In this article, we will examine what his administration has done to roll back protections for marginalised people. We will also unpack what these actions could mean for the entertainment industry and its workers.

Eroding Work Protections

In January, Trump signed three executive orders. These orders mainly focused on rolling back Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programmes. Along with affirmative action and protections for trans people. High, Jordan and Ostrager note that though the orders were aimed mainly at federal agencies, they instruct agencies to make “reports identifying…private sector companies with the most ‘egregious and discriminatory’ DEI programs.” Along with “potential civil compliance investigations of publicly traded corporations and large non-profits.” Meaning they will have wide-reaching effects.

What This Means

These orders are meant to send the message that measures being taken to protect and cultivate better working environments for marginalised people and address systemic hiring biases that often disadvantages people who are marginalised because of, “their race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin,” will be vilified by the Trump administration. Companies that voice inclusive policies even face potential legal action. Meaning this is being done to create an intimidating environment for marginalised people. Crucially, although these orders frame themselves as anti-discriminatory, the ACLU says these orders “weaponize civil rights laws’ to reverse decades of progress for women, people of color and for all communities.”

Company-implemented programmes around diversity measures have been criticised for how businesses often use them to whitewash their image over taking concrete steps to address company discrimination. However, they still help many marginalised people. These orders aim to destroy even these small protections that make businesses consider their hiring practices, employees’ talents and well-being.

How Companies Are Responding

Big media companies like Warner Bros Discovery, Paramount, Disney and Amazon have already changed their policies significantly. Amazon excluded a section from a 2024 report that indicated the company was focused on “diversity and inclusion in hiring”. They also said they are “winding down outdated programs and material,” relating to DEI initiatives. Disney is changing its Disney+ content warnings, shifting its “talent strategy” to centre on business outcomes over fostering diversity and inclusion, and closing a website celebrating the contributions of underrepresented voices at the company. Paramount has rolled back its targets to attract more diverse employees and has removed website content speaking to DEI initiatives. WBD are also changing their language to revolve around “inclusion”. In addition, it is making its application process “uniform and consistent”.

Many of these companies are trying to make it clear that they still value diverse perspectives and inclusive environments. That said, these measures, coupled with Amazon creating content around the Trump family and WBD having reportedly had similar suggestions made, Paramount’s potential merger on the way, and Disney pulling content featuring diverse characters, indicate these companies are just trying to garner favour from the Trump administration to protect their financial interests. All while trying to hold onto marginalised audiences and workers, despite capitulating to policies made to make them feel unwelcome.

The Future

We will have to wait and see how these orders affect the whole American film industry, as well as the film industry broadly and if workers and companies will fight these orders. However, these actions also reiterate a dark truth. The film industry has long dragged its feet on improving on-screen and behind-the-scenes representation. Now that high-profile companies have retreated from commitments to diversity and protecting marginalised groups, it has the potential to alienate diverse creatives from the entertainment industry further. Thereby depriving them of a voice within culture and their workplace. Plus, if these companies bow to pressure, the number of productions pandering to the Trump administration will undoubtedly rise over the next few years. Which will serve to normalise its hateful rhetoric. For that, these companies should be ashamed.

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Land invasion, Illegal logging, and the enslavement of native populations are portrayed. However, the miniseries avoids the white gaze from producers and directors by centring the effects of these different types of destruction from the perspectives of those affected most. It also touches on evangelization, prejudice, adaptation to the so-called civilized world, war among Indigenous communities, and other arduous aspects of Indigenous realities that are well represented in the series that covers decades in the region.

The problems faced by the Amazonian region mentioned above are just a few approaches in the series, showing the outcomes they have on the region and the people, the damage they are capable of causing, and how they still remain invisible to the outside world that portrays it as just paradisiac or exotic. The fires in the Amazon that are taking over the news, alongside climate change and human rights activism, help make Green Frontier part of the zeitgeist.

