Steve Stebbing on Why Star Wars Stopped Being a Cultural Event

What to watch this weekend covers six picks and a real argument: whether audiences have been permanently conditioned out of blockbuster excitement, with a new Star Wars in theatres as the test case. Horror on the Highway and a Heist That Starts With Demi MoorePassenger follows a van life couple who stop at a gruesome roadside accident and spend the next seven days outrunning what they invited in. I Love Boosters comes from Boots Riley, with Kiki Palmer as a fashion designer who turns to crime after a CEO played by Demi Moore steals her work. What Review Bombing Did to Blockbuster Excitement, and Three More PicksThe argument that Star Wars has lost its cultural pull connects to a broader pattern of review bombing and screen overload that Steve Stebbing says has made audiences afraid to feel anything. Ladies First on Netflix, The Burroughs, and Mating Season, Nick Kroll's adult animated follow-up to Big Mouth, round out the picks. Topics: what to watch this weekend, Star Wars Mandalorian Grogu, Kiki Palmer, Netflix movies, review bombing GUEST: Steve Stebbing | stevestebbing.ca Originally aired on 2026-05-22