Woke 2.0: Hollywood’s Next Act?
Industry dialed down on Identity Politics. Will the sequel be even worse?
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants to memory hole the “woke mind virus” for political purposes.
Can Hollywood do the same?
The New York socialist shared this telling soundbite in a recent media interview.
“I have a local city councilman that has this saying, ‘Woke 1 was crazy,’ and I think that what’s important is that we have to assess what a candidate is saying now.”
Oh.
Never mind the devastation wrought by “Woke 1” over the past decade.
- Canceled performers
- Burned-down neighborhoods (Mostly peaceful!)
- Crushed careers
- Speech censorship
- Big Tech censorship
Ocasio-Cortez wants to wish it all away, and a compliant media will help her do just that.
What about woke Hollywood?
The film and TV industry fell hard for woke on nearly every level. Comedy roasts got unofficially banned. Identity Politics ran wild on movie sets. Stories were flooded with what The Critical Drinker dubbed “The Message.”
The Academy Awards rigged the Best Picture category to appease the woke mob.
The result? Less engaging stories. More viewer disinterest. And lost revenue. Lots of lost revenue.
The theatrical model collapsed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but audiences didn’t come roaring back when theaters slowly re-opened.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Enjoying Hollywood in Toto? I hope you’ll leave a coin (or two) in our TIP JAR.
The box office struggled over the past five years, with many wondering if the theatrical model would go the way of the pager and 8-track tape. YouTube creators seized on woke Hollywood’s descent, mocking both the stars who read from the woke gospel to film and TV flops that suffocated on progressive groupthink.
- “Lightyear”
- “The Marvels”
- “The Acolyte”
- “Starfleet Academy”
This year, movie goers fell back in love with cinema thanks to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” “Michael,” “Project Hail Mary” and “Toy Story 5,” among other smashes.
Comedy roasts came roaring back, too, and attempts to shame comedians for telling the “wrong” jokes no longer lead to hostage-style apologies.
Yet Ocasio-Cortez’s “Woke 1.0” quip suggested the worst is yet to come. It’s hard to see otherwise, politically speaking. Consider the rise of the radical DSA movement within the Democratic Party.
Woke 1.0 might look quaint by comparison. Will Hollywood follow suit?
Yes … and no.
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Expect the dwindling late-night landscape to boost Woke 2.0 in one simple but effective way. Hosts like Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and Jimmy Fallon will ignore radical politicians who share the craziest policies imaginable.
Has Fallon said anything about Francesca Hong, Wisconsin’s wannabe governor who wanted to cancel Thanksgiving before clumsily calling it her favorite holiday?
Have we seen any “Last Week Tonight” monologues savaging Hasan Piker for cheering on 9/11 or calling for the blood of landlords?
Not yet. And don’t expect that to change when these shows return to active duty post-Labor Day.
The film and TV industry will be reticent to go the full woke with their programming. They saw how poorly activist content performed and the impact on the box office bottom line. The runaway success of “Barbie” (2023) proved a stunning exception.
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced the Mouse House would dial back on the messaging.
“…we know our job is not to advance any kind of agenda.”
In the past, Hollywood studios could swallow hard and release message-driven stories. They were making money elsewhere and could afford a few hits to their bottom line.
Not anymore.
Even with film attendance rebounding, the industry is enduring growing pains on several fronts. Streaming revenue hasn’t been as robust as expected. The box office could dip once more in 2027 and beyond.
L.A. film production remains down, and competing states are trying to lure productions from the City of Angels.
Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis may have spoken for many colleagues earlier this year.
“It is a desperate time. There is very little work available.”
Times are hard in La La Land. The industry can’t afford to re-engage with woke storytelling.
That doesn’t mean it’ll fade to black. Chances are we’ll see more message-driven stories, cringe at casting decisions that make little sense on paper and endure projects meant to push a far-Left message.
The line between woke and liberal messaging can be blurry. The former is obvious and clunky, while the latter can be woven seamlessly into a film or TV show.
Still, Mainstream Hollywood content, by and large, will be more woke-free than the first time around.