[ascagnel_]

What killed the mid-budget movie was the rise of "peak TV" -- the B-list actors that defined mid-budget movies can land a meaty TV role that pays them well on a consistent basis. We're also seeing more and more A-list talent move to anthology or event series, where you can make a deep dive over 8/10/13 episodes instead of a 120-minute film.

[gigaflop]

Sometimes, I'd prefer some sort of limited series more than a movie. 'Maniac' was enjoyable for me because it had time to let things go slowly, despite taking course over what was probably 1 week in-universe.

I may also be different from the usual audience, in that I try to avoid binging anything. Hour-long episodes are great for my WFH lunch break, and to pad some time in the evenings if I so desire, but I prefer to commit to watching a movie if I know I have the time.

Molly's Game was a nice and long movie, but at over 2 hours long, I feel like it could have had potential at being a miniseries. But also, maybe not? Who knows how much meaningful material was left on the chopping block.

[ascagnel_]

> Sometimes, I'd prefer some sort of limited series more than a movie. 'Maniac' was enjoyable for me because it had time to let things go slowly, despite taking course over what was probably 1 week in-universe.

Maniac is an excellent example. If it were a film, much of it would be cut down, and the movie likely would have had a singular focus on Jonah Hill's Owen character. The show, in having more time to breathe, realized relatively early on (by episode 3 or 4) that Emma Stone's Annie character had a far more compelling story to tell, and shifted its focus accordingly.

[bsder]

Matt Damon talks and laments about this. What killed the mid-budget movie was the collapse of DVD sales. Without DVD sales, there is no extended "second bite" that allows word of mouth to build up. So, instead, your marketing is $30-$50 million and you need to make that back.

Getting a second bite is also responsible for the recycled pablum with China pandering--if you say something that the Chinese government deems unacceptable you lose your shot at that market.

As for "episodic", I suspect that's less a "deep dive" and more ADHD background watching on a phone. "Encanto" was an absolute poster child for this--"HEY! LOOK UP NOW! HEEEEEEEEY!" "Okay, volume back down. You can go back to your text messaging for a while." "HEY! LOOK UP AGAIN! TIME TO PAY ATTENTION! HEEEEEEY!" ad nauseam.

[mcphage]

> "Encanto" was an absolute poster child for this

That’s just kinda how musicals are.