Because Rise of Skywalker didn't bomb. It's on track to pull in at least a billion. It's at $725 mil now.
It's made back its budget and it's going to turn a profit. That's not a bomb.
Cats, on the other hand, had an estimated budget of $100 million and only brought it a little under $7 million opening weekend.
That's a bomb.
Howard the Duck? Budget of $37 million, box office of $38 million.
Both are terrible but only one of these was a bomb.
See how it works?
"Bombing" at the box office is a separate issue from reviews and audience reception.
The Rocketeer was a bomb. Budget of $40 mil, box office of $47 mil.
But it's not a bad movie.
Justice League is terrible, but it's also not a bomb. It brought it over twice its budget. Nobody lost money.
But nobody MADE much money.
Return on investment is a consideration. If a film disappoints, then a franchise could be retooled or shelved.
None of this speaks to the work itself.
That's bomb territory.
Nobody scrapped any plans after Solo. Star Wars is too big to fail. And anyway, the "main saga" is over now.
So you can make enough to cover the paper budget, when in reality you're maybe a million in the hole once the numbers are crunched.
Blade Runner
And they were some stupid executives who thought you could just autopilot a franchise. Same with "Dark Universe."
Get film rights to popular thing, make movie about it, get a billion dollars.
I still don't think they really understand why it didn't work.
They've rebuilt Hollywood around the billion dollar blockbuster. If that's no longer a thing, if that stops chugging along?
Chaos.
Less films, bigger stakes, more eggs in single baskets.
Everybody in film is whistling past the graveyard.
Those days are gone.
C'mon ... didn't you think it was weird they could show Star Wars or Avengers or whatever on like *half* the screens at a single theater?
They studios aren't using all the real estate.
It's read AND comment. AND. AND.