MOLI VIEW™

I recently wrote about how summer movies became a boys club. Basically, international markets and DVDs have changed the way studios measure success. Obviously, the effects go far beyond seeing more men on screen.

All the most successful movies of the past few years are geared to succeed in other countries and at the big-box retailers that control most of the DVD business. But they have more in common than that. Almost all of them are based on properties from another medium – books (Lord of the Rings), comics (Spider-Man), toys (Transformers), and even amusement park rides (Pirates of the Caribbean). In some cases, these stories have an enduring appeal – Lord of the Rings has fascinated people for decades, and Spider-Man has enough enduring appeal to support more than 40 years worth of comic books. In other cases, there isn't even enough story for a filmmaker to borrow from: The Transformers movie just took a few characters and concepts from the toy line, and Pirates of the Caribbean didn't have a narrative to begin with. (Or, really, ever.)

The truth is, movie studios like these properties simply because they're recognizable – in most cases around the world. If you're going to spend more than $100 million making a movie, you simply can't afford to take a risk on a new concept. This explains Iron Man. But it also explains why the actresses from Sex and the City can command so much money for the movie: The show is a hit around the world. The characters are every bit as archetypal as Iron Man – and the idea that a writer could live that way in Manhattan is about as realistic as the idea of a flying exoskeleton.

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