Gen X IP

It’s 2026. Sort of crazy to think about.

Let’s put it this way: Raiders of the Lost Ark is set in 1936, was released in 1981 = 45 years.

Today, Raiders of the Lost Ark is a 45-year-old movie. Wild.

My generation, the Gen Xers, have gone through the entire life cycle of our favorite movies, shows, toys dominating the culture. First it was the stuff we loved as kids. We made it unexpected popular via nostalgia in our twenties. Then it became big business in our thirties and forties: sequels, remakes, reboots, re-imaginings, etc.

And now...? Well, as Rickles used to joke: “You’re through.”

Nobody really wants another He-Man movie, do they? Or a Supergirl movie (which nobody really wanted the first time). Or, I suspect, any of this stuff—unless it’s done so well that it has actual value as entertainment.

People are over-thinking why Backrooms and Obsession have been such big hits. They’re really good movies with easy-to-understand concepts.

The mega-companies always seem to be the last to understand these lessons. Although maybe not—the Voltron movie is going direct to streaming.