From Red Carpets to Reels: The Fall of Hollywood and Rise of Vertical Fame
By Michael “Mike” Fortin | CineDrones Blog | March 28, 2025
The landscape of Hollywood and the broader film industry is undergoing a seismic shift, marked by declining box office revenues, evolving audience preferences, and the meteoric rise of short-form, vertical content on social media platforms. This transformation challenges traditional filmmaking paradigms and opens new avenues for content creation and consumption.
The Decline of Traditional Hollywood
In early 2025, North American box office revenue fell to $1.34 billion—a 7% dip from the previous year. March was particularly tough, with high-profile films like Disney’s “Snow White” remake and Bong Joon-ho’s “Mickey 17” missing the mark. Between fewer theatrical releases, the aftershocks of industry-wide strikes, and audiences flocking to faster forms of content, traditional Hollywood is grappling with a very real identity crisis. (source)
Production budgets are down. In the second quarter of 2024, Hollywood studios cut production spending to $11.3 billion—down 20% from 2022. In Los Angeles, the beating heart of the entertainment world, filming days dropped by over a third. (source)
A New Stage: Vertical Films and Short-Form Storytelling
At the same time, a new kind of star is rising—not on the big screen, but on the vertical one you carry in your pocket.
Vertical video formats have exploded thanks to platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Mobile-native, snackable, and addictive, short-form content has fundamentally changed how we watch and what we value. In China, micro-dramas—bite-sized serials often just a minute long—have created a $5 billion industry. That success is trickling west, with apps like ReelShort now outperforming streaming giants like Netflix in downloads. (source)
Actor Luke Charles Stafford recently described how these micro-dramas helped him sustain his acting career. “It’s not the Hollywood dream, but it’s paying the bills—and people are watching.” (source)
A Personal Pivot: From CineDrones to the Mic
As someone who’s been in the thick of it—from flying drones on some of Hollywood’s biggest productions to acting in network TV dramas—I’ve seen the change firsthand. With the strike fallout and industry slowdown affecting everything from crew hires to post-production timelines, I made a decision:
Pivot and create.
While CineDrones continues to adapt and seek out new ways to innovate in drone cinematography (including emerging opportunities in vertical and social content), I launched a new podcast to keep the creative fire alive. It’s a space where I talk shop with fellow filmmakers, actors, creators, and entrepreneurs navigating the shifting sands of entertainment in real time.
The podcast has become more than just a stopgap—it’s a way to stay connected, stay visible, and stay passionate while we await Hollywood’s resurgence.
What the Industry Is Saying
Even A-listers are raising concerns. Director Sean Baker called out the shrinking theater audience at this year’s Oscars, lamenting that studio consolidation and layoffs are gutting the art form we love. Meanwhile, Rob Lowe recently blasted L.A. officials for letting productions flee to tax-incentive-friendly locations like Ireland. (sources, thetimes.co.uk)
They’re not wrong. But we can’t just wait—we have to evolve.
What’s Next?
The question isn’t whether traditional Hollywood will recover—it’s how it will co-exist with this new era of vertical creators, mobile-first storytelling, and direct-to-fan distribution.
For creators, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs like myself, this moment is both uncertain and full of possibility. We’re not just adapting—we’re building what comes next.
If you’re a filmmaker, content creator, or brand looking to explore the possibilities of vertical storytelling or social-first content, CineDrones is already there. And if you’re just trying to make sense of the chaos—tune into the podcast. We’re talking about it all.
Lights, camera… pivot.
