Jerry Seinfeld says Hollywood has lost relevance because movies no longer occupy “the top of the social and cultural hierarchy”

Jerry Seinfeld claims that movies have lost relevance in culture and society, saying “the movie business is over.”

The 69-year-old comic actor speaking to GQ Magazine On Monday, while promoting his directorial debut with the Netflix film Unfrosted, he reflected on what he saw as a loss of relevance in Hollywood amid less impact with his current lineup of offerings on big screen.

“Cinema does not occupy the top of the social and cultural hierarchy as it has for most of our lives,” said the Brooklyn, New York, native. “When a movie came out, if it was good, we all went to see it. We all discussed it. We cited lines and scenes that we liked.

“Now we’re walking through a fire hose full of water, just trying to see.”

The Emmy-winning star said he believes “confusion” and “disorientation” have “taken over the movie business,” citing his personal interactions with people in the entertainment industry.

The Seinfeld star said: “Everyone I know in show business, every day, asks me, 'What's going on?' How do you do this? What are we supposed to do now?'

Seinfeld stars as Bob Cabana in the biopic about the creation of the Pop-Tart in the early 1960s.

He is joined in this period piece by a number of stars, including Amy Schumer, Christian Slater, Hugh Grant, Sarah Cooper, Peter Dinklage, Jim Gaffigan, Fred Armisen, Bill Burr and Melissa McCarthy, among others.

Seinfeld said of the filmmaking process: “It was totally new to me. I thought I did some cool stuff, but it had nothing to do with the way these people work. They are so serious!

“They have no idea that the movie world is over. They have no idea.

Seinfeld said he had “done enough things” in his career to have his “own thing” separate from the film business, “which is more valuable than it ever was.”

Seinfeld opened up about the contemporary status of comedy, where he got his start.

“Stand-up is like being a woodworker, and everyone needs a guy who’s good with wood,” he said. “There are trees everywhere, but making a beautiful table is not that simple. So the metaphor is that if you have good craftsmanship and craftsmanship, you're sort of impervious to the vagaries of the industry.

Seinfeld said that “modern audiences are now flocking to stand-up because it's something you can't fake”, while other facets of entertainment have a production sheen on them.

“It’s like platform diving,” Seinfeld said. “You could say you're a platform diver, but in two seconds we can see if you are or not. That’s what people love about stand-up. They can trust him. Everything else is false.

Seinfeld's remarks sparked a number of heated reactions on social media, both agreeing and contradicting his message.

One user noted: “Oh, yes. One of the greatest authors of cinema… Jerry Seinfeld from the film Bee…'

Another asked: “So why did he make a movie about the Poptarts?” I certainly don't think he's going to revive them with this fascinating subject.

One user said that while they “love” Jerry Seinfeld, his view of contemporary cinema “is so wrong,” that summer blockbuster Barbie “single-handedly kills that argument.”

The user added: “In fact, thanks to social media, movies are ruling the world more than ever. The money movies make these days is astonishing. And many iconic films have been released in this century alone.

Another user with experience teaching and studying film said he agreed with Seinfeld on this point, citing changes in theater in the four years since the coronavirus pandemic .

“The latest 'cultural wave' movie I can name is 'Avengers: Endgame,' the user said. 'I don't see anything as pervasive in the new post-COVID culture.'

One user noted that “Jerry Seinfeld might be right” in his thoughts on the film industry, pointing to the proliferation of blockbuster franchises and other factors.

“When you have commercial lawsuits and middlemen to saturate the industry, make budgets excessive, never take risks and just rework old intellectual properties… what do you expect what's going on?” the user said.

The user continued: “While at the same time having the films be made each time by the same writers, who are more interested in the message or activism they can put in the media instead of a good story.

“People complain about AI, but maybe this will open up opportunities for new people to come and create stories like before.” While also making it easier to create something higher quality on a lower budget.

Unfrosted is set to debut on Netflix on May 3.