Matt Damon Explains Why Movies Suck In Today's Age

I've wondered about this for a LONG time now. I feel like the only movies that get made these days are superhero movies, sequels, and remakes. If you're not a Marvel guy, which for whatever reason that superhero genre has never really grabbed me, then there's just not many options these days. 

Damon basically said...it's the economics, stupid. The upfront costs to make movies without the support of DVD buys coming later makes it impossible to do a movie like the ones he made in the 90s. 

I think that is an interesting premise, but Hollywood had been making great cinema and was a thriving industry for like 40-50 years before the VCR and at-home viewing was in every home. How did Hollywood make Casablanca, Jaws, The Godfather, Deerhunter, etc without DVDs. The 70s are widely regarded as the greatest decade in the history of movies. DVDs didn't exist then. They, for whatever reason, didn't need the secondary cash cow of the at home viewing to justify making ELITE movies. 

I think there's definitely merit to what Damon is saying, but it's the fucking internet era. I don't know if you need to spend $50M on advertising the way he is talking about. Get on social media, do podcasts, etc. I don't think you need billboards and the voiceover guy doing super bowl commercials. There's got to be another way to market the movie at a reduced cost that allows you to make compelling movies. 

I don't know what the actual solution is, but the notion that there's nothing anyone can do except put their palms up and then point the finger at streaming services killing DVD revenue seems like a bullshit excuse to me. There's got to be a way for Damon and everyone else to still produce movies like Rounders, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, etc. They need to figure it out because there hasn't been a good comedy in like 20 years and those great stories seem to be drying up or just moving over to the small screen and it sucks.