2017: The Year That Horror Saved Hollywood (qz.com)

A reader shares a report: If there's a silver lining in any of that for America's film industry, it's that the horror genre is still plugging merrily along, seemingly immune to the financial troubles that have befallen most studios. As the rest of Hollywood flounders in 2017, horror is in the midst of its highest-grossing year ever. On the backs of huge hits like It and Get Out, the horror genre has combined for a record $733.5 million in the US this year, according to box office data compiled by the New York Times (paywall). The year has proven that horror films are more than just cheaply made movies for niche audiences and can still cross into the mainstream to become bona fide successes. Ticket sales during the 2017 summer movie season, billed by Variety as "The Summer of Hell," were down nearly 11% from last year due to a series of epic flops, namely King Arthur: Legend of the Sword and The Dark Tower. Arguably the only saving grace was It, the adaptation of the novel of the same name by Stephen King that became the highest-grossing horror film of all time in September (not adjusted for inflation). Today, it has made a very fitting $666.6 million (seriously) worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Following a solid first half of 2017 with Dunkirk and Wonder Woman, It helped Warner Bros. rebound from the disastrous King Arthur and the disappointing Blade Runner 2049 -- to say nothing of this month's box office catastrophe, Geostorm.

Comments

Make Your Own! [Re:Formula for success]

[Tablizer]

Honestly, until Hollywood stops trying to shove their alt left agenda down our throat, they will continue to do poorly.

I've been hearing this complaint from the right for a long time. The right has very good access to deep pockets such that they can form their own studios and make their own damned movies. You are not held hostage.

a conservative narrative, with a struggle between good and evil... [hero should have] evil to overcome [besides] corporate suits

So you define progressive values as "evil"? I don't know what your New Testament says, but mine talks far far more about not being a greedy selfish prick than it does about gays or "evil" unions.

Sorry, but I see power-grabbing selfish plutocrats and big co's who (now legally) bribe politicians as the biggest current evil. You may personally like plutocrats & monopolies running YOUR ass, but I do not. They are even damaging the planet by trashing climate change science. If that's not evil, then I guess I have no clue what "evil" is.

And don't even get me started about the Nazi-esque Orange Joker in the Whitehouse.