The future of film has always been global

For years, we’ve been told & believed that Hollywood is the beating heart of cinema.

But spend any time behind the camera, or with audiences, and you see a different truth.
The future of film has always been global.
I’ve watched, over the span of 2 decades, the North American industry slowly lose its edge
Studios rely more on sequels, spin-offs, and reboots because they’re considered safe bets.
In 2024, more than 60% of big studio releases came from existing franchises, accounting for 80%+ of the global box office.

But here's the real problem:

original works are either buried by the streaming algorithms or never end up being commissioned at all. So, the gatekeepers are always playing it “safe,” even though audiences want newer and fresher stories.

But studios want to play it “safe” — and that doesn’t pan out in many cases! Younger audiences, especially, are switching off because they crave authenticity, not repetitive formulas!

What really excites me today is how stories from outside Hollywood are finding global resonance. South Korea, India, Nigeria, and Spain. These industries are not just producing films, they’re building movements.

Think about Korean thrillers, Nigerian dramas, or gritty Indian crime sagas, often made on much tighter budgets but with much sharper & truer cultural honesty.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and Canada box office dipped 3% last year. That’s not just economics. It’s a signal. Audiences are telling us that endless nostalgia and recycled IP aren’t enough. They want stories that matter. Don’t get me wrong

I don’t believe cinema is dying.

Quite the opposite. It’s maturing.

It’s growing beyond the borders of Hollywood, into places where storytelling is still the soul of the craft, not just a data-driven strategy deck.

For me, the future belongs to filmmakers who still believe in story, and to global voices that never stopped telling theirs.

Also- PS: Go watch “The Studio”, streaming on Apple TV for a really refreshing & fresh (from Hollywood), tongue-in-cheek commentary on this very thought!