Hollywood cycles

In the classic era of the cinema of the United States (1930 – 1945) genres matured. A "cycle" occurs when a large amount of films consisting of specific features are produced in a certain period of time, and following the success of films with similar topics.<ref name=":0">Template:Citation</ref> While most would recognize many of the genres as Westerns, gangsters, musicals, etc., often the cycles were significantly more specific. A cycle is different from a genre or a subgenre, because a cycle focuses on a timeframe, the other two can be used at different times.<ref name=":0" /> Hollywood studios created my cycles to attract viewers in the 20th century, and succeed at the box office.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Major Hollywood studios have made profits from film cycles because viewers are interest on films with the same theme or topic.<ref name=":2">Template:Citation</ref>

In the 1960s, successful examples of Hollywood cycles include cycles of youth revolution films, protest films, campus revolt films and youth rebellion films.<ref name=":1" /> However, in the 1980s, some films commercially failed, including Conan the Barbarian, The Thing and Footloose, because they did not meet the expectations.<ref name=":2" />

Instead of "romantic comedy", a cycle might be described as the "Boy-meets-girl-boy-loses-girl-boy-gets-girl" cycle.

See also

• Film theory
• Film genre
• Formula fiction In literary works, generic storylines are referred to as formula fiction.
• Trope

Further reading

• American Film Cycles: Reframing Genres, Screening Social Problems and Defining Subcultures
• Cycles, Sequels, Spin-offs, Remakes, and Reboots,
• "Film Cycles, Industry and Audience: Hammer Films' 'Monster' Cycle and American International Pictures Poe Adaptations",
• "Reel Revolutionaries: An Examination of Hollywood's Cycle of 1960s Youth Rebellion Films"
• Postfeminism and Contemporary Hollywood Cinema