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Why Legacy Sequels Keep Failing

The legacy sequel, as a format, has a specific failure mode. The films that work despite it are the exceptions, and the exceptions teach the rule.

Marcus Vell·8 Dec·6 min

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Essays

The Death of Mid-Budget Horror

There was a specific mid-budget horror economy that functioned across the 2010s. It does not function anymore. An essay on what was lost.

Marcus Vell·28 Oct·6 min

Two paper hearts in slightly mismatched red, overlapping on a cream ground.

Essays

The Romantic Comedy Came Back Because Everything Else Got Heavier

The rom-com was commercially dead for a decade. It returned in 2023-25 and the return was not coincidence. An essay on what the surrounding cinema had become, and why audiences wanted this back.

Lena Ashworth·22 Sep·7 min

A hand-marked calendar grid with Friday and Saturday circled in red ink.

Essays

The Opening-Weekend Model Is Broken and Nobody Wants to Say It

Hollywood's opening-weekend-dominant distribution model was built for a specific marketplace that no longer exists. An essay on what has broken, which films are succeeding despite it, and what a replacement would look like.

Marcus Vell·30 Jul·7 min