I’m curious as to people’s reactions to this article :
I disagree with these (to me …) “rather Luddite” conclusions. People still want to be entertained by movies. Who really cares if they buy popcorn and sit in theaters which are mostly-empty every time anyway?
If you can sell a movie directly to your audience, “bypassing the middleman” and doing so in a way that’s more convenient for modern audiences who now routinely possess both über-powerful computers and high-speed Internet connections, then it is axiomatic that you are going to make more money … a lot(!) more money.
Effectively: "cost of goods sold == zero." 
If you happen to be so unfortunate as to get your Internet from a coaxial-cable company such as Comcast®, think of it this way: “really, the only thing that has changed is the nature of the signal that is now being sent down your piece of coax.” You’re still buying a movie. What’s changed is that now you can buy whatever you want, whenever you want. Which creates brand-new moneymaking possibilities that never existed in the past, as yet-another technical limitation has been knocked down.
We’ve already seen the transformation in television production, as content producers have discovered not only that they can do away with “commercial breaks,” but that they can now get paid immediately and – for the very first time – accurately. Blockbuster television properties such as Game of Thrones are effectively syndicated motion pictures, with exactly the same production values.
I’ll make the popcorn myself.
How long before entire MOVIES are released on streaming sites such as these, or Youtube - that’s what I wanna know:
Aren’t series like Game of Thrones actually MORE than a movie?
It is already happening, Covid19 and how it forced all of the theaters to close has led to some studios releasing directly to streaming sites (their own sites, but any subscriber can view it from home).
The genie is out of the bottle now, a lot of people are tiring of the cinema experience and all of the ads and trailers they have to watch before the movie even starts (enough to make your popcorn lose some of its freshness and enough to make your drink become watery). Besides that, the explosion of streaming services mean shows and movies are a dime a dozen, a franchise will be less likely to keep its audience if it goes sour as a result.
The Cinema might survive though because of new experiences and gimmicks like 4DX and large-scale VR (which is either not doable in the average living room or not affordable to most people).
They already are, through pirating. 
I think the true power of these platforms are for the independent artists who don’t want to go through the publishing houses and big corporations. I think independent artists will have more of a chance of getting an audience now that Hollywood is kinda crumbling.
I’ve never seen it myself.
No, I meant Youtube, ie. FREE specifically, not other streaming services that you have to PAY for…
Btw, what’s all this about services like LBRY actually paying YOU, the VIEWER, to watch?!!!
Do you really expect a studio that spent more than 100 million dollars and several years on a production, to just give the movie to you on a silver platter to watch on your PC monitor? Sites that would allow them to make revenue through ads, donations, and even though digital coins would not be enough to make a profit (so they can make more large productions). Studios, like all companies are not charities and therefore either have to make a profit or go bankrupt.
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Are you sure about the ads bit? That’s what I was asking…
We already have subscription-based and pay-per-view secure models that we can use.
But – nothing will replace getting into some cool air-conditioning on an unmercifully-hot summer day, snuggling with your sweetie (and indulging in whatever the two of you come up with to do in the dark …) while surrounded by a ten-thousand-dollar surround sound system.
*“Somehow, my wife(!) and I have never yet been ‘felled by a virus’ …”
Ad revenue is only practical if Google and friends are willing to give a cut that is worth something.
Over the years, Google made changes to keep a larger share of a video’s ad revenue as well as restrict which channels are eligible for ad money. What used to be a decent payout is now just a few scraps, the apparent reality is Google (if they can get away with it) would rather not share their revenue at all with the people who create the content.
And what about all the YT alternatives that are being discussed in that thread right now? What do THEY do?
They actually failed to mention the reason why Hollywood is dying.
They only concentrate on the economic side of it but completely fail to mention the artistic side and the political side.
Hollywoods super-focus on juvenile Superhero-movies is what killed their reputation and they basically kicked out 60% of their customer base. While these 60% may have been NOT responsible for 60% of the profit - Hollywood burned that bridge and the people never came back.
Their focus on tent-pole movies killed 80% of small budget movies. Now that Superhero-fatigue has set in, their tent-pole business model breaks down (also thanks to corona).
Budgets got too big and they amount of money they spent on advertising became monstrous. (*)
On the other hand they overplayed the propaganda. Pushing stuff people don’t want to buy/consume always blows back in their own face. They doubled down and all these artist suddenly became partisan actors - which destroyed their reputation even more. I personally have lost all respect for 95% of these so called “Artists”. The mask fell and what’s behind is just ugly and repulsive hypocrisy.
The did ride the Lefty propaganda train until corona took over - I don’t know how many billions they pissed away - but it must have hurt.
*Then there is the corruption: ever heard of Hollywood accounting?
Someone should dig deep and drain that swamp. People would go to jail for lifetime if somebody would dig up all the skeletons under the foundation.
And i don’t even want to go to the topic of (ritualistic) abuse. That’s just another swamp that goes much deeper.
In short; their business model wasn’t sustainable for much longer since they drove off the majority of adult customers, poisoned the well with propaganda and filled their own pockets instead of investing cleverly in the future.