One of the main ways that the show subverts the patriarchal narrative through its protagonist. The audience witnesses how Detective Poveda is perceived by those around her. Del Río gives a strong performance as a law enforcement agent who has to do the right thing while dealing with a morally corrupted and sexist police force, showing how stressful, demanding, and burning this profession can be.

Through the eight-episode arc, the law agent not only unravels the investigation but goes deeper into her connection to the Amazonian forest; therefore, ‘Green Frontier’ has an interesting character arc making Poveda more than just the politically correct stereotype of the “female strong lead”.

This series isn’t just about having a strong female lead and how different she acts from others. When attacked by a once trusted character, Poveda has to fend off for herself. Although she doesn’t flinch about responding to aggressions with violence, she doesn’t in any way display pleasure in it or descend into a berserk rage.

Violence in the series comes as naturally as other acts and emotions. Nevertheless, the aftereffects linger on the characters in a more humane and straining way, especially when portrayed with facial expressions and silence. Latin America is the most violent region in the world, and in ‘Green Frontier,’ it lurks behind the trees or city corners, a feeling explored by camera angles, lighting, and soundtrack with expertise and drawing the viewer into this bleak world.

The solitude of being a cop out of her precinct and surrounded by others who cannot be trusted, feelings augmented by being a female cop, is subtly represented in the colour of the walls of Poveda’s hotel room. Although from a calming light pink pastel tone, they are coldly devoid of emotion, furthering the sense of loneliness and awkwardness experimented by the character. The worn-out paint also signals how damaging this profession can psychologically be. Such imagery contrasts with the native people who come as part of the jungle that embraces them.

Other main questions into play

Nelson Camayo, playing Detective Poveda’s local partner, Reynaldo Bueno, brings the undertones of living in both worlds: a law enforcer and an Indigenous community member in a place where many people have shady interests or are just trying to get by.

Another asset is veteran Marcela Mar (Hermana Raquel), who plays a supporting role, portraying a sweet but condescending and troubled missionary. The Indigenous couple played by Ángela Cano (Ushe), and Miguel Dionisio Ramos (Yua) gives a three-dimensional depth and layered look at Indigenous lives, lore, and society.

Throughout cinema and TV history, Indigenous characters have been portrayed in many productions, but Yua and Ushe show a side of them that they have yet to be seen. The cameras and narrative capture their nudity in a natural light. The couple also embodies how real Indigenous tribes see themselves as the guardians of nature and its knowledge and keepers of dying ways.

The war among Indigenous communities lends complexity to the Indigenous players. Although they are united by race and geography, they are different when considering culture, lore, behaviour patterns, philosophy, and ways of approaching life. ‘Green Frontier’ goes into a space rarely presented in mainstream productions, even from later Latin American productions.

In ‘Green Frontier,’ sex is an intrinsic part of people’s lives, and it is perceived by Latin American eyes, which differs from sexual observations by Anglo-Saxon creators. The sex and sensuality don’t resemble softcore pornography and hold a naturality that aggregates to the storytelling process.

Created by Diego Ramírez Schrempp, Mauricio Leiva-Cock, and Jenny Ceballos and co-directed by Ciro Guerra, Laura Mora, and Jacques Toulemonde, the cinematography is one of its main strengths which was conducted by Felipe Linares, it heightens the beauty and richness of the Amazonian flora and also the systematic depredations it suffers while portraying the small towns with a more erratic view corroborating the poverty in those areas and enhancing the storytelling aspects in an immersive manner which can be expected in a production from Guerra who helmed Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film from the 2016 ceremony ‘Embrace of the Serpent’ (2015).

‘Green Frontier’ has attractive tones of Magic Realism, a style of fiction that blends the realistic and sometimes gritty scenarios of modern life while adding magical elements, a movement tightly associated with Latin American Literature having in Colombian Nobel Prize Winner Gabriel García Márquez its most known name and gives a peculiar flavour to the show.

Magical realism applies more to Indigenous peoples than it does to city-living characters. The jungle, with its dense appearance, presents a more mysterious place than one with modern life resources, and it also brings more of the unique myths to broader audiences.

