Tools mean nothing when distribution is controlled by algorithmic black boxes optimized for engagement, not discovery. Advertising costs are the same on aggregate as they ever were before the “internet” And shooting on iPhone isn’t actually cheaper - equipment was never the main expense. It’s crew, locations, post-production, sound design, color correction, legal clearances. Gatekeeping has just migrated, not vanished. The real barriers to entry — money, audience access, and labor support — remain intact or worse. European and Asian film funds are doing the cultural investment America abandoned. We dismantled our domestic arts infrastructure, We exported the market magic logic, imported the subsidies.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Advertising cost maybe the same, but return on attention is the worst it's ever been. 

Marvel works because it is the lowest common denominator for attention in a hyper-saturated social timeline. This won't change until studios and streamers figure out how to produce timeline entertainment & story at a greater rate than influencers and other entertainers taking up people's attention. Netflix is the only one that comes close to understanding this dynamic, but their solution is viral reality slop