GEORGE MF WASHINGTON: A.I. Movie Stars: A Solution in Search of a Problem.

Look, I don’t know how to save the theatrical movie business… I don’t even know if it can be saved. But I do know that this is not the answer. Audiences in general are increasingly uninterested in seeing first run movies in theaters. Younger audiences in particular don’t seem that interested in movies at all… they seem to prefer watching content on Netflix, YouTube and Tik Tok. Whatever the myriad reasons (political messaging, cost, convenience) why people are turning away from theatrical movies, the fact is that there’s not a single person in America who would suddenly decide to start going to the movies more often if we would just get rid of all those damned movie stars.

Not a single one.

AI actors are a long con… a grift… another bullshit tech fantasy Silicon Valley is using to drum up another round of sweet, sweet V.C. cash. It’s just another iteration of the same insanity which convinced Hollywood to toss out the theatrical film and ad-supported network TV models in favor of streaming-based subscription fees… a decision which almost everyone in the industry now regrets.

Movie stars are one of the last remaining reasons to actually go out and see a movie in the theater. What we need to be doing is figuring out how to make more movie stars, not eliminating the ones we still have. If we are to have any hope of saving the theatrical movie model, that’s where we will need to start.

The movie star model works. It doesn’t need to be replaced. What it needs, is to be rejuvenated.

Still though, as “George” notes in his Substack, it makes for a great press release.

UPDATE: L.A.’s Entertainment Economy Is Looking Like a Disaster Movie. Work is evaporating, businesses are closing, longtime residents are leaving, and the city’s creative middle class is hanging on by a thread.

Don’t worry, I’m sure the AI actors will save the day!