The latest writers’ strike is underway, with picket lines already forming as scribes across Hollywood demand the pay parity they definitely deserve. It’s a big issue, but on a macro level, history has shown we’re almost certainly in line for a slew of terrible blockbusters.
It’s been almost a decade and a half since the last industry-wide action took place, and as a result an alarming number of expensive productions rushed through to the finish line, and it showed. There’s not even a shred of hyperbole involved, either, because even a quick rundown of the affected movies are all regarded as either huge missed opportunities or downright disasters.
Among those affected the last time around were X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Terminator Salvation, Quantum of Solace, Michael Bay’s Revenge of the Fallen, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, and the infamous Dragonball Evolution to name but a small few, none of which can justifiably be determined as anything close to a certifiable classic.
Sure, it’s a tiny little problem given the overarching ramifications of the strike as a whole, but it’s worth remembering nonetheless. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a big budget bust every now and again, but based on the consistent inconsistency to have emanated from the last one, don’t be surprised if the highest-profile releases of 2024 and potentially even 2025 prove to be more than a touch underwhelming.