Okay, lifelong movie geek and former Manager of large, multi-screen Movie Theaters in Central FL and Los Angeles.

The obvious TL;DR is easy... Major Money.

But a lot of people might not understand how or why there seems to be an endless stream of shitty, high-budgeted films--that all somehow continue to turn profits.

Although slightly more complicated, it was actually a natural progression.

The Motion Picture Industry is, was, and always has been about turning a profit.

But the dramatic shift favoring flash over substance can essentially be split into 3 PARTS:

PART 1 - The Rise of the Summer Blockbuster.

In the late 70's, unprecedented mega-blockbusters like JAWS and STAR WARS redefined how Hollywood budgeted and produced films. In the 60's and 70's, the motion picture had come to dominate popular culture.

Before then, in the typical movie house you could explore many different sub-genres and niche categories, presented in numerous films, made by a diverse group of filmmakers and studios.

Complex stories and quality production were essential elements in any major release, and the artistry of filmmaking was appreciated as equally as profitability--which at that time was the reward for releasing a top rate picture.

Films could be green-lit solely off of artistic merit, or the well-earned reputations of the writers and directors involved, and production companies were more willing to roll the dice an gamble on a film turning a profit.

After the advent of the Summer Blockbuster, the concept of a HUGE, money-making opening weekend was proven. This opened the doors to more modern, "bankable" methods of making movies... Where generating ticket sales and money became a much bigger consideration.

This major philosophical change became a motivating factor in another paradigm shift within the industry... The collapse of Old Hollywood. As big budgets and making profit became the top priorities, competition amongst the major players hit the 1980's, and the last vestiges of Hollywood's Golden Era were taken over or acquired by big corporations or multi-national conglomerates.

Fewer Artists and more Middle Managers were now calling the shots. And these business-minded individuals coveted money much more than they craved industry recognition. As a result, the general quality of films dropped, and excellence was relegated to an even lower priority.

Mirroring the deteriorating standards of American manufacturing, the Number Crunchers seeking corporate-style success in Hollywood hedged their bets and got very comfortable with the idea of selling an inferior product to quickly recoup losses.

And just like bland Buffet Food, the movie going public seemed to forget about flavor and get familiar with flashy mediocrity.

And like the greedy cocksuckers they are, they decided to start charging more money to rent their bullshit to Exhibitors.

PART 2 - The Dawn of the Corporate Mega-Plex.

As the business of showing movies became corporatized, operating a movie theater became a potentially less lucrative venture, and many theater chains started dropping out. This lead to a HUGE shift in the Exhibition Industry...

In the mid 80's and early 90's, investment groups began snatching-up and acquiring the multitude of regional movie theater chains suffering profit losses. The timing was perfect... And by the end of the 90's, only 4 or 5 major corporations (like Knoxville's Regal Entertainment Group--who I worked for) controlled the entire Exhibition Industry.

Because the corporate-driven Hollywood movie machine was now ABSOLUTELY COUNTING on big opening weekends to jump start their profit-earning... Longevity--or how long a film stayed in theaters (a former indicator of quality filmmaking) was completely forgotten.

Giving up on longevity was the final nail in the quality coffin. Artistic motion pictures were now the exception to Blockbuster rule, and as a result they are almost exclusively relegated to the arena of alternative financing and independent production.

So just a brief recap:

A. Hollywood Studios goes Big Corporate.

B. Movie Quality suffers.

C. Film Exhibition Industry goes Mega-Corporate.

D. Movie quality further suffers.

Sigh.

PART 3 - The Erosion of the Middle Class (of films).

So the movies themselves shifted to a small risk/big gain system, the movie theaters exhibiting them also transformed into soulless, corporate mega-plexes bent on getting our cash.

The strategy has 100% shifted from making excellent films that 'play all summer' to pumping out unsubstantial eye candy designed specifically to recoup budgets and amass grosses before theater goers realized how fucking awful the movie they just watched really was.

And the weirdest side effect--is the near extinction of the Moderately Budgeted Studio Feature. Yes--just like disappearing middle class in America, Hollywood films are more often falling into one of two extremes:

Low Budget Art-House Films.

And Mega-Budget Blockbusters.

There was a time that films with moderate production budgets--not too high or low but, just right--were a cinema mainstay. Movies like FIRST BLOOD or ALIENS were not filmed on high budgets. But NO MORE. Nowadays, on the low end of the spectrum, the films are theoretically of a better quality, but in my opinion, the collective difference in distinction or worth is often marginal and typically superficial.

Really outstanding films are simply fewer and farther between these days.

OF COURSE--excellent films are still made and released every year, but the absurd majority of these so-called Art-House or Indy films (good or bullshit) end up being exploited as Award Season 'calling cards and used to garner artistic street credibility in the industry.

Then on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Opening Weekend Gross is now the pinnacle concern, and Total Profit is God. It's a place where talentless, unfuckable Spreadsheet Nerds use sophisticated algorithms to take the guess work and catastrophic risk out of movie production, by intentionally being bland to appeal to the buffet-food-eating masses, and ensure they make money--regardless of how many people they disappoint.

They're Bamboozlers... Snake Oil Salesman like Michael Bay, using movie magic and special effects to mask low concepts and imbecilic storytelling... All in a sad, concentrated effort to trick unsuspecting 12 year old boys into spending their allowance on tickets to a piece of shit movie. Bay even mocks his critics by snuggly hiding behind his bankable profit-making--blatantly admitting to his hoodwinked audience that he doesn't care if you love his film or acquire a personal copy... He only cares if you paid to watch it at least once on Opening Weekend. Dick.

Who can blame the suits? After all--breaking even is perfectly acceptable. So even a rare, middle-budget entertainer like EQUILIBRIUM (2002) can't even get a damn domestic releases, because Miramax pusses out and mitigates any potential money loss in the States. Why risk it? They already broke even with a semi-successful release in Europe (Google it).

PART 4 - The Sliding Scale and The Shortened Window

The final piece of the puzzle. It's not a big secret but it's not widely publicized outside the industry... A major innovation that became very popular was the Sliding Scale Exhibition Contract.

Basically, Studios (and Distribution Companies) make the majority of the Box Office ticket sales Opening Weekend. Conversely, the Theater Chains keep a higher % of the ticket sales for every week the film stays playing. This is why Theaters sell 11 cents of Popcorn for $6 to make profit. But it also means that the movie Producers typically have no financial incentive to shoot a film with "legs"--that stays popular (maybe even builds momentum) and remains in theaters for a longer time.

I'm old enough to remember films like PRETTY WOMAN and BATMAN playing for 3 months over the entire summer. Those don't really happens anymore.

So... The SHOCKING secret has been uncovered: The Studios AND Exhibitors both openly prioritize cash over quality. I know... It's astounding.

But most people never connect the dots and see the big picture...

A system designed to awe you into buying a ticket the 1st weekend and banking your money before you realize you got scammed.

Hell... I still allow myself to get scammed almost every other weekend. And I won't be quitting anytime soon. Now more than ever, Independent Cinema has become a "Minor League" proving ground for talented filmmakers. And some Blockbusters still pay off and deliver our money's worth (like CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER).

And we Movie Lovers will keep risking regular disappointment for these occasional diamonds in the rough, despite the fact that we know the Studios really only care about our money more than us.