Hollywood’s Changing Approach to Climate Messaging

The Shift in Hollywood’s Climate Messaging

For nearly two decades, Hollywood has been vocal in its concerns about climate change, using a variety of platforms to raise awareness. There have been impactful documentaries, such as “An Inconvenient Truth,” that laid bare the urgency of the issue. Even superheroes have expressed their worries, with Batman addressing humanity’s neglect of the planet in “Justice League.” It seems that no award show passes without stars passionately urging viewers to take action to protect the environment.

So, it came as a surprise when the weather-centric film “Twisters” from Universal Pictures was released this month without a single reference to climate change. If there was ever a film that seemed ripe for delivering Hollywood’s progressive climate message—considering it’s a big-budget narrative about individuals caught in increasingly severe storm patterns—one would think this was the ideal opportunity. However, it appears not to be the case.

Director Lee Isaac Chung made it clear in a prerelease interview that he believes movies should not serve as platforms for “preaching a message,” a sentiment that seems to resonate with conservative audiences. This statement serves as a subtle invitation for ticket buyers who may be wary of overt political and social messaging in entertainment.

Identifying trends in cinema can often be a slippery endeavor; sometimes a film is simply that—a film. However, “Twisters” stands as a symbol of a noticeable shift within Hollywood. After a significant period of incorporating progressive values into films—some of which enjoyed box office success, like “Barbie,” while others struggled, such as “Strange World,” “The Marvels,” “The Color Purple,” and “Dark Waters”—studios appear to be responding to a clear message from audiences, especially those in the heartland of America: “We just want to be entertained, without any associated homework.”

In essence, this marks a calculated effort by Hollywood to appeal to red state viewers. As Corby Pons, a movie marketer specializing in the faith-based community and based in Nashville, states, “It’s a reflection of economics and the desperation of the film industry. We want you to attend our movies. We need you to attend our movies.”