Dave Coates
Opportunity knocks; will cinema answer?
The Writers’ Guild of America strike continues unabated, with issues of plummeting DVD residuals and profits and ‘new media’ sources – mostly from the internet and other digital services like TiVo – causing sticking-points.
For now, mainly late-night talk shows like The Daily Show and The Tonight Show have suffered, with viewing figures slumping since reruns began in early November. On January 2, Comedy Central began running new episodes (without writers) under the temporary title of A Daily Show, allegedly after the hosts were told to work or have their non-writing staff fired. While most American studios have enough serialised television to last the current season, their stockpiles won’t last forever, and the longer the strike continues, the stronger the writers’ hand may become. The truth in these reports is not as important as the fact that they indicate the dispute is taking a turn for the ugly.
The effects of the strike may become farther-reaching than legal issues over residuals; the performance of the I Am Legend in the box-office is remarkable in itself. In claiming nearly $80m in its opening weekend, it became one of the highest-grossing movies outside the summer blockbuster period, and has taken over $240m since its release. Added to the nine-figure takings of National Treasure 2, Enchanted and Alvin and the Chipmunks, it is becoming clear that one of the big winners in the writers’ strike has been American cinema - for the moment, at least.
Perhaps this should come as little surprise – back in the early sixties, during what was considered a ‘golden age’ in television, box office takings took a dive as patrons found they could be just as entertained at home, and more cheaply. As a result, the quality of English-language cinema dipped as studios struggled to recoup their budgets. Then, as now, it took broad-appeal blockbusters to draw back the crowds and provide funding for great works of the seventies; The Godfather, Apocalypse Now and Taxi Driver are amongst the best of American cinema in a decade of resurgence.
Though many big-budget projects have stalled, and many fear the Oscars may go the way of the Golden Globes, British writers and directors (unaffected by the strike), may find a marked increase in demand for their work. To all of the striking writers stateside, more power to you.
