This year seemed like it would be a turning point for children’s cinema. After a relative family-friendly content, we were finally offered a sizeable slate of franchise favourites and completely original concepts – all released on the big screen rather than straight to streaming. And, for once in a long while, an would not dominate the line-up, with only three of the 13 major PG films this year.
It had every ingredient for triumph, except for...
well, good movies. So far, practically every child-friendly film released has received middling, if not downright negative, reviews. Take , which premiered this week and was given a mere by this masthead.
Most other titles, such as John Krasinski’s and , have languished between two and three stars. That’s not to say they aren’t pulling in audiences – , for example, grossed over worldwide. However, a strong box office doesn’t necessarily mean a film will stand the test of time.
So, why are family-friendly films struggling to impress audiences, and what could this mean for the future of PG cinema? Dr Jessica Balanzategui, an RMIT media and communications scholar who has researched children’s cinema, says major studios’ definition of “family-friendly” has shifted, potentially creating some confusion around who these films are actually for. Traditionally, a family-friendly movie would have something for every age while still being appropriate for children. In , for example, adults are free to laugh at various sexual .
