The $200M Big Mac
Mike Isaac on X, commenting on the Netflix cutbacks and creativity crisis:
it has long been understood that, qualitatively, a “netflix movie” exists in the liminal space between theatrical release and Lifetime productionwith some notable exceptions, even the biggest budget productions feel cheap, strange and worst of all, unmemorable
The current crisis did not happen by accident. It was the plan.
Paul Lee in response to Isaac's comment:
When I was there, the rationale was that a huge chunk of subscribers just want "feed the masses" non-prestige content. But they underestimated brand tax of serving that much fast food. Now, even when they genuinely try to serve a steak, audiences assume it’s just a $200M Big Mac.
Perception is nine-tenths of the law...
Attention pulls to the extreme edges:
- Blockbuster: High-production spectacle. (Universal reach & sensory awe)
- Prestige: High-production stature. (Creative ambition & cultural weight)
- Pop: Mass-market comfort food. (Frictionless familiarity)
- Artisanal: High-status craft. (Trusted curation & crossover appeal)
- Cult: Deep-niche devotion. (Affinity & identity)
- Punk: DIY immediacy. (Self-expression, experimentation & energy)
The middle of the road is too expensive to wait for word-of-mouth and too square to inspire conviction. There is no market for 5/10s.
Stay there long enough and the audience stops judging the work.
They see the red N and price it accordingly.