In 2018, HBO’s sci-fi series ‘Westworld’ (2016 – 2022) episode “Kiksuya” focused on Native American androids mostly spoken in Lakota, becoming a welcomed addition to TV history. More than a hidden gem in Netflix, ‘Green Frontier’ is a narrative that also adds to Indigenous TV history and exposes the complexities of the South American Indigenous situation, which would probably feel different if shot through American lenses.

Also Read: Three Pines: The Unsung Detective Series Shedding Light on Indigenous Pain

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Whilst the game is very popular the success of the TV show means that it has reached beyond just existing fans. The world of the Fallout games is a desolate wasteland, a civilisation destroyed by nuclear war, some carried on in massive underground vaults whilst those on the surface either died or endured the harsh, radioactive conditions. There are mutants, ghouls, killer robots and helpful robots, and all manner of post-apocalyptic problems. Many of the games revolve around vault-dwellers having to go to the surface and this is the same in the TV show, in this instance, Lucy heading out to rescue her father, taken by surface-dwelling raiders. These themes of post-apocalyptic survival are hardly unique to Fallout and are a familiar premise to anyone who has watched TV and movies.

There are comparisons to be made with The Last Of Us – another post-apocalyptic video game turned into a critically acclaimed and successful TV series. But where The Last Of Us takes a decidedly serious and dour tone, Fallout is more whimsical and weird with its apocalyptic horror. Fallout has an extremely strong aesthetic that has been built up over years – the 1950s futurism/atompunk of the vaultdwellers, their cheery polite optimism, the ever-present mascot of Vault Boy, fictional brands like nuka-cola and even the blue and yellow jumpsuits they wear. Outside of the vaults, there are the Mister Handy robots, the grim and oddly dressed wastelanders, and the power-armour-wearing knights. This gave the showmakers a lot to work with and they made great use of it. Fallout is also a lot of fun. It is over-the-top post-apocalyptic madness with no attempt to provide any veneer of what might actually happen.

Lucy (Ella Purnell) is a great character and watching her deal with the constant battle of her lifelong belief in goodness and the golden rule and presented with a world where assuming the absolute worst in people is probably the wisest course of action. Her values and beliefs do take some knocks but her goodness does remain intact.

Maximus (Aaron Moten) sets off on a different story, not a vaultdweller but a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, a society working toward the protection of humanity and stopping another apocalypse. This is mainly achieved through their “knights” and the power armour they wear and fighting people. The Brotherhood of Steel are a fanatical, quasi-religious order of extremists who seem to have a vague belief in doing the right thing.

Finally of the main three cast members, we have Cooper Howard/The Ghoul (Walter Goggins). The show actually starts with a scene before the nuclear war with Cooper being a cowboy at a kid’s birthday party, quickly revealing he was a famous western actor but bad things happened. Cooper refuses to do his trademark “thumbs-up” at the party, something Fallout fans will immediately recognise as the standard gesture of Vault Boy, with the suggestion being he no longer wants to be associated with it. We see Cooper desperately trying to escape nuclear war with his young daughter. We next see The Ghoul in the present day of the show, a radioactively poisoned undead creature, barely resembling a human, a bounty hunter par excellence and as bitter and cynical as anyone else in the wasteland and we learn that this is the very same Cooper Howard. Remarkably Cooper Howard seemed like a good guy, arguing with his director about whether his cowboy character should actually kill the villain and seemingly very concerned with being honest and doing good things.

I was shocked at how much I enjoyed Fallout and became engaged with the characters and the world and with my abiding love of all things post-apocalyptic it was a fantastic surprise.

Also Read: Is Hollywood Starting To Take Video Games Seriously?

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The Boys

The Boys deal with the uncomfortable truth of what superheroes might actually be like, not noble protectors but selfish, careless and cruel people. Take A-Train for example, the fastest man in the world who in the first episode literally runs through someone to Superman-esque Homelander who is about as terrifying as it gets. And these are the “heroes”, not supervillains, loved by the people and celebrated with endorsements, movie deals and more. William Butcher is the self-appointed judge of these superheroes, trying to get the world to realise how dangerous and messed up they are (as well as killing them from time to time). With no superpowers of his own Butcher has to be creative in his methods and many times is not much of a hero himself.

