Is the Blockbuster Era Getting "Boring"?

When Meryl Streep speaks, we try to listen. And the star of The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been on a press tour of the film, where she's been opening up about Hollywood.

In a recent Hollywood Reporter piece, Streep didn't hold back regarding the current landscape of tentpole filmmaking and how she thinks it's affecting the industry.

Streep acknowledged the technical wizardry behind the MCU and its contemporaries, but she touched on a nerve and called out the "boring" predictability of the spectacle.

Let's dive in.

'The Devil Wears Prada' Credit: 20th Century Fox

The "Boredom" of the Spectacle

When asked about the current state of affairs in Hollywood, Streep said: “I feel like you get a realistic view,” Streep continued, “I think we tend to Marvel-ize the movies now. We got the villains, and we got the good guys, and it’s so boring.”

Streep went on to say, “What’s really interesting about life is that some of the heroes are flawed and some of the villains are human and interesting and have their own strengths. So that’s what I like about this [movie]. It’s messier.”

I think Streep's assessment of what makes life and movements so interesting is spot on. We seek out art to help us understand more about ourselves and our world.

Marvel is an interesting case study because they are largely making movies for kids, and not adults. So no one is mad they're not super morally complex, but we're getting so many of these movies, I can see why adults are getting exhausted.

Streep made her career by playing complex people. and making al ot of movies for adults. It's hard to see them go by the wayside for these big bets by studios.

No one is asking for the complete elimination of blockbusters, just a little more elbow room for all sorts of movies to survive.

Streep is also reminding us that spectacle without soul is just noise. She emphasized the importance of the unexpected in acting and storytelling.

In massive franchise films, there is often very little room for "happy accidents" or improvisational character work because every frame is storyboarded to within an inch of its life to accommodate visual effects.

Why This Matters for Indie Filmmakers

If the biggest stars in the world are starting to feel the "Marvel fatigue," it creates a massive opening for the rest of us.

We know what market needs to be serviced, and if we can make adult dramas for a certain price, it could be a good entry into Hollywood.

1. The Audience is Hungry: If the $200 million movies are starting to feel "same-y," audiences will naturally begin to seek out something different. This is why films like Everything Everywhere All At Once or The Bear (on the TV side) resonate so deeply with people. They offer the unpredictability that Streep says is missing from the mainstream.
2. Focus on the Mid-Budget: Streep has long been a champion of drama. You know, the kind of movie that costs $20 million and relies on dialogue rather than explosions. While the studios might be moving away from these, streamers and boutique distributors are realizing there is a dedicated audience for them. That audience shows up, and there is money and subscribers to be had.
3. Character is Your Best Special Effect: You don’t need a Disney-sized budget to make a thrilling movie. A well-written, complex character is more engaging than a generic superhero. And can attract top talent.

Touch Grass

I want everyone who loves Marel to breathe just for a moment. Streep’s comments aren't an attack on the people making Marvel movies; they are a critique of a system that prioritizes content over cinema.

That system has caused a lot of the consolidation we've seen. We need way more balance across Hollywood in order to preserve jobs and buyers.

If we have some studios begin to make the kind of character-driven stories that remind people why they fell in love with movies in the first place, that would help.

And it would help us make some stars who could then lead these blockbusters, because we're running low on them, too.

Summing It All Up

What do you think? Is Streep right about the nature of modern blockbusters, or is this just the natural evolution of the industry?

For me, it's probably a mix, because we need big movies, we just have run out of the smaller ones that helped us create a better ecosystem for all.

Let us know in the comments.