Can Movies Stay Out of Politics...NOT

 A new movie, "Civil War", is about a divided U.S., premised on a blue state/red state scenario that leads to violence and civil war.

That's one side of Hollywood. The other is that studios (which are known to be left-leaning) are struggling to be apolitical - for fear of finding themselves in a culture war that hurts box-office takes. This is a valid concern given the upcoming presidential election which has become very polarizing.

Take, for example, Disney's remake of "The Little Mermaid", which suffered dismal grosses because of racial miscasting. Ditto, Pixar's "Lightyear" which saw lackluster box-office due to same-sex intimacy. These are two examples of children-friendly films that parents considered 'unfriendly.' On the flipside, "Sound of Freedom" an independent film hit the spot demographically with both conservatives and anti-child abuse activists and was soundly rewarded at the box-office.

All that being said, political correctness is not a big topic of conversation with studios executives at present - that phase has run its course. Essentially, films can't afford to lose 50% of moviegoers due to being woke. 

According to Pew Research, over 65% of U.S. voters say they feel exhausted when thinking, let alone talking, politics. So, it's little wonder the studios' marketing departments are very careful with film messaging and promotion. Currently, if people perceive even a tinge of political bias it could cause box-office doom. 

No major movies are scheduled for release during the first week of November - election time.

Many moviegoers, me included, turn to the movies as an escape from the barrage of real-world issues and concerns. So, the take-away is films should do their best not to get too close to politics. 

By: Jim Lavorato, Entertainment Equipment Corp.