Good Omens

Good Omens was an Amazon-BBC co-production series based on the book of the same name by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The show revolves around the antichrist, the apocalypse and the coming war between Heaven and Hell but after an administrative error by some satanic nuns the antichrist is misplaced and brought up in a quiet English village. A demon and an angel, who actually quite like Earth and don’t fancy this apocalypse business decide to stop it by raising a morally neutral antichrist but realise they have been watching the wrong child. It is a phenomenal show about friendship, love and the virtuous and vile aspects of humanity, for example, Crowley, the demon, has been tasked on making awful things happen on Earth. But he doesn’t do that, instead simply takes credit for the terrible things humans do without any outside interference. The pair of Crowley (David Tenant) and the angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) is a constant joy before we even get into the witch Agnes Nutter, her descendent Anathema Device, and of course, God, voiced by triple Oscar winner Frances McDormand.

Catastrophe

Catastrophe is a sitcom written by and starring Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney (whilst they are not playing themselves their characters are called Sharon and Rob). Their characters have a brief relationship which results in Sharon becoming pregnant and they decide to get married and raise the child together. The show is hilarious and has an angry edge lacking in most sitcoms, it shows the characters at their worst as well as their moments of kindness and love. They have arguments, unpleasant, fierce arguments where nasty things are said and difficult truths shared, they are shown making mistakes, being selfish, of not being their best. And again, it is hilarious.

The Vast of Night

The Vast of Night is a very clever sci-fi film from a couple of years ago set in 1950s small-town America. A radio producer, Everett, picks up what might be a signal from aliens and he and a telephone operator, Fay try to investigate what’s going on. The film is eerie and unsettling without a great deal of big events happening – this is not Independence Day. The cinematography is amazing and it’s a joy to simply watch fantastic shot after fantastic shot, with painstaking attention to detail to make it appear the 1950s and some spectacular tracking shots that follow the action.

The Big Sick

The Big Sick is based on the real-life relationship of Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon (who wrote the film together and Nanjiani stars in the film, the main characters are called Kumail and Emily) detailing the difficulties of this relationship when Kumail’s family strongly disapprove of him dating someone not of his ethnicity. This problem is brought into sharp focus when the character based on Emily becomes extremely ill, going into a coma, and soon her parents come to help take care of her. With their relationship in a very odd place Kumail is at a loss as to how he should be with Emily’s parents, leading to some fascinating interactions. It’s a touching and very funny film with a great cast but it was a delight to see Emily’s parents played by the legendary Holly Hunter and Ray Romano (having never liked his sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond he is great in this).

Also Read: Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The New Game of Thrones?

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Spoiler Warning – some spoilers for the first episode of the show as this sets up the main storyline of the show

The Plot

Invincible takes place in a world full of superheroes and supervillains. They range from gadget wielding humans with no powers, to magical creatures, to aliens from distant worlds. And while there are many superheroes and superhero groups there is an undisputed top superhero – Omni-Man. He is a hero with a vast range of powers, virtually indestructible and an alien from a distant world and is obviously, blatantly and intentionally, a version of Superman. Omni-Man has a secret identity and a family – including a son in high school – Mark, who is aware of who his father is and is expecting his own powers to kick in any day. Just as they do the premier superhero group, Guardians of the Globe are massacred and Mark is immediately called upon to help fill the gap, taking the superhero name Invincible. The investigation into the murder of Guardians of the Globe begins to raise some troubling questions while Mark has problems balancing his superhero life and normal teenage life.

The Cast

It’s worth taking a moment to consider the astounding cast for Invincible, with Steven Yeung, Sandra Oh, Gillian Jacobs and J.K. Simmons taking leading roles and numerous brilliant actors brought in for small parts – Mark Hamil, Mahershala Ali, Jon Hamm, Seth Rogen, Laura Cohan and more. By my reckoning, the film has two Oscar-winning actors in the cast and one of them has two Oscars.

