, fanart, and video edits created by passionate fans. Even if these shows have been on the air for a while now, the fact that they carry an enormous fanbase online shows that there's truly something unique and memorable with Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad.
Ultimately, even with such shows quickly growing in popularity, it still doesn't feel right to call TV series the "new" blockbusters. Even going as far back as the radio, people have always tried to find ways to tell new stories with different, interesting characters. No matter what kinds of shows you may prefer, there's bound to be a fervent audience for it, ready to pick apart each little detail when the newest episode is revealed.
The blockbuster movie was a way to fit one entire story into one breathtaking, entertaining watch, allowing the audience to digest a whole story in one sitting, usually with fantastic visual effects and quality music and audio design. Once the film industry realized it could sell multiple blockbusters in the same year, the shock and excitement got lost under the flood of potential money-makers.
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Regardless of the films' quality, there's no denying that it's starting to become exhausting to keep up with each new remake, sequel, prequel, re-release, and retelling of stories that most of us have already heard multiple times before. What made blockbusters so special was the eager sensation of watching a high-production movie due to massive marketing campaigns to drive people to want to watch it. So when every film starts to hit the same high over and over again, it's easy to see why movie-goers are losing steam.
TV series will always come and go, each with different storytelling goals and various methods and genres to portray them. While it may usually take longer to dig into the meat of a TV show, staunch fans will always feel the payoff is worth it, given that the writing is high enough quality. There's also the bonus of not paying exorbitant ticket and concession prices. The ability to pause between or during episodes helps with accessibility as well.
It shows that, no matter how much a blockbuster may be advertised, the audience will usually know what's worth watching and what isn't. Word of mouth is a powerful tool that many production companies try to take advantage of. Due to ease of access and a lot more content to talk about, it shouldn't be surprising when viewers move towards a series that they've heard their friends laud about.
Even if the hype around a TV show is similar to that of a blockbuster movie, it is the intent behind the hype that draws people in. It's not just watching another multi-million dollar movie that attempts to mingle every positive aspect a movie can carry for maximum profits. With a TV show, the fun is how fans talk about it. What will the next season hold? Will the two fan-favorite characters finally hold hands on screen? It's exciting for audiences to speculate about various plot points, especially when they're waiting for the next season. Fans choose to keep the hype going for their favorite shows because they like what they watch and are willing to see more.
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You see, people choosing to get excited over a TV show over a potential blockbuster movie is not a new thing. Whenever a movie is disappointing or hasn't been released yet, the audience will fall back onto the familiar territory of their favorite shows. In the viewer's mind, they may think of that show as the greatest blockbuster they've ever seen.
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Source(s): Better Call Saul, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion, Wednesday
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