Some Theories About Superhero Movie Fatigue
Some Theories About Superhero Movie Fatigue By Dan Brown You’ve probably heard of “superhero movie fatigue.” It’s the idea that the public has grown tired of motion pictures featuring the costumed do-gooders who first appeared in comic books, then made the leap to the big screen. The theory goes something like this: Superhero burnout is the reason why big-budget effects pictures starring these superpowered champions of justice are a risky bet for studios after years of sequels (and TV shows, in Marvel’s case). That’s why the superhero moment has passed at the multiplex. But is it real? Or is superhero movie fatigue a press creation? I have some theories. Theory No. 1: It’s real. The fatigue is genuine. Exhibit A would be this June’s Supergirl movie, which came and went without making a ripple in the pop culture. Made on an estimated budget of $170 million, it came nowhere close to earning its costs back with a worldwide gross of $126 million. (Numbers from the Internet Movie Database.) But if moviegoers are sick of superheroes right now, then you’d have to account for the staggering success of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which came out in August and has grossed more than $2.4 billion (on an estimated budget of $225 million). Theory No. 2: It’s real – but it’s a superhero thing, not a superhero-movie thing. According to this line of thinking, the fatigue is part of a larger cultural reaction against superheroes. The popularity of superheroes is always waxing and waning. We may be in a period similar to the middle decades of the 20th century, when comic-book publishers moved away from superhero titles in favour of horror and romance comics. So it has little to do with the ubiquity or quality of the films being released, superpowered beings just aren’t working right now in any format. Theory No. 3: It isn’t real. Perhaps superhero movie fatigue is entirely a press creation. It’s one of those trends that media types latch onto and repeat without thought. It’s just the latest example of the conventional wisdom circulated by journalists and pundits that sounds valid, but falls apart on closer inspection and has no actual bearing on reality. If so, then you have to account for the failure of Supergirl this summer, which not even co-star Jason Momoa could save from fading into obscurity. Why wasn’t Kara Zor-el able to draw a crowd? Theory No. 4: Movie fans are way more discerning than we give them credit for being. Maybe moviegoers judge each Hollywood release on its own merits, in which case we can’t blame the box-office failures on any given movie’s genre. Genre doesn’t enter into their decisions, or at least it’s not the determining factor it may have been in the past. This would explain why some superhero flicks fail, yet others generate billions of dollars in ticket sales. Hence their selective appeal. Theory No. 5: The superhero movie as a genre doesn’t exist anymore. Movies like 1978’s Superman and 1989’s Batman and even 2002’s Spider-Man were recognizably part of the same genre. Those days may be over. You’ve probably noticed this. There are so many superhero releases now – some are comedies, some dramas, some mysteries, some kung-fu movies, some horror flicks, some space fantasies. So “superhero movie” may not be a term that applies anymore, and a film’s track record can be explained by the subgenre it belongs to. So Supergirl failed earlier this year not because it starred a superhero, but because it has a lot in common with a specific western, True Grit, and movie fans weren’t in the mood for a space western this summer. You may be asking: Why does any of this matter? Well, there’s a big superhero movie coming out at the end of year called Avengers: Doomsday, which could be the difference between a decent year for Hollywood and a great year. Not to overstate its importance, but a lot is riding on it. In fact, if Doomsday is a flop, you can bet the online pundits will scream that it was foolish of Marvel Studios to make a big superhero movie for the silver screen. On the other hand, if it does bonkers business, that will guarantee more of the same will be coming soon to a theatre near you. What do you think? I would love to hear your own theories in the comments! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 34 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
