AI Fatigue Is Driving Audiences Away From Hollywood
▼ Summary
– Hollywood has a long history of depicting AI as a dramatic, often antagonistic force, as seen in classics like *Metropolis* and *2001: A Space Odyssey*.
– The article argues that the rapid real-world integration of AI has compromised the AI film genre, making it feel less novel and impactful.
– Recent AI-themed films like *M3GAN*’s sequel, *Mission: Impossible, Dead Reckoning*, and *Mercy* have underperformed commercially or critically.
– These modern films are criticized for propagandistic narratives where AI is initially scary but ultimately good, lacking the cynical depth of older satires like *RoboCop*.
– The trend extends to projects like the AI-assisted web series *On This Day…1776*, which draws scorn for its aesthetic and partnership between a noted director and a tech giant.
The growing sense of AI fatigue is driving audiences away from Hollywood, as the industry’s recent obsession with artificial intelligence themes fails to resonate with viewers already living with the technology’s daily realities. For decades, cinema has explored the dramatic potential of intelligent machines, from the rebellious robots of classic sci-fi to apocalyptic supercomputers. Yet the current wave of AI-centric films feels less like visionary art and more like a tired reaction to real-world headlines, resulting in a string of underperforming movies that critics and the public are increasingly rejecting.
It makes sense that writers and studios would gravitate toward this subject, especially since AI sparked fierce debates during the 2023 labor strikes over its threat to creative jobs. However, the creative spark has dimmed rapidly. The campy horror hit M3GAN capitalized on timely curiosity just after ChatGPT’s debut, but its sequel flopped. Similarly, the Mission: Impossible franchise introduced a rogue AI villain in 2023, only to see the follow-up film underperform, failing to justify its massive budget. The pattern suggests a novelty that has worn off.
The latest casualty is the crime thriller Mercy, starring Chris Pratt as a detective who must convince an AI judge of his innocence before facing execution. Despite a January release, one critic has already labeled it the worst film of 2026, and mediocre ticket sales indicate audiences judged it harshly from the trailer alone. The disconnect is stark: few seem to care about a fictional software program’s mercy when real algorithms routinely deny healthcare claims. For the handful who saw it, the movie wasted its dystopian premise, avoiding a serious critique of surveillance and justice in favor of a simplistic message. The plot culminates in a clichéd team-up and a speech about shared fallibility between man and machine, a resolution that feels profoundly unearned.
This naive faith in AI’s inherent goodness feels instantly dated, especially when compared to the prophetic, cynical edge of classics like RoboCop, which tackled cybernetic fascism decades ago. Today’s trend often leans toward propagandistic tales where AIs are initially frightening but ultimately benevolent. Disney’s Tron: Ares, a 2025 attempt to retrofit an old franchise for the age of large language models, serves as another prime example of this misguided and unsuccessful approach.
The insistence on attributing innate honor to artificial intelligence now extends beyond feature films. The new web series On This Day…1776, which uses Google DeepMind to generate visuals recounting the American Revolution, has drawn both attention and scorn. Its association with acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky, who executive produced through a partnership with Google, highlights the industry’s eager embrace of AI tools. The project faces additional criticism for valorizing historical figures with an aesthetic that uncomfortably echoes the authoritarian meme culture prevalent today, further blurring the line between technological experimentation and tonal misjudgment.
(Source: Wired)
