WGA vs. The Box Office

You know, this is one of those things where you don't know exactly where to point the finger, but you know a finger needs to be pointed at someone:

This week's box office was down from the rest of the year, as well as from the same time last year, and I guess it was inevitable that the press would mention the writers' strike in conjunction with this, but it has absolutely nothing to do with anything in this situation! How could it?

The movies in play this past weekend were written years ago and, in case you didn't know, few screenwriters are asked on to the set. Things have changed from previous times, but having the original screenwriter on-set used to be a major no-no. Directors, producers, and other people didn't want to constantly be reminded as to how far off-script they were going. They hired other writers to "punch-up" the script once they bought the script; after he got paid, the original screenwriter was basically jettisoned from the project!

Now, there is an argument to be made as to people showing their support for the writers and not going to the movies because of that. But let's be honest: that may be the case in some of the larger cities, but not around the country, in general.

A lot of the country had a "cold-snap" last week, the holiday season is upon us, and a lot of the movies released were dramas aimed at the older crowd. These factors have much more to do with the box office's poor showing than any strike.

But again, I guess mentioning it was inevitable. I just wanted to point-out that it has absolutely nothing to do with anything.