According to Steven Spielberg, the film industry as we know it is primed for “implosion.”
The acclaimed filmmaker firmly believes drastic changes are looming on the horizon. While celebrating the opening of a building at the University of Southern California’s film school, Spielberg and George Lucas discussed what the future holds for motion pictures.
Their vision of the future is definitely a little grim. According to The Atlantic Wire , the Star Wars director believes it’s only a matter of time before films like Lincoln skip the big screen and go directly to television.
“This close — ask HBO — this close,” Steven Spielberg said in regards to Lincoln heading to the small screen.
Lucas explained the only reason Spielberg’s historical drama made it into theaters is because the filmmaker owns his own company. Were it not for this fact, Lincoln may not have been distributed into theaters by a major Hollywood studio.
Spielberg and Lucas told those in attendance at the USC event that budding filmmakers were learning the craft at a very strange time in the industry. According to The Hollywood Reporter , the directors believe it’s getting tougher for talented individuals to get studios interested in their projects.
Steven Spielberg explained studios currently aren’t taking chances on scripts they feel are too “fringe-y.” Some of these ideas eventually make their way to the small screen instead.
“That’s the big danger, and there’s eventually going to be an implosion — or a big meltdown. There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen mega-budget movies are going to go crashing into the ground, and that’s going to change the paradigm,” he explained.
George Lucas said his World War II flick Red Tails had a very hard time getting into theaters. The filmmaker explained the “pathway to get into theaters is really getting smaller and smaller.”
What do you think about Steven Spielberg’s thoughts on the film industry? Do you agree it’s only a matter of time before studios experience some sort of “implosion?”
[Image via cinemafestival / Shutterstock.com ]
