As one of the most successful directors in Hollywood history, Steven Spielberg‘s opinions are often taken as fact by aspiring film directors. What happens, then, when Spielberg warns of impending doom in the film industry? Just that happened this week, as Spielberg warned film students of a coming “implosion” in the industry.

According to The Independent, Spielberg was speaking at the opening of a new University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts building on Wednesday. He was joined by Star Wars director George Lucas, and the pair discussed just how hard they had found it to have their recent movies released in theaters.

“There’s eventually going to be an implosion, or a big meltdown,” said Spielberg. He went on to predict a time when several high-budget blockbusters fail spectacularly, leading to a “paradigm” shift in the film industry. Spielberg recounted that his latest movie, Lincoln, was almost released on premium cable channel HBO. He predicts that ticket prices will skyrocket, costing around $25 by the time the next Iron Man movie is released.

Lucas backed up Spielberg, stating that Red Tails, which he executive produced, also faced difficulty getting into theaters. Lucas pointed out how ridiculous it is for the two of them not to be able to get their movies into theaters, and predicted that theaters will become more like Broadway theaters, with high ticket prices as high as $150.

Spielberg and Lucas are currently in the early stages of creating a new Indiana Jones movie.

(via The Independent)