As The New Yorker reported in a report on Mattel's post-"Barbie" plans, it's not just Mattel that's leaning heavily into IP. Warner Bros. Discovery is working on a scripted "Harry Potter" TV series, attempting to lean into a brand that's been tarnished for some by its creator's transphobia, not to mention a series of lackluster prequel films. Paramount Pictures CEO Brian Robbins told Variety in a profile published Wednesday that the studio's upcoming animated films would focus on familiar franchises like "Avatar: The Last Airbender," rather than going after "expensive original animated" films with less certain audiences.
How do media executives repeatedly come to the same dumb conclusion every time a successful movie or show comes out? It happens every single time. A movie with a slightly unconventional premise or genre does unexpectedly well, and the executives naturally want to replicate that success to make more money. But instead of looking at the writing or themes to analyze what made it work, they just hyper-focus on the genre, actors, premise, or aesthetic.
Their second cash-grab movie flops more often than not, but they never learn their lesson despite it being their job to make money for shareholders. These assholes get paid over seven figure salaries just to push ideas any asshole off the street could come up with in five minutes.
Probably because they were the business school types who laughed at the humanities and now they're media illiterate despite working for media, and are so arrogant, they think they can market research their way into art.
Hit the nail on the head
I've always thought that corporate executives are prone to the bandwagon effect. You aren't pivoting your startup to AI? Well I definitely don't want to keep investing in you. Guardians of the Galaxy did really well? That means we should reshoot Suicide Squad to be more like it! We're not making quick progress on our new software? We need to hire more programmers!
They just make the same mistakes as all the executives before them. All people should assume corporate executives are incompetent until proven otherwise.
Couldn't have said it any better.
I guess it's because being an executive requires only one skill: being a dumbass who collects a huge salary. Being good at your job is not a requirement, and may even be counterproductive.
laziness and a cynical desire to coast off a success