Steven Spielberg on how Tom Cruise “saved Hollywood’s ass”
The New Hollywood era saw filmmakers distance themselves from studio control and demands, inspired by foreign and arthouse cinema, giving rise to movies that were considerably more violent, nihilistic or preoccupied with counterculture than before. Steven Spielberg emerged in the early 1970s as part of the movement, with many people crediting his movie Jaws as the start of the blockbuster phenomenon.
Thus, despite starting out during a time when most of his contemporaries were making movies that were the antithesis of family-friendly hits, Spielberg is partly responsible for the rise of high-earning blockbusters and the return of studio dominance. After Jaws, Spielberg’s movies, such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, as well as George Lucas’ Star Wars, signalled a new era for Hollywood.
These films were all massive financial successes, carving out a template for the current cinematic landscape, which is defined by major blockbusters such as Marvel superhero flicks, epic war and action movies, and grandiose biopics. These are the kind of movies that make a massive profit, allowing studios to earn millions – potentially billions – of dollars.
The current cinema landscape has been criticised by many as prioritising profit over artistic integrity, which is reflected in the popularity of Marvel. Martin Scorsese once wrote in The New York Times, “I don’t think they’re cinema,” comparing Marvel movies to “theme parks”.
However, it seems Spielberg isn’t so opposed to major blockbusters like those in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or other similar audience-pleasing blockbuster hits like Top Gun: Maverick. The movie cashed in on the success of the 1986 original, bringing the beloved characters – alongside a huge dose of nostalgia – back to our screens.
The movie’s significant box office earnings – $1.4billion worldwide – reflect a desire for films that continue other popular stories, indicating to studios that original content isn’t necessarily needed to make a large profit.
Top Gun: Maverick was a huge cinematic spectacle, loved by some and criticised by others as American propaganda. Spielberg was in the former category, heralding the movie for bringing in such high earnings. In a YouTube video of Spielberg and the movie’s main star, Tom Cruise, at an event, the filmmaker can be heard telling him, “You saved Hollywood’s ass, and you might have saved theatrical distribution. Seriously, Maverick might have saved the entire theatrical industry.”
Talking to CNN, media analyst Paul Dergarabedian explained, “There are not enough adjectives to describe the importance of the box office performance of Top Gun: Maverick to the industry, having come at a time when naysayers remained sceptical of the ability of the movie theatre to draw audiences.”
It’s a tricky one. While movies like Top Gun: Maverick rely on nostalgia and thrilling action, simply attempting to attract as many viewers as possible to make the largest profit they can, without these box-office triumphs, cinemas could be in real financial trouble, which would be detrimental to the industry. Whether you enjoy movies like Top Gun: Maverick or not, it seems as though Spielberg has a point.
