We Are Bored. And That's a Good Thing!

The Poster for 'Black Bag'

Tim Schildberger - March 18th, 2025

This is an optimistic post. I promise I come at this with the most positive of intentions.

Have you had a look at what’s going on at the box office, and on streamers lately? Probably not, because based on revenue and interest, few of us have.

Why would we? The ‘content’ being served to us right now lacks…I’m going to go with 'creativity'. You could use ‘imagination’. Or even perhaps an ‘audience first’ mindset.

Take ‘Black Bag’ for example. Have a look at the poster above.

Tell me any of that makes you want to run to your local theatre and throw down some cash. The premise is about a married couple who are also spies. Predictably enough, it did poorly at the box office.

I’m not throwing shade at the marketing department, although come on guys. And I’m sure writer David Koepp and director Steven Soderbergh have delivered an entirely watchable movie.

But another spy thriller with a couple testing their loyalties? Really?

What about ‘The Electric State’ – rumored to be the most expensive film ever made, with a budget topping $300 million. That one didn’t even make it to the theatres, instead being released directly to Netflix. I watched it, and that choice makes sense. It’s just not a concept that inspires excitement. It’s derivative. The execution does not make up for that shortfall.

Where’s the optimism you’re asking? This all sounds bleak. It’s coming!

Finally let’s glance at ‘Captain America and Harrison Ford’ or whatever it’s actually called. Even with Marvel touting it’s ‘reduced’ budget at only $180 million, global receipts are weak, and it’s going to lose money. Shocker.

What do these three films have in common? I would argue they are more concerned with pleasing the filmmaker, and/or the studio, instead of the audience.

Everyone and their cat is tired of the same old Marvel movies, and yet the studio is grimly holding on, hoping we’ll change our minds (we won’t). I feel like their reasoning for this grip of doom is...'We have a schedule running through the end of the decade! These films used to be box office gold!'

Netflix seems to be grimly holding onto the idea that successful filmmakers will make awesome movies when annoying studio executives stop giving notes. Still waiting for proof on that one.

As for ‘Black Bag’ – the title alone should’ve been reason enough to ask important questions. But I suspect Mr. Soderbergh’s name still excites people with money, and there’s comfort in familiar stories. Just not a return on financial investments.

We, the audience, are bored. Here’s how I know, and it’s not just limp box office returns.

I was at my kids’ gymnastics competition recently, chatting with a fellow Dad who works in Health Insurance administration. NOT a movie guy. He asked me if I thought the world had run out of new ideas. If civilization has reached the point where we have exploited every original concept for an entertaining story there was to be found. Has the well run dry?

The mere fact someone who is a pure audience member is even contemplating that question, means we are bored. BORED. (And no, we haven’t tapped out on ideas).

Which is good news!

The door is now wide open for new ideas. New structure, new characters, new heroes, new villains. We, the audience, are officially ready. We could potentially be at the dawn of a whole new era in crowd pleasing entertainment. Maybe there’ll even be a comedy or two that are just silly and fun. Who knows!

All it will take is a tiny bit of courage from a few people who control vast sums of money and massive marketing machines and who love movies and the singular foundational concept that has sustained them for a century. Crowd pleasing entertainment. Not director pleasing, agent pleasing, studio pleasing or actor pleasing. Crowd pleasing.

It’s time for new adventures, time for maybe a character or two who didn’t originate in a book/comic. Maybe time for movies without assassins, spies, aliens or even superheroes.

The future is never certain. Or predictable. We’re all feeling that right now. But movies have always been about escapist entertainment. Taking a room full of strangers into a shared experience. Transporting them from the stress and drudgery of their normal lives, and giving them 2 hours (NOT THREE OR FOUR), to disappear. We still want that. For whatever reason, humans like to gather, and share in the delight of storytelling. That need is power. Because we’re willing to pay to fulfill it, and right now we are making it very clear we are ready for new stories, new shared moments. What an exciting time!

This summer is going to be bumpy. Although I predict Brad Pitt’s motor racing movie ‘F1’ will crush any superhero film competition. Because it’s promising a thrill on a big screen, and we like thrills.  

But the future beyond is bright. We just need a few people to find a pinch of self awareness, a dash of courage, and a desire to take some creative risks in the name of entertaining strangers. Then our movie theatres will be filled with fresh, interesting, crowd pleasing ideas.

Not all movies will succeed, they never have. But trying something new sure beats watching something old sag and struggle.

I believe a bright movie future awaits. I really do.