Why independent films are failing to reach the big screen

Independent films are failing to gain support and can’t keep up with corporately funded franchises like “Avengers” or “A Minecraft Movie.”

By Rachel Meatte

On April 13, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) came out with a startling premises: “Hollywood Is Cranking Out Original Movies: Audiences Aren’t Showing Up.” This seems to be true as moviegoers are dropping in number and cinema experiences begin to change.  

The assertion that the movie industry does produce original films, yet no one watches them is a theory plagued by the reality of empty movie theatres and low box-office numbers. 

This was seen with the film “Novocaine,” an independent film produced by infrared, a movie production startup within FilmNation Entertainment, written from scratch by producer Lars Jacobson. It was released earlier in March and was a box office disappointment earning just $8.7 million with a budget of $18 million.  

Jacobson’s work on previous films like “Day of the Dead: Bloodline” (2017), “Baby Blues” (2008), “Cardiac” and “Wheel Woman” (2022) are part of his growing experience producing independent films. Yet, his latest and biggest film failed to attract a large audience to fill movie theatres, begging the question, why aren’t people watching independent films?  

The reason independent films are failing is because people are willing to throw all their money at large corporately produced films like “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” and “Thunderbolts,” which performed exceptionally well at the box office. Films with larger budgets like the “Avengers” or “Jurassic World” were able to capture an audience that smaller independent films couldn’t.  

Independent films like “American Honey” weren’t performing well at the box office dating to before Covid. During Covid, movie production declined by more than 45%, according to WSJ. The film grossed just over $2.6 million at the box office with a budget of $3.5 million. The cast starred Shia LaBeouff and up and coming American actor Sasha Bianca as the stars of the film, which was directed by filmmaker Andrea Arnold. 

In addition, “First Cow” a western drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt grossed $1.4 million with a budget of $2 million. Despite its critically acclaimed reviews from film critics and 96% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, the film failed to earn a large enough audience to surpass its budget.  

Low grossing independent films have become a gamble with Hollywood studios. Some studios are willing to take the leap and risk the funding, while others are not willing to wager the money and the chance of success. The WSJ article analyzes how a lack of film marketing can make or break a film’s success in the industry.  

“At the CinemaCon industry convention in early April, theater owners said they welcome more original films, but only if they are backed by robust advertising campaigns. Building buzz for a new film in a media environment fractured between YouTube, TikTok, streaming and sports is tough, particularly when it is an unknown title,” according to WSJ.  

Without a large advertising campaign, momentum will not push enough people to go see these films, ultimately causing them to fail. “Novocaine” had mixed reviews of advertising with some saying it had fun innovative advertising and others saying it fell short with little coverage. 

Discussions on how Hollywood needs more original films and why original films are failing has hit every corner of the internet. In a recent post in subreddit dedicated to film discussion user BrokeUniStudent69 replied to a post by Suspicious_Stock3141.  The original post said “WE DON’T NEED MORE MARVEL MOVIES OR DC MOVIES. WE NEED MORE ANIMATED FILMS, ORIGINAL FILMS AND BOOK ADAPTATIONS!” 

The Redditor continued and posted a picture of themself inside an empty movie theatre. The caption read, “People when it’s time to show up in theaters because one of those types of movies finally came out.” 

The comments were divided with some agreeing and some giving reasons as to why they don’t go out to movie theatres. 

“I live near a theatre, love going to the movies, but I’m not gonna go unless I know the movie will greatly benefit from being seen on a big screen,” a Reddit user, BrokeUniStudent69, wrote in the comments. 

However, it isn’t just the fact that movie goers don’t want to risk wasting a large sum of money on a new movie that is terrible or the lack of marketing surrounding a film. Movie theatre culture has also changed drastically.  

Another reason people are avoiding the movie theatres is the unruly crowds. BrokeUniStudent69 also spoke about this briefly in their reply. “Yes, they’re smaller in general these days, but the people who are there. The last few movies I’ve seen in theatres have had people on their phones and talking, one even had someone vaping in the theatre. I’m not paying the increasingly exorbitant ticket prices just to be annoyed, unless I really feel like I’m going to be missing out by not seeing it on a big screen.” 

Movie prices have continued to steadily increase with the average ticket price being $11.31, according to “Thenumbers.” In Washington state the average ticket price is $15.28 and in other states like California it’s $19.66. 

Despite the movie theatre’s decrease in admissions, ticket sales continue to rise according to Medium. Movie events like “Taylor Swift Concert” or cultural events like “Barbenheimer” help cover any lost costs and sell out theatres. However, viewers like BrokeUniStudent69 present a strong argument for supporting independent films.  

For me to attend the cinemas, it must be a film worth seeing, something that checks all the boxes and leaves me satisfied. Spending $15 for a movie ticket not including food is a significant cost the viewer eats anytime they want to see a movie. 

If a person wants to watch one movie a week in Washington, they’d be spending at least $60 on ticket prices per month. The steep price is not an easy cost for anyone earning a medium wage income to pay, let alone additional costs for food or drink.  

For independent films like “Novocaine,” they’re up against a steep wall of ticket price increases, suburb filmmaking expectations and a strong advertising campaign. It’s not an easy task to tackle and is only getting more difficult with corporate funded films like “A Minecraft Movie” taking over the box office and carrying a strong existing fanbase.  

If independent films want to flourish, they must exceed expectations or at least have successful marketing campaigns. The success of future films ultimately depends on the customer’s willingness to head to their nearest theatre and pay money to see it.