Young audiences in Hollywood: The end of a love affair? (Film Journal/Sercia)
Résumé
Since its inception at the beginning of the twentieth century, Hollywood cinema has depended
on a steady stream of patrons to help develop profits. When the studios expanded in the 1910s
and 1920s to reach the fully-fledged status of an industry, Hollywood films were seen by a
wide variety of Americans. In 1930, the weekly audience of 80 million people included single
people, couples, families and young people. The following article attempts to show that the
considerable changes in movie audiences during the post-WWII era led to the gradual
emergence of the core 12-to-24 age group. Since the 1970s, Hollywood studios have relied on
this young audience for the success of their films and have thus produced blockbusters aimed
at teenagers’ tastes. However, as I shall argue, Hollywood productions are now faced with
serious competition as digital technologies, like the Internet, offer young people new modes
of entertainment for their leisure time. Hollywood studios are trying to face this new
challenge as they may stand at a turning point in the history of their industry.
Domaines
Sciences de l'Homme et SociétéOrigine | Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s) |
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