Social fandom beats big movie budgets
Here’s a tale of two movies. Supergirl cost $170 million to produce and had everything going for it: the backing of DC Studios and Warner Bros., worldwide distribution, and a marketing budget over $115 million . By year’s end, however, the film is projected to gross around $100 million domestic and a little over $200 million globally. When all is said and done, losses could be as much as $120…
Two movies recently illustrate the power of social media fandom over big budgets: Supergirl and Iron Lung. Despite a $170 million production cost and massive marketing, Supergirl is projected to lose around $120 million. Iron Lung, produced for just $3 million by YouTuber Markiplier with limited marketing, outperformed Supergirl by $150 million globally.
Younger audiences, as per Deloitte's 2025 Digital Media Trends report, favor social media content, with 56% of Gen Zs and 43% of millennials considering it more relevant than TV. Nielsen's The Gauge indicated that YouTube leads all streaming platforms, surpassing broadcast television. Hub Entertainment Research found that 63% of viewers under 36 base their entertainment choices on social platform clips.
The industry is investing in AI and other tools to create engaging social content. This trend suggests that production houses and entertainment companies must focus on producing fresh, engaging social content to succeed, rather than relying solely on big budgets and traditional marketing.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