Two Superhero Worlds

One of the things that struck me most about Invincible was the mix of two different kinds of superhero-story styles. Invincible has a bright costume and his struggles with his girlfriend and schoolwork are discussed as much as saving the planet, bringing to mind a friendly, and lower-rated superhero world. It also has people being literally torn limb from limb with that carnage shown on screen. The first episode ends with a massacre of superheroes where you see what happens when people with superpowers fight, bodies ripped apart, bones crushed, punching through people. It is brutal. This continues throughout the series with numerous fights showing what being indestructible and having super strength does to your opponent. There are also a deeply unpleasant array of villains, one of whom kidnaps people and carries out grotesque experiments on them that are up there with awful body horror.

There are also some truly devastating emotional moments of people doing and saying awful things, of believing awful things, and the show does not back away from what that would mean. There is no easy redemption for characters who have done bad things, people who suffer terrible injuries and trauma aren’t just immediately better – this stuff has an impact.

The Military-Industrial Complex Vs Superpowers

One of my favourite parts of Invincible is the moment when the American government needs to take action against some superpowered individuals, without calling on superheroes for help. So America, the most powerful country in the world, with a defence budget so huge they should frankly be ashamed of it, with cutting edge science and seemingly endless resources can’t stop these superpowered opponents. And this is a sci-fi comic book America with space lasers and invisible SWAT teams, the amazing line of “$400billion dollars for the world’s most expensive nosebleed” reflects the sum of their efforts come to – a nosebleed.

Saving People

I’ve seen a lot of people talk about Bruce Wayne could do far more good in the world if instead of spending his time beating up criminals he put his billions towards social programmes. And there is at least one superhero in Invincible who does think that they could use their powers and spend their time doing good works rather than fighting, it’s perhaps less obviously heroic but helps people and she certainly feels it’s a better use of her time (but she will stop happily punch an alien monster or whatever if the occasion calls for it).

So while Invincible the comic book isn’t as well known as Superman or Captain America, this tv show is far better than much of the output of its more famous rivals.

Also Read: Has The Marvel Cinematic Universe Reached Its Peak?

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Let’s take a trip through history and the current media landscape and see if we can begin to understand what led to the decline of the old studios and the rise of the streaming giants.

Where They Are Now?

In Hollywood’s Golden Age (between the 1920s and 1960s) there were eight studios that made up the biggest movie production houses: MGM, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros, 20^th Century Fox, RKO Pictures, United Artists, Columbia Pictures, and Universal Pictures. These companies were responsible for producing some of the greatest films, both of the golden age and of all time. However, after the golden age, these studios had many varying fates.

RKO Pictures was largely folded by the late 1950s. The company was later revived, but it had little success. Its most recent film was 2015’s Barely Lethal. Along with this the other iconic studios are now all owned by other companies. Sony bought Columbia Pictures in 1989; ViacomCBS has owned Paramount since 1994; Comcast owns Universal; Disney purchased 20^th Century Fox in 2019 and rebranded it as 20^th Century Studios; AT&T controls Warner Bros; MGM acquired United Artists in 1981. And despite facing bankruptcy in 2010 MGM survived and is currently being purchased by Amazon.

Several things have contributed to the current Hollywood landscape. For example, the loss of studio control over cinemas and the prevalence of television were major factors in ending the golden age. This left many studios floundering financially and needing to be saved through buyouts. Many of these production houses have managed to recover thanks to buyouts, cinema box office, and distribution deals. But a new market is providing huge competition for them.

The Streaming Wars

Movie streaming platforms have emerged as a huge market force in the past decade. This is because streaming and VoD services offer more flexibility for viewers, allowing them to view a wide range of movies from home for reasonable prices. Which has led to a huge audience frequenting these services.

