by Ray Keating
Commentary
DisneyBizJournal.com
June 2, 2024
A couple of unfortunate, regular occurrences seem to be emerging from Disney when it comes to their major franchises. One has been that budgets for movies and shows are running wildly out of control. Second, the quality of the final product has been, to be generous, under-whelming, with excellence (or at least being pretty good) too often now ranking as the exception.
Of course, a key question is: How do those calling the shots react?
Let’s look at the latest controversy emerging in the Star Wars universe.
The Acolyte eight-episode Star Wars show premieres on June 4 on Disney+. The trailer wasn’t exactly gripping, which is problematic as trailers should be the best foot forward. But as a fan, I always try to hope for the best. We’ll see.
But in terms of the budget, The Acolyte follows on recent Disney efforts, as this eight-episode series cost a whopping $180 million. Yikes.
Second, the person heading up Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy, has served up self-indulgent comments in the face of criticisms. The latest such case comes courtesy of a New York Times report. Kennedy was interviewed, and declared, “Operating within these giant franchises now, with social media and the level of expectation — it’s terrifying… I think a lot of the women who step into ‘Star Wars’ struggle with this a bit more. Because of the fan base being so male dominated, they sometimes get attacked in ways that can be quite personal.”
Hmmm. Is it the best strategy for a studio head to effectively attack its fanbase? Seems like a bad idea. Also, while there always are plenty of idiots spouting off on social media, given that there are widely beloved female characters in Star Wars, such as Princess Leia and Ahsoka Tano, are all failures in Star Wars now about a toxic fanbase? Shouldn’t the head of Lucasfilm be taking a closer look at how to produce big-budget entertainment with wide appeal?
The idea of “blaming the audience” is appealing – and it might help the individual creator to cope on occasion, and it might even be correct at times – but it isn’t a luxury afforded to a person leading a studio. Disney needs to take a hard, close look at what’s going on at Lucasfilm.
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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.
The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?
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