The Importance of the Studio System in the Post-War Period

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At their peak, the studios were releasing around 70 films per year. The number of films they release each year starts to decline. Studio lots basically, you know, become empty and underused. They are looking for some way to drive people back into the cinema to make more money. And so what studios began to find was that they could reserve more box office profits for themselves by doing block buster releases on hundreds of screens at the same time. This created a perverse incentive for both multiplex chains but also importantly, independent cinemas as well. It is difficult to book these massive marketing apparatuses from exhibitors who can't pick just one good film or two great ones every week.

Paris Marx is joined by Will Tavlin to discuss the history of the film industry, how the digital revolution was promised to democratize film, and how it actually helped cement the power of Hollywood and Silicon Valley.

Will Tavlin is a writer and fact checker based in New York City. Follow Will on Twitter at @wtavlin.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.

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