Paul Schrader says audiences leting down serious film making

He's oblivious to the fact that going to the theater is not as prevalent as it once was. The older generation of filmmakers are always blaming CBMs for the death of cinema when in reality they're one of the few things keeping the industry afloat. There are a thousand entertainment options these days, the least appealing of which (at least to most) is sitting in the dark with a bunch of strangers and not playing with your phone for two hours. Somehow this is spun into, "CBMs are ruining film," when the reality of the situation is only spectacle and the enormous hype surrounding a blockbuster are going to pull people into theaters anymore. It's just the way it is. With so much entertainment available at your fingertips (or on enormous hi def TVs at home) only the blockbusters are worth spending the extra cash on to watch on a huge screen.

It's not that complicated a concept, I think the older demographic in the industry is just too stubborn to accept it. They act as if CBMs are big box stores while the rest of cinema is a mom and pop operation getting swallowed up by the competition. It's the opposite; a better analogy would be to say CBMs are still pulling people into the dying retail establishment while the streaming services are playing the part of amazon.

He's so full of it. The problem are the studio bosses restricting content.
Blaming the audiences for things they do not control--it's like blaming the public for bad political candidates. They cannot get through the media or finance gate unless they fit certain narrow parameters. There's little choice. Movies work the same way.

Hard Core was an interesting film but it would never have been a crowd pleaser. Schrader is bitter that the bosses have restricted things so much that someone like himself who used to be granted a place at the table is now kicked to the curb. But he won't name the boss so he blames the audience.

Loyal apparatchik to the end I guess.

I remember him saying it about Armageddon.

At least he provides sound reasoning. He cites statistics saying that cinemagoers are younger than in previous decades, and big budget films cater to this audience.

I like his work. My favourite film of his is Blue Collar. I definitely agree that mainstream cinema is dumber now than the 70s. Even big budget popcorn films then had higher artistic integrity in their screenwriting.

Don’t tell me what a I like to see. Make a good movie or don’t. Blame yourself if you don’t.