2017 was a crazy year for a variety of reasons, and the fact that I didn’t have to strain too much to find ten stories that rocked the industry speaks to how much was out there. I probably could have done an entire list that was just about the box office and what various successes and failures signaled to the industry. But there were also stories outside of hits and flops that had us dropping everything and stunned at a recent turn of events.
With that in mind, here are the ten biggest entertainment stories of 2017. As a side note, these are stories that mostly affect the film industry as opposed to other aspects of the entertainment industry (TV, music, sports).
10) The Best Picture Announcement Goes Insane
The one time I miss the Oscars in the last 20 years (I was in London at the time and was certain thatLa La Landwould win Best Picture), it turns out to be the craziest ceremony ever. No one batted an eye whenWarren BeattyandFaye DunawaysaidLa La Landwon Best Picture because it was the favorite to win. It only went topsy-turvy when A) Pricewaterhouse Cooper completely botched their ONE JOB at the ceremony; and B) ProducerJordan Horowitzsorted it all out on stage by revealing thatMoonlightwas the true winner.
That’s Oscar history that will never be forgotten, and it shouldn’t be lost in the hubbub that the Best Picture trophy went to a movie with no A-list stars about a topic—a young black man and his closeted homosexuality—that was deemed too small and too niche by prognosticators to win.Moonlight’s win indicates that the Academy makeup could be very different, and the old “rules” of what can win may need to be discarded.
9) ‘Logan’ Cements the R-Rated Superhero Film as a Viable Option
The success ofLogancompletes a story that began last year withDeadpool. Although studios still bank heavily on the PG-13 rating, the success ofDeadpooland the success ofLoganshows that studios can make R-rated superhero movies if they have strong stories, good characters, and thoughtful marketing. It takes a bit more work, butLoganpulling in $616 million worldwide shows that audiences are ready for superhero movies that push the envelope and thatDeadpoolwas no fluke.
While some studios will stick to PG-13 (I don’t expect Marvel Studios to ever do an R-rated movie, especially since they’re under Disney), others will see that they have more room to tell the stories they want. Some will take the wrong lesson and just be vulgar or violent for the sake of vulgarity and violence, but other storytellers are going to take advantage of the freedom the R-rating offers and audiences will show up.
8) ‘IT’ Proves an R-Rated Horror Film Can Be a Blockbuster Smash
You don’t have to look too hard in any given year to see a horror movie that grosses far more than its budget, but a movie likeITis rare. Unlike the micro-budget horror released by Blumhouse that goes on to make hundreds of millions of dollars,ITshows that you can make a polished horror adaptation and absolutely dominate at the box office (to the tune of $698 million worldwide).
Although there’s only oneITmovie left on the schedule (IT: Chapter Twofor September 2019), you better believes that Warner Bros. will be trying to find a way to create the “Pennywise Chronicles” or something like that where the clown terrorizes people through prequels, sequels, and beyond. Also,The Dark Toweraside, 2017 was a pretty successful year for Stephen King adaptations with the critical acclaim forGerald’s Gameand1922, so it will be interesting to see how future adaptations of his work pan out.
7) Get Out Makes $254 Million Worldwide off a $4.5 Million Budget
Get Outupends conventional wisdom to the point where I’m sure it’s tempting for some to simply write it off as an aberration. It’s a movie that doesn’t have A-list stars, it’s not based on pre-existing material, and it had a budget of less than $5 million. It didn’t matter. The movie became one of the most talked about and exciting pictures of the year. It could very well go on to win Best Picture at the Oscars.
It’s not just thatGet Outis a great movie (it is), but rather that it connected with such a large audience. Writer-directorJordan Peeledidn’t shy away from the racial subtext of his movie, and you don’t have to dig too far to find it, but he wrapped it an exhilarating thriller. Although there will likely be those who try to diminish the success ofGet Outas an exception that proves the rule, studios would be wise to realize that audiences are happy to have thoughtful thrillers as long as the intelligence of the story matches the intensity of the thrills.
6) Wonder Woman Is the Highest-Grossing Superhero Movie of 2017 Domestically
Superhero fans had to wait a long time for a good female-led superhero movie, butPatty Jenkinsdidn’t disappoint with her marquee hero.Wonder Womanupended the conventional “wisdom” that said audiences weren’t ready for a female-led superhero movie. AlthoughWonder Womanlargely plays by the rules of a superhero origin story, Jenkins makes the most of the genre without ever losing sight of what makes Wonder Woman unique.
What’s more, the film succeeded in a crowded summer marketplace. While other movies hope to dominate on their opening weekend and then expect a steep drop-off,Wonder Womanhad legs as people kept coming out to see a hero that just made them feel good about the world. To be honest, I’m a little surprised other studios haven’t announced a spate of female-led superhero movies, and perhaps that will come in 2018. ButWonder Womanhas certainly changed the complexion of the DCEU, proving that there’s nothing wrong with an uplifting tale that’s well told.
