Part 3/13:
Shifting gears, the conversation examines the broader trend of box office failures, citing movies like Smashing Machine and Roofman as recent casualties. Smashing Machine, despite its favorable reviews, failed spectacularly, earning only a fraction of its production costs after debuting with poor numbers. The speakers critique Hollywood’s obsession with oversized budgets, noting that blockbusters often require hundreds of millions to break even, with ticket sales frequently split evenly between studios and theaters. In many cases, high-profile actors like Leonardo DiCaprio negotiate first-dollar gross deals, which mean studios see even less of the revenue.