Sunday Smiles

David Strom 2:31 PM | June 25, 2023

I just read something that blew my mind.

OK, it DIDN’T blow my mind, but it still surprised me, and on a rainy Sunday that almost qualifies.

A Hollywood “box office analyst,” whatever that actually is other than nice sounding expertise, has estimated that Disney has lost almost a billion dollars on its last 8 theatrical releases and that because Disney now streams its movies itself instead of licensing, the company will also lose out on another billion in revenue.

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That, my friends, is a lot of moola, cheese, bucks, simoleons, Benjamins, and bread.

I think we all know why this is the case.

Unlike Bud Light and Target, I don’t think that the vast majority of the damage has to do with the natural repulsion people have for the radical ideology that has taken over corporate America. This is not largely a boycott, because the people purchasing are not usually the same crew as those making the choice of what to purchase.

As much as we hope that parents are monitoring what their children watch and choose, I am afraid to say that kids can usually bully their parents into taking them to movies if they really want to go. Sure, some parents stand firm, but many, many don’t. It is easier to give in.

No, the problem here is that Disney substituted its creativity for its ideological commitment, instead of subordinating it to its values.

What do I mean? Well, you can still make a good movie that is watchable and push an ideology; it has been done often enough. If you tell a good enough story you can get away with quite a bit, especially if you aren’t making a “message” movie, but sneaking a message within a movie that is good.

Disney, though, has gone the route of many Hallmark rom-com flicks or those extra-preachy Christian movies almost nobody watches: the message is so obvious and predictable that the story sucks and it isn’t fun to watch.

All of us with ideological passions can get sucked into this trap where we become monomaniacal, and it is deadly.

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Humor is one of the best tools to pop the bubble. It’s why some of the Babylon Bee’s funniest headlines poke fun at allies, not just the other guys.

It’s a good reminder. I know I need to be reminded that not everything is a disaster–in fact, most things are just fine in our world. Especially our friends and neighbors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

News from the only honest newspaper:

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Randomness from around the web

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And finally, a reality check:

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