The Triple Crisis That’s Breaking Hollywood—and Changing the Future of Movies artwork
Plain English with Derek Thompson

The Triple Crisis That’s Breaking Hollywood—and Changing the Future of Movies

Apr 24, 2026 · 1 hr 10 min

Hollywood is in the middle of a triple crisis. You can measure it in tickets, jobs, and ideas. Start with tickets. The best year for the movie business this century was 2002, when Americans and Canadians bought 1.6 billion tickets, or about five per person. Last year, Americans bought half that number. Eighty years ago, the typical American went to the movies twice a month. Now they go about twic…