stars

'Neither producers nor audience need stars anymore'

I agree with this statement to a certain extent. Although franchises have taken over film stars appeal in cinema, film stars are not completely irrelevant.  William Goldman describes film star as “someone who can reliably open a movie at number one” however this can be applied to very few actors today as films are rarely driven by star appeal. Though some films still use star power such as Scarlet Johansson in Lucy.

Some franchise films like Maleficent sometimes rely on a star to establish a franchise. Arguably, Maleficent only did as well as it did because of Angelina Jolie playing the title role. Although the Disney princess franchise already has a large following, Jolie has a large, loyal fan base. As she is well known she can also sell a film on her own. With out Jolie the film wouldn’t have been as well received at the box office because producers can’t always rely on pre-existing materials for the film to be a success.

Characters are more important to audiences and producers as audiences know these characters as they come from existing products with loyal fans. For example Spider-man was originally a comic book series. Since then there has been TV shows, cartoons, toys, films and other products. Spider-man is one product that has been sold many times. This is called synergy and is important to producers as this can guarantee them more money than just at the box office. Franchises don’t rely on stars. They often make an actor a star, for example Chris Pratt in Guardians of The Galaxy. Stars can still be used to attract an older audience as the audience have grew up watching certain stars films and this can offer nostalgia to an older audience. For this audience, certain film stars are still an appeal.   

Another reason for film stars decline is that audiences now have more choice than ever before. Home entertainment can offer longer, more in depth alternatives to cinema. TV shows quality improved for example Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad are both very popular TV series. Video games give audiences up too 100 hours of game play and interactive experiences. Offer a challenge and are narrative driven storylines. Also cheap alternatives than an expensive cinema trip. Franchises can use spin-off TV shows or games such as The Walking Dead was a comic book but now has two TV shows (one a spin-off from the original) and video games on a variety of platforms. Streaming sites such as Netflix are now a really popular alternative to cinema. 

A rise in social media has also played a part in the decline of stars.If a star has a social media account they become accessible to the public. Stars used to be less accessible as the only time people could gain access was in a film or interviews.

Another reason stars have declined is because of international audiences. Using a star like Will Smith would be pointless in an international market.Other audiences wouldn't understand his star power therefore the film would lose money as they could cast an unknown actor and the film would be just ass successful.