the weekend battle

When did society start to care more about weekend box office returns than what is going on in the world? For me, it started many many years ago (more than I care to remember), but it seems to have become even more of a spectator sport these days. Has it reached the tipping point? This article from today's Guardian seems to suggest that the consumer has fallen out of love with the A-list star, and that stardom is dead. Sure there will always be a Julia Roberts or Brad Pitt stratosphere of star, but will someone like Jude Law still be able to command power in the future? Perhaps no. With the dilution of the marketplace for film (from illegal downloading to the declining number of movie-goers), who will hold the power? Will it be the star? Will it be the studio? Will it be the consumer? This article seems to suggest that the future of film stars will be in the hands of the movie-goer. Will we stop watching all-together? With the quality of film and television in such a decline, I wouldn't be surprised. However, there will always be those surprises that will keep us interested in filmed entertainment.