Do You Believe Comic Book Movie Fatigue Is Setting In?

[Amadeus Arkham]

For a long time Capes and Cowls ruled the box office, particularly with Marvel Studios being the one to rule over the biggest box office throne previously belonging to earth 2000 film franchises like Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings.

With the recent struggles of Marvel and DC at the box office, now with Ant-Man underperforming and Shazam outright tanking, it’s being suggested that days of Marvel and DC dominating the movies are long behind them. Do you believe audiences are fatigued on superhero movies, or are these recent examples of underperformance is merely exception to the rule - an anomaly that isn’t a sign of growing audience disinterest in the genre. What’s your take?

[caj]

For a long time Capes and Cowls ruled the box office, particularly with Marvel Studios being the one to rule over the biggest box office throne previously belonging to earth 2000 film franchises like Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings.

With the recent struggles of Marvel and DC at the box office, now with Ant-Man underperforming and Shazam outright tanking, it’s being suggested that days of Marvel and DC dominating the movies are long behind them. Do you believe audiences are fatigued on superhero movies, or are these recent examples of underperformance is merely exception to the rule - an anomaly that isn’t a sign of growing audience disinterest in the genre. What’s your take?

I know I'm tired of them. I think Marvel usually does great with their films but I never read Marvel growing up so I could not care less about the films. DC usually royally screws up any film they put out, so yeah, I'm pretty much fed up right now.

[frankiedetroit]

Yes, for me. I wish it wasn't this way. I haven't cared much about the DC output post-Christian Bale, but was a diehard for Marvel movies. After being disappointed by the latest Thor and Ant-Man movies -- both of which I was REALLY looking forward to -- my expectations going forward have fallen off a cliff. My son (who is 11) asked about seeing the latest Shazam. We saw the original in the theater, but we also saw Black Adam at his request, which for me was dull and uninspired. (My son enjoyed it.) With Shazam, I just couldn't envision paying however many bucks to see yet another movie that I felt was going to be just as paint by numbers. Despite it all, I am intrigued by the last Guardians and the upcoming Flash, but will see them in a theater only if they get good reviews.

[thwhtGuardian]

Almost half of the top ten highest grossing films of last year were superhero movies... so if you think superhero fatigue is a real thing then I have some wonderful beachfront property in Kansas, a mountain in Illinois and a bridge in Brooklyn that I'd love to sell to you.

[kingaliencracker]

Almost half of the top ten highest grossing films of last year were superhero movies... so if you think superhero fatigue is a real thing then I have some wonderful beachfront property in Kansas, a mountain in Illinois and a bridge in Brooklyn that I'd love to sell to you.

When all that's being released into theaters are tent pole movies, including a huge chunk being super hero films, they're naturally going to rank in a top 5 or top 10 listing of box office gross. It doesn't mean there isn't burnout with them.

[SpiderTBliss]

they're naturally going to rank in a top 5 or top 10 listing of box office gross.

If they're "naturally" going to do that then then there's no burn out.

[Powerboy]

Almost half of the top ten highest grossing films of last year were superhero movies... so if you think superhero fatigue is a real thing then I have some wonderful beachfront property in Kansas, a mountain in Illinois and a bridge in Brooklyn that I'd love to sell to you.

This.

There may be burnout. It may be that the characters people really want to see just are not Ant-Man or Shazam. As you said, last year, the top ten were all superhero movies and it's hardly as if there were only ten movies made last year.

In 2022, a total of 449 movies were released in the United States and Canada, up from 406 in the previous year.

Wow, that took ten seconds to look up, just like the top ten out of 449 were superhero movies.

Arguing that superhero movies are not still the most popular genre just does not stand up to facts.

[inisideguy]

You had 8 movies get over 300 million at the domestic box office last year. 4 of them were comic book movies. The others were about Jets, A blue alien world, A cartoon, and Dinosaurs. If comic book movies stopped releasing tomorrow the theaters would literally go out of business.

[Geraldofrivia]

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/t...ly-1235694441/

I think superhero fatigue absolutely exists,” DaCosta told Total Film magazine. “The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that [‘The Marvels’ is] really wacky, and silly. The worlds we go to in this movie are worlds unlike others you’ve seen in the MCU. Bright worlds that you haven’t seen before.”

“‘The Avengers’ movies are these epic conclusions to chapters of storytelling, whereas this is a team-up within the narrative that we didn’t necessarily expect for Marvel,” producer Mary Livanos added about what makes “The Marvels” stand out. “Usually, you wait for characters to show up all together in ‘Avengers’ movies. We were excited to design a team-up featuring characters that women from all walks of life could relate to

[HollowSage]

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/t...ly-1235694441/

I think superhero fatigue absolutely exists,” DaCosta told Total Film magazine. “The biggest difference from the other MCU movies to date is that [‘The Marvels’ is] really wacky, and silly. The worlds we go to in this movie are worlds unlike others you’ve seen in the MCU. Bright worlds that you haven’t seen before.”

“‘The Avengers’ movies are these epic conclusions to chapters of storytelling, whereas this is a team-up within the narrative that we didn’t necessarily expect for Marvel,” producer Mary Livanos added about what makes “The Marvels” stand out. “Usually, you wait for characters to show up all together in ‘Avengers’ movies. We were excited to design a team-up featuring characters that women from all walks of life could relate to

Also from the same article.

“Spider-Verse” producers and writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller told Rolling Stone earlier this year that “superhero fatigue” is not to blame for certain comic book movies falling below expectations.

“I don’t believe it’s super superhero fatigue, I believe it’s ‘a movie that feels like a movie I’ve seen a dozen times before’ fatigue,” Miller said. “If you’re using the same story structure and the same style and the same tone and the same vibe as movies and shows that have come before, it doesn’t matter what genre it is. It’s going to be boring to people.”

Hmmm, different people have different opinions. Imagine that.

[Kirby101]

That sounds a lot like the BIG Hit! GOTG 3. Maybe William Goldman is right, "Nobody knows anything in Hollywood "

[Kaitou D. Kid]

Also from the same article.

“Spider-Verse” producers and writers Phil Lord and Chris Miller told Rolling Stone earlier this year that “superhero fatigue” is not to blame for certain comic book movies falling below expectations.

“I don’t believe it’s super superhero fatigue, I believe it’s ‘a movie that feels like a movie I’ve seen a dozen times before’ fatigue,” Miller said. “If you’re using the same story structure and the same style and the same tone and the same vibe as movies and shows that have come before, it doesn’t matter what genre it is. It’s going to be boring to people.”

Hmmm, different people have different opinions. Imagine that.

This reminds me of when Gunn and Lord & Miller said saying superhero movie fatigue won't happen as long as you keep things fresh and unique, while Feige said superhero fatique won't happen period.

Really shows who is more in touch right now and who isn't.

[HollowSage]

https://thedirect.com/article/kevin-...nt%20to%20make.

As for the question of superhero fatigue, it's something that "people were asking... [since his] 2nd year at Marvel:"

"I've been at Marvel Studios for 22 years now, over 22 years, and most of us here at Marvel Studios have been around a decade or longer together. And from probably my 2nd year at Marvel people were asking, 'Well, how long is this going to last? Is this fad of comic book movies going to end? And I didn't really understand the question. Because to me it was akin to saying after 'Gone With The Wind', 'Well how many more movies can be made off of novels? Do you think the audience will sour on movies being adapted from books?'"

Well you would never ask that because there is an inherent understanding among most people that a book can be anything. A novel can have any type of story whatsoever, so it all depends on what story you're translating. None comic readers don't understand it's the same thing in comics. There're 80 years of the most interesting, emotional, groundbreaking stories that have been told in the Marvel comics and it is our great privilege to be able to take what we and adapt them."

"But another way to do that is adapting them into different genres and what types of movies we want to make. And I, from sitting at USC, probably Semester 2 before your screenwriting class, Jason, and sitting in Cinema 101 and being exposed to so many different types of film that I said, 'I want to make all of these. I don't want to just make one kind of movie, I want to make all kinds of movies.' And I found that if we tell the story right, and we adapt them in a way that the audience still, knock on wood so far, is falling us along 22-plus years later with, that we can tell any types of movies that share two things. The Marvel Studios logo above the title and a seed of an idea from our publishing history."

[Nods]

The idea that people are going to tire of a genre is silly. It’s also dumb because the thing with fads is they need to be replaced. Mario, Barbie, and Top Gun are it hits but they are hitsbased on nostalgia. you aren’t getting a nostalgia hit every 90 days. If Marvels flops it’s going to be based on timing competition andquality.