Movies

Hollywood’s Global Box Office Crash Isn’t Trump’s Fault—It’s the Industry’s Own Creative Collapse

BBG News

This week, an opinion piece penned by Patrick Brzeski appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, taking a self-righteous stance, suggesting that President Donald Trump’s policies have contributed to the decreasing global popularity of the film industry. In essence, his argument is that the escalation of Trump’s foreign policies has caused international viewers to shy away from American heroes and consequently, American films.

To put it simply, this wasn’t an examination of market trends. Rather, it was a passionate political statement – a misguided effort to associate Hollywood’s recent struggles with a politician they have strong disdain for. Instead of reflecting on their own issues, the writer decided to blame a convenient target.

However, the earnings at the box office don’t deceive, and neither does viewer exhaustion. The issue for Hollywood isn’t about prioritizing America over others; it’s about focusing less on the country and more on the content itself.

What Brzeski Claims

In a piece for The Hollywood Reporter, Patrick Brzeski posits that international viewers are losing interest in American films due to Donald Trump’s foreign policy. He contends that Trump has weakened U.S. influence by estranging allies, eroding democratic values, and favoring autocrats. According to Brzeski’s viewpoint, this global disenchantment is manifested at the box office, as audiences appear to be shunning American heroes who once represented freedom and morality.

Brzeski references the decreasing popularity of the U.S. in nations like Germany and Denmark due to falling favorability ratings. He contends that the Liberation Day tariffs are contributing to a negative global opinion, and uses the underperformance of the movie “Captain America: Brave New World” as an example of this broader downfall.

He further proposes that big film studios are holding back politically sensitive films like “The Apprentice” out of concern for potential government reprisals. Lastly, he applauds the growing popularity of international content that diverges from American cultural norms.

Essentially, Brzeski argues that Donald Trump’s actions are responsible for Hollywood’s worldwide downturn, rather than the industry’s own artistic decisions.

What’s Really Going On in Hollywood

The film “Captain America: Brave New World” didn’t struggle internationally due to its title containing “America.” Instead, it failed as it presented a dull, de-energized addition to the franchise with its protagonist symbolizing nothing more than corporate values promotion and diversity-inclusion agendas.

Marvel’s popularity isn’t dwindling due to Trump’s foreign policy; it’s declining because its narratives are uninspired, its heroes lack depth, and each film feels like a lesson dictated by a committee. Audiences worldwide are losing interest not over tariff disputes—but because the films aren’t of high quality anymore.

That’s not political. That’s product failure.

The Projection Game

Brzeski’s article attempts to attribute falling global opinion towards Trump, but it overlooks the decay that has been growing within the core of Hollywood institutions.

  • For years now, Hollywood has openly mocked the values that once made American films aspirational: strength, faith, sacrifice, family, heroism.
  • It embraced globalist pablum, identity quotas, and ideological purity tests in the writer’s room—killing the universality that once made U.S. stories resonate worldwide.
  • Instead of showing America leading by example, today’s films show America apologizing for existing.

Moreover, it’s quite audacious to suggest studios were shrewd for abandoning patriotism as a means to penetrate China’s market, only to reveal later that this gamble backfired when the Chinese Communist Party lost its enthusiasm. Instead of attributing their decision to cowardice and creative poverty, they now blame Trump for scaring Denmark away from Captain America. Come on, give us a break!

“America” Is Not the Problem — Hollywood Elites Are

The piece bemoans the falling apart of “the grand American dream story,” implying that Trump played a significant role in its demise, along with Hollywood. However, it’s essential to note that this dream didn’t succumb under a MAGA hat. It perished when the influential figures in Hollywood came to despise the values America represents.

They replaced inspiration with degradation:

  • Morally gray “heroes” who mumble through therapy sessions
  • Storylines that wallow in shame and self-hatred
  • Characters written by ideologues who believe patriotism is a punchline

It’s inconsistent to contaminate your narratives and later lament that people stopped caring about your principles. You discarded them yourself.

Remember Top Gun: Maverick?

Let’s not act like the audience vanished when Top Gun: Maverick premiered in 2022; it embodied what Hollywood allegedly can no longer achieve: a blend of patriotism, self-assurance, emotional depth, and unabashed heroism. There were no lessons to learn, no need for apologies, and no focus on identity politics.

The movie was an enormous success, earning over $1.4 billion globally. Instead of shying away from American iconography, global audiences embraced it. This happened because people around the world continue to respect America, especially when it embodies its past virtues.

Maverick triumphied over Brave New World by having a clear narrative vision and faith in its leading character.

Final Take

Brzeski’s work isn’t traditional journalism; it’s more like a frustrated outburst passing as criticism. It appears to have been penned by someone who finds it hard to believe that Hollywood’s worldwide decline isn’t solely attributable to a particular president or political ideology—it’s the predictable result of an industry that let down its audience.

Hollywood didn’t lose its soft power because of Trump.

It lost it when it stopped believing in heroes.

It lost it when it replaced courage with cynicism and heart with hashtags.

If we, as an industry, persist in churning out soulless, didactic tracts while casting blame on the public and policymakers for our setbacks, we’re only guaranteeing a slow but steady erosion of our influence, not just on the global stage, but here at home as well.

Want to fix it? Stop scapegoating. Start storytelling.

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2025-05-10 23:27

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