It often prioritizes the "important" part of the work over the "good." 

As such, Hollywood will churn out overly expensive films to audiences that have no desire to see them. Theaters and streaming services are infected with them right now, and major studios have done it so much so often that they've effectively taught audiences to stay away from anything that has their brand on it. 

Occassionally a film manages to to break free of the gravitational pull of Hollywood's black hole of disappointment and rake in over a billion dollars, but these are few and far between. In 2023, only two managed to do that so far with Barbie and the Super Mario Bros Movie, both sitting at $1.4 billion each. 

Outside of a few other examples of movies that did relatively well, 2023 has been something of a lackluster year for cinema while also being a solid example of its financial excessiveness. Disney is a prime example of this. In 2019 the House of Mouse had seven billion-dollar movies. In 2023, the closest it got was Guardians of the Galaxy 3 which earned $845 million globally, but otherwise, Disney failed to put out one real hit. How the mighty have fallen.

It did take a hit, however. In fact, it took four. Thanks to an ungodly amount of spending, movies that Disney counted on being major hits in theaters ended up being unmitigated flops that cost the company millions of dollars apiece. That's not counting the bleeding out that's happening on its streaming side. 

It's shameful enough that many of these major studios are failing to deliver something remotely watchable. With all the money they throw around, you'd figure they'd deliver something at least half-decently written with likeable characters and an engaging story, but they almost choose not to despite audiences being very open and honest about what is and isn't working. 

(Watch: YouTuber's Angry Rant About the State of the Entertainment Industry Needs to Be Heard)

But they should now feel even more shame because Japan just did what Hollywood should be good at doing with the release of Japanese director Takashi Yamazaki's Godzilla Minus One.

As it stands, the film brought in $23 million in Japan and $11.4 million in the States. It's not a lot, and in fact it only places third at the box office as of this time, so why is it significant? 

Consider the factors. For one, this is a Japanese film with English subtitles. While you get some breakout hits from foreign countries from time to time (Parasite, Hero) you don't often see them generate too much hype. 

But the other factor that has already made Godzilla Minus One a success is the simple fact that it cost $15 million to make. It's already made its money back, doubled it, and is still going to have theatrical releases in the UK and Ireland later this month. The film is a certifiable success and it's not even done stomping around the globe yet. 

What did the film do besides have a recognizable monster beloved around the globe? 

Nothing special, or at least, it shouldn't be considered special. 

Like most Godzilla films, it had a human element but it made the human element heartfelt and believable. It gave the film stakes and added an element of terror to the monster that has been romantacized to the point of being human-like. There are unlikely heroes who go on hero's journeys, have realistic goals, and there's not a whiff of modernity mucking up the film and taking you out of it. The anti-war message in the film comes through naturally and isn't at all forced down your throat. 

It''s simply a good time at the cinema where the only thing you have to brace for is a thrill ride. 

It's a good movie made using simple skills that Hollywood, in all it's rich-kid splendor, seems to have forgotten. Perhaps America's big studios should stop and watch for a moment, and try to remember what it is they lost...or rather, to lose what it is they began thinking is "important" in their hubris.