Two of the summer’s biggest blockbusters have bucked recent trends toward overtly political and consciousness-raising films and convinced some that Hollywood has gotten the message.
Twisters made a splash at the box office over the weekend, grossing an estimated $80.5 million in its debut, surpassing expectations and scoring the highest opening for a live-action film this summer so far.
Meanwhile, Inside Out 2 remained a huge hit for Pixar, finishing in third place and grossing nearly $600 million in the US.
With international ticket sales, Inside Out 2 has grossed a global total of over $1.4 billion and Twisters has a global gross of $574.4 million, far exceeding the film’s $155 million budget.
One critic believes this is a sign that audiences are ready to tell Hollywood to stop making movies with moralizing messages.
Two of the summer’s biggest blockbusters, including Universal’s Twisters, have bucked recent trends toward overtly political and consciousness-raising films and convinced some that Hollywood has gotten the message.
Kyle Smith of the Wall Street Journal He said that in recent years the major studios “seemed to listen only to the left half of the country.”
He cited films like Frozen 2, Lightyear and Disney’s flop Strange World as “conscious propaganda disguised as a children’s movie.”
Twisters, for its part, manages to be a film about natural disasters without trying to lecture audiences about leftist alarmism about climate change.
“I just wanted to make sure that with the movie we didn’t feel like it was conveying any message,” said director Lee Isaac Chung. CNN Before the film was released.
“I just don’t think movies should be message-oriented,” the Oscar nominee added.
Chung says the film shows “the reality” of the much more catastrophic climate conditions we see today, but that it’s not his job to tell the audience what to think.
“I wanted to make sure that we never created the feeling that we were preaching a message, because that’s certainly not what I think cinema should be,” he said.
“I think it should be a reflection of the world.”
“I just wanted to make sure that with the movie we didn’t feel like it was conveying any message,” said director Lee Isaac Chung.
Meanwhile, Inside Out 2 remained a huge hit for Pixar, finishing in third place and grossing nearly $600 million in the US.
Smith also believes that Disney’s Pixar (recently accused of over-pandering to the conscious crowd) has taken a turn toward the conventional with Inside Out 2.
The film is “funny, smart and at times penetrating in its analysis of what ails teenage girls, but it doesn’t add to the culture wars,” she added.
After a summer in which two of the most successful films, Barbie and Oppenheimer, had clear political messages, Smith believes the films are starting to find their footing.
“Hollywood is relearning an old lesson: Moviegoers don’t like being told to eat spinach when they’re reaching for popcorn,” he wrote.
Of the ten highest-grossing films in the United States this year (a list that includes both Inside Out 2 and Twisters), only Dune: Part Two has explicit political themes.
Many are sequels (Bad Boys For Life, Despicable Me 4) or spins on characters from existing franchises (Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes).
Late last year, Disney warned investors that the company’s products and political views might not align with what viewers want and risk hurting its bottom line.
The House of Mouse has struggled lately to successfully promote its expensive films to audiences, losing roughly $1 billion on its last four high-profile releases.
During an investor meeting in September, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the company would “quiet the noise” around cultural issues and focus on creating content that is entertaining.
The House of Mouse announced a lengthy delay for the release of its live-action remake of Snow White – the film is likely being retooled to be less “self-conscious”
More recently, the House of Mouse delayed the release of its $330 million Snow White remake by a year after star Rachel Zegler sparked outrage with a rousing speech against the 1937 original and promised the new version would be more progressive.
The company’s SEC filing, which is being submitted to give investors, analysts and regulators a clear picture of how the company is performing, says Disney’s success “depends on our ability to consistently create compelling content.”
When creators “fail to achieve sufficient consumer acceptance,” profits fall, the report warned.
Disney has been embroiled in several political controversies in recent years that have illustrated to some parents and consumers that the brand’s values may no longer align with their own.
Notably, the company took a strong stance against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ “Don’t Say Gay” bill (actually called the Parents’ Bill of Rights), which bans sexuality and gender curricula for public elementary school students. Since then, the company has continued to publish agenda-driven content.
Chief Executive Bob Iger assured investors in September that he would work to “quiet the noise” around the company’s involvement in cultural issues because it has been shown to be bad for business.
Twisters has become the surprise hit of the summer for Universal, as the film received a lukewarm 78 percent rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but audiences were excited about the big adventure centered on a sexy team of storm chasers.
Although the project did not feature the returning characters from 1996’s Twister, starring Helen Hunt and the late Bill Paxton, box office returns seemed to reflect audience affection for the now-classic film.
Twisters’ position at the top of the box office may not last long. Next Friday, the film will face stiff competition with the release of Deadpool & Wolverine.