When Big Budgets Became the Biggest Risk

“They no longer want to go to the cinema, and would rather watch movies on streaming services… That they’d like to watch movies at home.”

— Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos

This single statement quietly explains the biggest shift cinema has ever faced.

Today, the theatre is no longer the default destination—it’s an exception. Except for a few big-budget, superstar-driven, visual-graphic spectacle films, audiences hesitate to step out.

High budgets now mean high risk, longer recovery, and heavier pressure on opening weekends.

The old formulas are cracking under new viewing habits.

In this changing landscape, scale is no longer safety. 

Instead, small and micro-budget films are finding unexpected freedom.

They demand less, risk less, and experiment more. Strong ideas, honest emotions, and rooted storytelling suddenly matter more than spectacle.

When the budget is small, courage becomes big. 

Ironically, the future of cinema may be written not by excess—but by restraint. 

- Manohar Chimmani