An Old Myth Exposed: “Star Wars” Nearly Destroyed the Movie Industry.
By: Joel Eisenberg
Tags: Entertainment, Marvel, Movies, Classic Films, Star Wars

It’s an old accusation with new relevance as the first gen of “Star Wars” kids now have children and grandchildren of their own. Blockbusters abound in multiplexes everywhere, but why is that a bad thing?

The game-changer.

It was a cineaste’s nightmare.

Word was that blockbuster films would destroy the cinema’s more personal product. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg shouldered most of the early blame, particularly the former. Before “Star Wars,” you see, was “Jaws.” But, before “Jaws” … was “The Exorcist.” Before “The Exorcist” was “The Godfather.” Before “The Godfather” was “The Sound of Music.” Before “The Sound of Music” was “The Ten Commandments.” Before “The Ten Commandments” was “Gone with the Wind.” Before … Get the picture?

In other words, had blame been misplaced?

Of course it had.

Was the charge even accurate? Let’s explore …

The first transcendent Hollywood blockbuster.

Blockbuster filmmaking did not begin with “Star Wars.” But yet, if it did, so what? The business evolves. Then as now there was more than enough product in our local malls to keep families entertained for weeks.

But let’s not take that for granted. For many decades, comic book fans, as a collective example, dreamt of movie product that embraced the imagination and scope of their beloved source material. The technology did not yet exist to realize the vision of the original works, however, and so audiences were to be fed low-budget efforts such as Roger Corman’s 1994 “The Fantastic Four,” a film never officially released but available on bootleg VHS at pop-culture conventions shortly after its completion.

The cast of Roger Corman’s “The Fantastic Four.”

The authentic controversy, as it were, began in 1978, the year following the release of the original “Star Wars.” The space saga was all the rage, and was well on its way to setting an all-time record domestic boxoffice record. For those who were not around in ’77, “Star Wars” hit like the proverbial ton of bricks. Jedi Knights, Mos Eisley, the Clone Wars — the latter as explained by Ben Kenobi to young Luke Skywalker when the future Jedi wielded his first lightsaber …

Suddenly, every “Star Wars” alien race, every “Star Wars” term was part of the national vernacular. The film’s global grosses weren’t too shabby either, but America had adopted a mythology for the ages and we could not wait for more.

Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle in “Taxi Driver.”

And then … the shots:

“There will be no more ‘Taxi Driver.’”

We’ll never see “A Clockwork Orange” or its ilk again.

“Films like “All the President’s Men” and “Network” are dead.

“Popcorn movies are all that will be made now.”

Fast-forward to 1986. Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It” helped usher in the indie wave. “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” “Drugstore Cowboy,” “Slacker” and others picked up the pieces of the 1970’s more serious product, and new iconic writers and directors turned the industry tide. In the ’90s, we were introduced to newer auteurs, such as Paul Thomas Anderson (“Hard Eight” and “Boogie Nights”).

Hollywood kept up all the way, though, producing the best of both worlds. Today …

“Avengers: Infinity War”

We have it all.

2018's domestic boxoffice soared to a new record of $11.9 billion in the U.S. and Canada, and $42 billion globally. Marvel and “Star Wars” films continue to lead the charge (save, sadly, for “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which has brought into question the long-term health of the “Star Wars” franchise that began, unfairly to this writer, with “The Last Jedi” backlash), and yet films like Clint Eastwood’s “The Mule” is considered a respectable Hollywood product, perhaps a tad formulaic but nonetheless, that is attaining healthy grosses.

Yes, we can watch fairly new films from the comfort of our living room now, via streaming and other methods. But, as television did not kill radio, Netflix and its ilk will not kill the movie-going experience.

And, most certainly, “Star Wars” didn’t kill a damn thing.

Now excuse me while I go stream “Roma” for the second time.