"We Make Movies": Seth Rogen's New Show Highlights A Divisive Aspect Of The Film Industry

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for The Studio episodes 1 & 2.

Seth Rogen's 2025 showbiz series The Studio is rooted in the division and competition between art and commerce at the fictional yet authentic movie studio Continental Studios. Rogen's Matt Remick character is not what most would expect a movie studio head – like Bob Iger of Disney or Ted Serandos of Netflix – to be. A film lover at heart, Matt is ambitiously determined to support auteur filmmakers, particularly one of the best to ever do it, Martin Scorsese, and help bring their visions to life. Scorsese and other filmmakers appear in The Studio's cast to add authenticity to the Apple TV+ series.

Since Matt is the man with the blank check, these auteurs know they must be careful to stay on Matt's good side, even though he's the one who constantly messes things up. I find it instantly compelling that Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, two of the co-creators on The Studio, chose to make Matt such a grounded and somewhat buffoonish character given his elite status at Continental. That said, Matt's awareness and genuine desire to want to make great movies is comforting, especially in the real-life studio landscape that has increasingly relied on franchise sequels, prequels, and spin-offs.

The Studio Highlights The Difference Between "Movies" & "Films"

Matt's Character Represents The Timeless Battle Of Art Vs. Commerce

Bryan Cranston's Griffin Mill, the chairman of Continental Studios, doesn't care for "artsy fartsy" films. Instead, he's focused on making movies. While there appears to be little to no distinction between the two terms, Griffin actually hits the nail on the head between a film, the best of which are celebrated at the Oscars each year, and movies, which really try to appeal to the lowest common denominator of audiences, focused intently on entertainment value and turning profit. As the studio head, Matt walks a fine line between making films that have the potential to win Oscars and formulaic blockbusters more likely to earn a large box office.

Matt is somewhat of a film nerd and historian, which is interesting because typically, CEOs of major studios also have a background in business. This makes his character more relatable for the sake of the show but I would argue that there would almost certainly be a better candidate than Matt to take over as studio head.

Matt's internal dilemma is also that of the modern film industry, torn between high-budget blockbusters and low-budget independent films.

Regardless, Matt's internal dilemma is also that of the modern film industry, torn between high-budget blockbusters and low-budget independent films. When he meets with Martin Scorsese, the young film-lover inside has to be suppressed by the requirements of his job at the studio. Still, he can't help but promise Marty a generously high budget for his Jonestown film, only to break his idol's heart by the end of the episode.

Why Movies Vs. Films Continue To Be A Divisive Aspect In Hollywood

Studios Have Increasingly Gotten More Conservative After Covid & The MCU's Success

The Studio episode 1 acts as a sharp example of the art vs. commerce debate. Matt would love more than anything to support Marty's next film but with a catch, since he still needs to make the Kool-Aid film work. Griffin's job is to secure these highly lucrative brand deals and secure a constant flow of revenue for Continental.

Matt has to make the Kool-Aid movie, which in reality would feel like a 2-hour advertisement, and tries to turn it into a Kool-Aid film with Marty's Jonestown idea. Matt remarkably needed to be told by Griffin that the point of the Kool-Aid movie was to make the product look good.

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Martin Scorsese's Jaw-Dropping Acting Chops In The Studio Teased By Star Dewayne Perkins

ScreenRant speaks to The Studio star Dewayne Perkins about working on the new Hollywood comedy with Seth Rogen, and exciting cameos like Scorsese's.

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Recent franchise blockbuster flops, such as 2023's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, 2023's The Marvels, and countless other examples, end up creating huge losses for movie studios. 2025 Oscar winner Sean Baker of Anora is one of the most prominent proponents of independent cinema, working with very low budgets to create extraordinary films. Many of the film industry's most talented writers and directors have called for fewer high-budget franchise movies and more moderate-budget films. Anora, with its budget of just $6 million, won Best Picture, which should encourage studios to take more chances.

Does The Studio Get The Movies & Films Aspect Of Hollywood Right?

The Studio Highlights A Real Hollywood Dilemma Through Parody & Satire

Griffin Mill at a desk and staring dumbfounded at something in The Studio

The Studio raises awareness of this age-old battle between art and commerce in its first episode. While some elements of the series feel more like parody and satire than reality, the central idea is still very much at the center of real-life Hollywood studios.

While box office success means nothing to most viewers, it means everything to movie studio heads, which explains some of the disparity between what movie lovers want and what movie studios are offering. In the wake of mass Marvel fatigue, The Studio smartly portrays that even though Hollywood wants to make the next Rosemary's Baby, it's frankly too scared to.