5) Colin Trevorrow Leaves Episode IX; J.J. Abrams Returns
I don’t know ifColin Trevorrowgot the bootfromStar Wars: Episode IXbecause of how badThe Book of Henrywas, but I’dliketo believe that’s the case. In all honesty, it’s probably because his vision for whatEpisode IXshould be clashed with Lucasfilm, and they decided to cut their losses rather than get embroiled in another mid-production fracas. It is remarkable that Trevorrow’s fortunes fell so low in such a short time—in 2015, he directed a movie that grossed over a billion worldwide, and two years later, he lostStar Wars.
In some ways,J.J. Abramswasn’t a surprising choice to replace Trevorrow since he knows the system andThe Force Awakensmet with the approval of fans. However, this will be the time for Abrams to close out the story rather than set up new mysteries. He had the tough task of reinvigoratingStar Wars, but now he has the second-hardest task of sticking the landing. WhileEpisode IXwill certainly be a big hit, and also bring back fans who felt alienated byThe Last Jedi, he’s still a fascinating choice even if he’s “safe” from a business perspective.
4) Zack Snyder Leaves Justice League; Joss Whedon Steps In
Zack Snyderstepped awayfromJustice Leagueearlier this year to deal with a family tragedy, and Warner Bros. brought inJoss Whedonto finish the movie. What we didn’t know at the time and what became clear over the course of the year is that “finishing”Justice Leaguebasically meant reshootingJustice League. And yet, at the end of the day, the movie that WB ended up with was neither fish nor fowl. It has elements of Snyder’s aesthetic mixed with Whedon’s comic vibe, and yet you can feel the studio mandate bearing down on the picture that it must be less than two hours, so new characters rarely get time to breathe.
The ramifications ofJustice Leagueprobably won’t impact either Snyder or Whedon’s careers, but it’s certainly a heads up to Warner Bros. The movie that was supposed to be their answer toThe Avengersstruggled to make an impact at the box office, and its failure will likely reshape (yet again) how the studio chooses to approach its superhero slate. The superhero landscape has radically changed, and yet the failure ofJustice Leagueshows that the DCEU still hasn’t found its place.
3) Lord & Miller Fired from Solo
The news thatPhil Lord&Christopher Millerhad been firedfromSolo: A Star Wars Storyhit like a shockwave. The news came afterJosh Trankhad been let go from an untitledStar Warsspinoff andGareth Edwardsessentially ceded control ofRogue Oneover toTony Gilroy. Lord & Millerwere reportedly offeredthe same deal—work with another filmmaker on heavy reshoots—but they declined and were eventually replaced withRon Howard.
The firing of Lord & Miller signals that, at least the foreseeable future,Star Warsis done hiring hot filmmakers with unique takes and will go for more veteran talent that can work within the boundaries ofStar Wars. That’s not to say that there will never be another interesting filmmaker onStar Wars, but it’s clear that for the time being, Lucasfilm doesn’t want people who will rock the boat or challenge their concept of what aStar Warsmovie should be.
2) Disney Buys 21st Century Fox
We don’t yet know how everything will shake out withthe Disney/Fox deal, but it will undoubtedly change the media landscape as we know it. While some fans are eager at the possibility of Fox’s Marvel properties being able to join the MCU andA New Hopefalling under Disney’s control, there are much larger issues at stake with regards to who controls the content you see and what content gets created.
Both Disney and Fox will be radically different in two years if this deal is approved. Disney will be massive, and yet how much more output can they create? What happens to Fox’s distribution arms like Fox Searchlight and studio output? And what happens to the Fox assets that remain in Rupert Murdoch’s control like Fox News, Fox Sports, and Fox Broadcasting? There will be many prognostications, but ultimately, it looks like power will be further consolidated under Disney and consumers will be left with fewer options.
1) Systemic Sexual Harassment and Abuse Exposed
The dam broke with theNew York TimesandNew Yorker’sarticles onHarvey Weinstein’s decades of sexual harassment and abuse, and the stories didn’t stop, reaching other figures in the entertainment industry ranging from actors (Kevin Spacey,Louis CK,Dustin Hoffman), directors (James Toback,Lars von Trier), producers (John Lasseter) and more. Women and men who have been assaulted and harassed are speaking out, and there are finally consequences. Weinstein lost his company; CK’s film,I Love You, Daddy, was pulled the week before its release; Spacey was flat-out replaced inAll the Money in the World.
The question now becomes if this change is permanent or if the entertainment industry will just say, “It was just a few bad apples, and we’ve discarded them.” But what all these stories have made clear is that this is far from isolated incidents or bad actors; this is a systemic problem that has infected our culture, and we must deal with it head on. It’s not simply enough to “hope” that the industry will be better. We must accept that too many bad men have been able to get away with gross abuse for too long.
But keep in mind that all of this went on for decades, and consider how insidious it is throughout our culture. And it’s not just a matter of “Bad men sexually harassed and abused people and remained in power.” Think of all the creators who were basically forced out of this industry because it was deemed more important that these terrible men prosper. We’ve identified the problem, and now it’s on all of us to right this egregious wrong.
For more of Collider’s Best of 2017 content, peruse the links below:
