It had a billion-dollar budget, lavish sets, and some of the biggest names in entertainment — so why did the Democrats' latest presidential campaign tank at the voting booth?

Yes, there was that desperate, last-minute casting change. But new lead Kamala Harris seemed to get the notoriously troubled production back on track despite a predecessor unwilling to give up his former role and co-star Tim Walz's troublingly erratic public behavior.

Megan Thee Stallion, Lady Gaga, and Charli XCX just weren’t up to the task of rescuing Harris from herself.

The sheer star power on hand seemed to guarantee a runaway hit: Gen Z favorite Alex Cooper ("Call Me Daddy"), as well as proven draws like Will Ferrell, Rihanna, George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, and even Oprah Winfrey.

Pay to play

Winfrey's glorified cameo was said to cost a cool million. Also rumored to have gotten a seven-figure payday was Beyoncé — who perversely enough appeared in a non-singing role — and any number of other artists ranging from Taylor Swift to Eminem.

Whatever the exact line items were, one thing is certain: A campaign that still had more than $100 million in the bank in October now finds itself $20 million in the hole.

In retrospect, maybe that GloRilla performance wasn't such a good idea after all.

Or maybe the era of the big-budget, mass-marketed, four-quadrant blockbuster is over.

Joy division

Where was the big-name actor or actress who would come along and save Harris from her floundering campaign?

The tear-streaked viral post recorded on the spur of the moment by Lady Gaga that would finally convince regular people in Pennsylvania and North Carolina that Harris really was the answer to their prayers — and not just a Polly POC-et puppet who couldn’t string two sentences together without cackling like a banshee and waxing poetic about the joy of abortion rights?

Indeed, what happened to the days of influential celebrity videos with warnings about “fascism” and “democracy"? Did they stop uploading them, or did everybody just stop watching?

Falling stars

The answer seems to be a bit of both. A recent YouGov poll found that only 10% of Americans say a celebrity’s opinion has caused them to cast a vote or rethink their vote. Another poll by USA Today and Suffolk University found that political endorsements had a much larger effect on swaying the Democratic vote than celebrity endorsements.

The study also found that conservatives were rarely swayed by either, including from within the conservative movement’s leadership. (The influence of Hulk Hogan’s bodice-ripping howl of support for Trump remains a subject for future historians.)

Perhaps this is why the standard-issue Democratic endorsements Harris got from Obama and the Clintons didn’t do much: They weren’t delivered with much conviction. It probably didn't help that the DNC brand was tainted by the still-fresh memory of Joe Biden's public stab in the back.

Megan Thee Stallion, Lady Gaga, and Charli XCX just weren’t up to the task of rescuing Harris from herself. Even those who somehow enjoy their music apparently found it hard to get very excited about their political opinions.

Box office poison?

The celebrities who did endorse Harris did so with smug certitude that didn’t do much to reach independents. Their urgent pleas to “get out and vote” (with the obvious insinuation that meant voting for Harris) also clearly backfired, since Trump won men under 30 by 14 points and Harris won young women under 30 by only 18 points. Gen Z voters just weren't pulling the lever for the Democrats the way their celebrities and pop culture puppets told them to.

As Jimmy Vielkind and Aaron Zitner point out, Harris’ result for young women was “down from the 32-point margin for Biden among that group in 2020.”

Trump’s mastery of social media and popular podcasts like Joe Rogan's show also clearly bolstered his already well-known brand and put him front and center in the mind of many undecideds.

Triple threat

But the fact remains that Trump didn't really need anybody's endorsement — at least not the way Harris did. Our former and future president is a consummate entertainer. He sings, he tells jokes, he does his own stunts. He even dances. Who needs celebrities when you can groove out with the candidate himself?

Expensive disasters tend to end with a lot of finger-pointing, and the Harris campaign is no exception. The Democrats might as well take the opportunity to clean house — starting with those among them who insist on blaming the voters.

If the incredible comeback of Donald Trump can teach us anything, it's that fewer and fewer people are waiting for the media to tell them what's worth their time and attention. After years of having their taste underestimated and dismissed, Americans are finally confident enough to call out real, once-in-a-generation talent when they see it. Anyone who wants to win the people over better start with that.