The 2026 Oscars served as another reminder of what has been lost in our country. This event used to be a celebration of creative geniuses who engaged in making superb movies that millions of Americans enjoyed. In its heyday, Hollywood produced movies that inspired and captivated Americans and delivered true entertainment.

Today, Hollywood delivers movies that preach, depress and appeal to a small segment of Americans. While the Oscars drew a television audience of 57 million in 1998, in recent years, the viewing audience has barely exceeded 20 million.

Sadly, Hollywood is insufferably progressive, and more conservative Americans have disdain for stars who want to “punch” President Donald Trump or spew leftwing talking points. Nevertheless, Hollywood insiders continue to live in their “bubble” as if everything is fine.

It is easy to understand their disconnect from reality. For example, all 2026 Oscar nominees received “swag” bags worth an outrageous $350,000. As noted by Simon Kent in Breitbart, “While the gift bag is packed with luxury skincare and associated experiences, the focus has shifted to ultra-private villas that prioritize total seclusion so the elites can meet each other far away from the prying eyes of mere mortals.” The “villas” for the pampered celebrities are in such far-flung destinations as Costa Rica, Ibiza, Finland, and Sri Lanka.

While the Hollywood elite may like to pretend it is business as usual, much is wrong in their industry. For example, NBC just announced the cancellation of their syndicated television show, Access Hollywood, after almost 30 years on the air. This stunning announcement confirms that Americans are losing interest in the antics of these insufferable, progressive fools.

Even liberal comedian Bill Maher blasted the Oscars. He said, “The whole thing is so Hollywood, a room full of know-nothings who call themselves the Academy, making everyone tremble before their judgment, even though their judgment is often terrible, and fails the test of time. Maybe the hashtag should be, Oscar’s so wrong.”

Maher also ridiculed the Oscars “So White” movement that started in 2015. He claimed the telecast was “no longer a long, boring show full of white people. It’s a long, boring show full of ‘all’ people.”

For decades, Americans enjoyed “dinner and a movie,” as a great date night or an escape from the troubles of the world. Sadly, for many people, the smell of popcorn and the buzz of movie theaters is long gone. Today, millions of Americans are watching their entertainment on smart devices, streaming video content, and skipping the outrageous prices of going to movies in the dwindling number of theaters that remain open.

In 2015, the average price for a ticket to the movies was only $8.43. By early 2026, the national average for a movie ticket had increased almost 50% to $12.45. Even worse, for “premium formats,” such as Dolby Cinema, the cost can exceed $30 per ticket in some cities.

Not surprisingly, AMC has closed approximately 20% of their theaters in the past few years as viewers have left theaters in droves. Part of the decline was due to COVID and the new habits Americans developed during the pandemic.

While the convenience of staying at home is understandable, what has been lost is meeting friends at the theaters, the communal aspect of watching a movie with others and enjoying the collective reaction to exciting scenes.

Another reason for the decline is that Hollywood refuses to produce movies that millions of Americans want to see. While there is an audience for movies that feature cartoons, sadistic horror, or superheroes, there are many other categories that have been totally ignored in recent years.

Consequently, North American box office revenue has dropped from $16.4 billion in 2002 to only $8.87 billion in 2025, a decline of almost 50%.

These serious economic problems are leading to a crisis in the movie picture industry. There has been an “exodus of production from California to lower-cost territories” and tens of thousands of layoffs. Since 2018, film production days in Los Angeles County have dropped by almost 50%. One of the reasons for this crisis is that California is a notoriously high-tax state led by an extremely progressive Governor, Gavin Newsom, with an anti-business philosophy.

The Hollywood environment is toxic to any business that wants to succeed in a country that leans center-right politically and voted to elect Trump as President in 2024. Most Americans do not want to see movies that promote leftist causes and demonize our country’s values and traditions. As Grace Salvatore writes in The Daily Wire, “Hollywood is delivering lectures instead of entertainment and wondering why half the country has stopped watching.”

In the last few decades, Americans have been subjected to far too many presenters and award winners at the Oscars spout a stream of progressive pablum from the podium. Thus, these “red state” Americans checked out and turned the channel.

There is a great divide between those who continue to watch the Oscars and those who have had enough. Salvatore explains that the viewing audience for the Oscars “skews older, wealthier, and disproportionately coastal; Los Angeles, New York, and other urban markets register above the national average. Many younger Americans aren’t interested at all. This is a cluster of affluent, urban viewers watching a show that reflects their own tastes and values — a clear marker of the gulf between Middle America and the coasts. The Great Divide in black tie.”

This division provides a terrific opportunity for filmmakers in other areas of the country to produce content that is more appealing than what Hollywood is offering. To say Americans are dissatisfied with the movies Hollywood is producing is an understatement. According to a recent Rasmussen poll, 54% of Americans believe the quality of our movies has declined in the last two decades. Conversely, only 27% see improvement.

Let us hope there will be a new generation of filmmakers who are interested in making great movies and will leave the lectures to left-wing hippie college professors.

Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from 1-2 p.m. CT nationally on Real America’s Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-9 a.m. & 6-7 p.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is the President and General Manager of WGSO Radio, a political columnist, the author of America’s Last Chance, and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and at Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com.