nytimes.com
Summer Box Office Lessons From ‘The Odyssey,’ ‘Obsession’ and More Hits (Gift Article)
Studios may think that stories drew moviegoers, but it was the people behind hits like “The Odyssey” and “Obsession” that drew patrons again and again.
![Q: A couple years ago at IDFA, I saw this movie "About a Hero," which is this partly Al-generated hybrid documentary that tries to recreate the atmosphere of your films.
A: The intention of this young filmmaker was never to remake any [of my films], but making something in the spirit. And I immediately said, "You will fail. It is such a stupid idea. It's phenomenally, abysmally stupid. I will not take part in it." He wanted me to explain things and have my voice in it.
I said, "You are alone. There's such a thing as free speech, which I respect. So go ahead and fail." And it is a failure, period.
It's so standardized that Al can step in because there's not real storytelling. It's mimicry of something that has happened before. And I welcome Al to replace all the idiots who are into nothing but repeating, repeating, repeating until it's ad nauseam.
When it's ad nauseam, please, please, please let Al step in and do the job.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:v5vphilwcf6nunioeyrpxw6g/bafkreibeadpx66jtqlttglhgbgkew6g65haxqngz5yt6p3ybwyi5zney54)
![[interviewer] That's not going to help with the right-wing allegations.
I was going to say! That's not going to help. But it's an undeniably great book.
What people don't realize is that "The Fountainhead" in the 1950s was like
"Harry Potter" now in terms of
popularity. It was off the charts. Even just the why of that is worth it. And "The Fountainhead" is an insane melodrama.
That'll probably be my magnum opus. I'll probably die on that one. And "Escape From New York" is what we're working on
right now.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:v5vphilwcf6nunioeyrpxw6g/bafkreidi5vimho5oghj637gebvdzmwg5ztju6b3sisekpk5sw4uk3lt5v4)