And with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing cinemas to close, over the last year streaming sites were able to rob big Hollywood studios of their control of the market. Allowing these platforms to effectively become the new Hollywood studios, bringing out big new movies weekly (both original and distributed on behalf of other companies) that captured attention.

The most prominent players in the western world of streaming are Netflix, which has 208 million subscribers worldwide and earned around $25 billion in 2020, Amazon Prime, which has 200 million worldwide subscribers, and Disney+ with over 100 million subscribers. All these companies provide wide catalogues of films and TV shows, new and old, while also having their own brands of original content. However, the way these companies acquire said content is very different.

Netflix and Amazon Prime get their originals through producing and acquiring the distribution rights to various projects. Disney+ similarly produces and has distribution rights for many IP’s. But they also have their own film production studios. Meaning Disney is fully capable of making their own original content to put on their streaming sites. Thus ensuring they keep 100% of the revenue, which makes Disney+ much more like a traditional film studio. This makes it a huge threat to other film companies because of its ability to pivot effortlessly between streaming and cinematic distribution for its movies.

Those that Survived

Streaming has transformed Hollywood and movie production/distribution over the last few years. And even with cinemas reopening big studios will need to take steps to mitigate the financial damage done by the pandemic. This means that studios are now, more than ever, having to consider pivoting to streaming to recoup their losses.

Comcast entered the streaming wars last year with Peacock, made to showcase films from Universal. ViacomCBS also replaced their streaming network, CBS All Access, with Paramount+. But other studios are going to larger lengths to win over audiences.

Through its $8.45 billion purchase of MGM, Amazon hopes to boost the content it can offer. In addition, some also speculate that Amazon will use MGM to produce content for Prime, rather than letting it remain a standalone entity. Similar to what Disney is doing with its studios. And recently AT&T announced that it will merge Warner Media and Discovery into its own streaming platform. This will put the back catalogue of Warner Bros, CNN, Turner, and Discovery (as well as the streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+) into one place. These moves have the potential to really shake up the market.

But while this influx of new streaming platforms from movie studios and the move towards studios making content for streaming may be financially beneficial and offer consumers more content, it also shows that streaming services are slowly moving towards offering content produced exclusively by them and their affiliates. Thus customers may soon have to subscribe to various sites to get everything they want. Rather than having a diverse range of material on various sites.

What do you guys think of the effect the streaming wars is having on the American film industry?

Also Read: The History of Paramount Pictures

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“Things that were, things that are, and some things that have not yet come to pass”

The as-yet-untitled show will be a prequel to the films, set in the second age of Middle-Earth, thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit. The second age is notable for being the time that the dark lord Sauron (the big bad who spent most of the films as a big eye) was forging the one ring (to rule them all). While nothing is known about the plot currently, one of the big events in the second age is the fall of Numenor. A display of Sauron’s power and coercion, his rise to power would certainly be an epic tale. The rights deal came with a guarantee of five seasons, so there’s plenty of time to tell the story

And there is a lot of story to tell, while the third age is well documented, and the first age is covered in the Silmarillion, the second is a relatively blank slate. While this setting may be because Amazon aren’t allowed to reference the books, it still leaves a lot of room for them to expand. While some events are set in stone, the characters involved and what leads to them are ripe to be explored. The show has the chance to answer questions that Tolkein scholars have wondered about for decades. It will be for all intents and purposes, official Middle-Earth canon.

“The world is changed”

While the books have been adapted into various mediums, the Peter Jackson films are arguably more iconic than the books. Part of that appeal is the location filming in New Zealand, which doubles for Middle-Earth. Like Jackson’s films, the new series will also be shot in New Zealand, but the production won’t be using any existing sets. So it’s likely familiar locations like the Shire or Rivendell won’t appear or may look slightly different. It might look different, but it won’t look cheap. While the three films had a total budget of $281 million, season one alone has a $465 million one. For a more modern context, the final season of Game of Thrones cost around $90 million for just six episodes. Amazon seems pretty confident about what is already the most expensive TV show ever made, with 20 episodes in the first season.

