Reference News Network August 2 report: The Bloomberg News website published an article on August 1 titled "Hollywood Can't Tell a Story Anymore," written by the newspaper's columnist Girold Riddell. The translation is as follows:

The peak period for North American movie box office often sees few of the most original works. But even so, Hollywood's performance this year has "exceeded" all previous years. In 2025, the three major projects bet on by Hollywood's big studios are the third film in the Superman series in 20 years, the fourth film in the Fantastic Four series (Fantastic Four: First Steps), and the sixth attempt to recapture the magic of Jurassic Park from 1993 (Jurassic World: Rebirth). The only North American film that broke the $1 billion box office this year, the live-action version of Lilo & Stitch, also relied on nostalgia for the millennial and Generation Z generations. Among the top 15 films in North America in 2024, there was not a single original work.

This further indicates that Western culture seems to be in a crisis: indulging in youth memories but unable to create new ideas. In contrast, Japan, the world's third-largest film market, presents an entirely different situation. After the release of the new Superman film, I could hardly find any cinema still showing it; all cinemas were occupied by the phenomenon-level animation Demon Slayer. This hit animation film earned 12.9 billion yen (about 87 million U.S. dollars) in box office revenue in just 10 days and is expected to become the highest-grossing film in Japanese cinematic history.

Differently from Hollywood's continuous repetition of stories about a few superheroes, the Japanese entertainment industry keeps producing fresh ideas. Japan releases about 300 new animated TV series each year, most of which are adaptations of manga (a low-cost way to test market response), and their themes are much more diverse than just superhero genres. From the volleyball-themed manga "Haikyū!!" launched in 2012 to the 2006 manga "The Legend of the Seven Stars" based on the Chinese Warring States period, the film adaptations of these works have once ranked high on the box office charts.

This phenomenon is not unique to Japan. In China, the audience pushed "Ne Zha 2" to the top of the global box office this year. Although it is a sequel, its predecessor was released only in 2019, and the story base is still fresh. It can be predicted that in ten years, when Hollywood is still digging up old characters like Superman, Spider-Man, and Batman, China may have already introduced new hero protagonists.

Viewers are gradually growing tired of these cliché stories, especially outside the United States. However, American studios remain fearless: in the coming years, we will see "Supergirl," two new "Avengers" films, and the ninth live-action Spider-Man film since 2002. "Toy Story 5" and another prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" are also on the schedule.

Algorithms may indeed corrupt our cultural consumption, creating a vicious cycle of "feeding known preferences." But I do not agree with the view that the nostalgia trend is attributed to societal infantilization, "extended adolescence," or excessive internet addiction.

Hollywood's creative exhaustion is more likely a natural result of commercial operations, especially the consequences of rampant studio mergers. Paramount Global and Tandem Communications recently received approval for their merger, and Marvel and DC Comics (the original source of almost all mainstream American superhero stories) are now under the control of these film studios.

It now appears that the Western capitalist slogan of "creative destruction" seems to create nothing other than shareholder value. Instead, it fosters risk-averse management thinking, seeking safe and profitable returns only.

Familiar stories themselves are not wrong. Although I have no expectations for the remake of "Fantastic Four," I will definitely contribute to the opening night box office of "Batman 2." But people cannot live solely on nostalgia. Give us some new stories. (Translated by Lin Chaohui)

Original text: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7533928554975756835/

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