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The roaring 20s: how the current decade revolutionised cinema
The 2020s, despite widespread predictions of decline for the theatrical film industry amid streaming, YouTube and pandemic closures, have actually become one of the most innovative decades in cinema history. Faced with pressure and necessity, film-makers and studios have developed new production models and creative approaches that simply did not exist at the start of the decade, reshaping what kinds of films get made and who makes them.
A key driver has been the rise of YouTube-trained directors making major box-office hits, such as Curry Barker's Obsession ($442m worldwide) and Kane Parsons's Backrooms ($384m), the latter adapted from his own online "creepypasta"-inspired shorts. Steven Spielberg is now producing a similar adaptation, The Mandela Catalogue. The article also highlights the "copyright expiry movie" trend, sparked when the US Copyright Term Extension Act's 95-year protection began lapsing in 2019, freeing up 1923-era works such as Winnie-the-Pooh and Steamboat Willie for reinterpretation, including horror spin-offs like Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey 2 and Screamboat.
In short
- YouTube-trained directors are now making major box-office hit films
- Obsession and Backrooms grossed $442m and $384m worldwide respectively
- Expired 1923 copyrights spawned horror spin-offs of Pooh and Steamboat Willie
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The 2020s have genuinely revolutionised cinema by democratising filmmaking—YouTube-trained directors like Curry Barker and Kane Parsons achieving massive box-office success proves that talent can emerge from non-traditional pathways, whilst copyright expiry has unlocked creative reinterpretation of beloved characters, from horror adaptations to unexpected reimaginings, demonstrating how systemic changes catalyse fresh storytelling approaches that would have been impossible a decade ago.
The case against
Whilst a few YouTube directors have achieved mainstream success, this represents isolated breakthroughs rather than systemic revolution, and the copyright expiry trend is primarily commercial exploitation of famous intellectual property through horror gimmicks rather than meaningful artistic innovation; the theatrical industry continues facing structural pressures, and anecdotal examples of successful films cannot obscure broader challenges or justify claiming this is cinema's most innovative decade.
Explained simply
The 2020s were supposed to be difficult for cinema. Many predicted that the film industry would decline as streaming services and online platforms drew audiences away, and pandemic closures disrupted theatres. Instead, the decade has sparked an unexpected creative flourishing in filmmaking.
Filmmakers and studios have developed new approaches to production and storytelling in response to these pressures. A notable trend has been directors trained on YouTube, such as Curry Barker and Kane Parsons, successfully creating blockbuster films that earn hundreds of millions at the box office, proving that unconventional paths to filmmaking can reach mainstream success.
Another significant shift involves the "copyright expiry movie" phenomenon. When protection for 1923-era creative works began to expire, old characters like Winnie-the-Pooh and Steamboat Willie became available for reinterpretation by new filmmakers, sparking unusual adaptations and spin-offs that explore these familiar figures in fresh, often darker ways.
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