The show is in production, but it is shrouded in secrecy. We know some cast members, but no confirmation of who they’re playing. The only cast member with a character attached is Morfydd Clark (of Saint Maud) who is playing Galadriel. Cate Blanchett played the character in the films, and it’s safe to assume Clark is playing a younger version. Other confirmed cast members have been announced, but no idea who they could be playing and few big names. Even behind the scenes, the show is being headed by two relative unknowns, Patrick McKay and John D.Payne. Although they have no IMDb credits, they are well known within the industry and come recommended by J.J Abrams.

It’s too early to say if the show will do as well as Amazon hopes, but they’re clearly going all out to try. No other streaming service has a show or license like this, with Disney+ and The Mandalorian probably being the closest comparison. Streaming services are moving towards original content, and this could be a game-changer if it pays off. Netflix and Disney+ are notoriously cagey about actual viewership numbers, and streaming has made pirating shows even easier. While shows like The Mandalorian and Game of Thrones are big, they are also the most pirated shows. The show certainly has the ambition and potential to become the next big thing, but only time will tell.

Also Read: Returning to the Lord of the Rings

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So could Amazon really own a cinema chain? And what would that mean for cinemas?

What’s this all about?

Streaming services have been invaluable while everyone is in lockdown, and Prime has been a heavy hitter for a while. Especially in the UK, which didn’t get Disney+ until a few months ago. Amazon Prime has the added benefit of additional discounts from the main site. It also lets users rent and purchase many films, even if they don’t have prime, unlike most other services.

With cinemas closed, many studios have had to either delay big films or release them on demand. The pandemic has cemented the influence of streaming services, and many people are asking what the future holds for cinemas. With streaming being easier and often cheaper, audiences may not be as inclined to visit cinemas anymore, except for “event” films such as “Tenet”. The latest trailer confirmed it would be “only in theatres”.

Why does it matter?

So Amazon has a successful streaming service and wants to buy a cinema chain. This is good for Amazon, as they could give their original content theatrical releases. Existing Prime customers could also get additional perks. But what about cinemas they don’t own? Could we start seeing some releases exclusive to some cinemas? Amazon has had success with original films like “The Big Sick” and “Manchester By The Sea“. Although the Oscars temporarily allow films streamed digitally to be eligible, traditionally, they need a theatrical release. Although they have started to move away from this, like most streaming services. Netflix had a big exception with Scorsese’s “The Irishman”, which had a limited theatrical run so that it qualified for Oscars. This would allow them to release a film on their streaming service for subscribers, while also being awards-friendly.

If Amazon did this, it’s likely other streaming services would follow suit. Disney is a likely contender. Along with Universal, they have been less concerned with cinemas, releasing films soon after theatrical releases. If these studios begin buying up cinemas, they could have the best of both worlds. Many cinema chains are refusing to show Universal movies if they continue ignoring the theatrical window. This could potentially lead to a scenario where huge franchises are only available in certain cinemas. You could watch Fast and Furious 9 at your local, but then have to travel to a Disney-owned chain for the new Star Wars. Imagine the streaming wars, but with actual cinemas!

How bad would this be?

This would actually be a step backwards. Back in the 1920’s studios not only owned the theatres but had exclusive contracts with actors and directors. This meant that they could only work for that studio for the duration. and created a monopoly on the industry. During a two-decade-long court case independent producers, like Orson Welles and (ironically) Disney fought to end the practice. Eventually succeeding, the Supreme Court managed to end the practice of block booking in 1948. Although some argue those rules are no longer needed, meaning we could see a return to this model…

This would give studios complete control over films, with potentially much more “studio interference“. Director’s Cut’s would be very hard to produce as they would now be tangled up in rights issues. It would also be much harder for directors or actors to leave a project or refuse one.

Luckily, it seems like these talks may just be rumours, as neither company has confirmed they are actually happening, but if it did happen, it could be very bad news for everyone but the studios.

Also Read: Why We Need To Support Independent Cinemas Now More Than Ever

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