Bad movies, good business: how sanitised biopics became a Hollywood staple

As interest in the lives of celebrities has intensified, we have become acclimatised to them curating and mercilessly monetising their image Last month, Ryan Gosling addressed an audience about to see his new movie. “It’s not your job to keep cinemas open,” he told them. “It’s our job to make things that make it worth you coming out. This movie’s for you. Enjoy the trip!” Small wonder they applauded. This is a strategy radically different to that adopted in the immediate aftermath of the Covid crisis, when studios believed the best way to get people to leave their homes and buy cinema tickets was to hector them to do so. It proved a nasty error of judgment. Audiences voted with their feet, by putting on their slippers and turning on Netflix. Blockbusters bombed, and 40% of screens in the US closed. A rear-view mirror problem – the advent of streaming – was suddenly in close-up. And the picture has remained critical ever since. Projections suggest that the box office might bounce back to pre-pandemic levels in 2030 – pending further disasters. As for Gosling, he first adopted the tactic of flattering consumers – and taking responsibility for the future of his own industry – in the s