Are Teen Movies Making a Comeback? NewsWire

NewsWire: 12/11/21

• Two decades after the last big teen-movie era, American High is trying to make new hits for Homelanders. The company has already produced 11 movies and has more on the way. (The New York Times)
• NH: Grease. Ferris Bueller. Clueless. Superbad. Every decade has had its share of teen movies. And now, one company is trying to transition this genre into the era of streaming. 
• The production company American High has bought a high school in upstate New York for $1M. The strategy is to film teen movies cheap and fast for streaming platforms. Currently, American High has a deal with Hulu for 8 films.
• But will this genre be popular with today’s youth? It's hard to say. High school movies are constantly coming in and out of style. Upbeat teen dramedies like Glee and High School Musical were all the rage in the 2000s. But that style of film has certainly faded in recent years. On the other hand, there is some evidence these movies could succeed. Netflix has had recent success with original teen content like The Kissing Booth and To All The Boys I Loved Before.
• The owner of American High was quoted saying a comeback in teen movies falls in line with the Strauss-Howe generational theory (i.e. certain themes resonate on a roughly 20-year cycle). Whether he is right or not, I'm just surprised my work inspired someone to buy a high school. 

Did You Know?

• The Next Wave of Esports Players: Seniors. Japan’s aging population wants to stay busy. The country is also looking for a way to stand out in the red-hot world of esports. Solution: It’s assembling esports teams for the 65+. The average age of the Matagi Snipers, the country’s first senior-only team, is 68. The Matagi Snipers hope to be the first senior team to compete on a professional level and go head-to-head with young players in first-person shooters like Fortnite. (The first-ever senior esports team, the Stockholm-based Silver Snipers, has only participated in amateur competitions.) Their coach, who is 28, admits that the training process has been challenging: Several members initially didn’t know how to use a computer, let alone play a video game. And to be sure, older adults aren’t quite as quick with their reaction times. Research has shown, however, esports helps improve seniors’ attention and ability to multitask, so with enough practice they should be able to compete.