2023: The Year of Superhero Fatigue
good news, Martin Scorsese. Hollywood’s era of superhero movies may be coming to an end.
For more than a decade, comic book movies have been ubiquitous and fairly reliable moneymakers, but the genre has suffered a series of shocking flops in 2023 that raise questions about its future. Can superhero movies regain the cultural relevance they once had, or does this year indicate there is no going back?
An Avengers-level threat
It was just over a month into 2023 when audiences saw their first superhero movie — or, more accurately, didn’t see it.
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“Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantum Obsession“ It arrived in February and was billed as a crucial chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the film was a financial disappointment. Despite being advertised as the most must-see “Ant-Man” film to date, it actually grossed less than the previous two films, which were largely indie, low-stakes adventures. This created a problem in Marvel’s long-term game plan, as “Quantumania” was introduced. story It’s supposed to span multiple movies and shows and culminate in an “Avengers” crossover. But the fans didn’t seem interested.
Weeks later, the capitalShazam! The wrath of the gods“ I also fumbled. The original film grossed $140 million domestically in 2019, but the sequel failed to even gross $60 million.
As the year continued, the superhero movie landscape remained mostly bleak. In June, the capitalthe light“It became a historic bomb at the box office despite being filled with the kind of fan service for the franchise that has become such a hit in 2021.”Spider-Man: No way home“Blue Beetle” also disappointed in August, marking DC’s third failure of the year — and later this month, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” looks set to become a fourth.
“For Marvel”Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” provided a bright spot in May, grossing a solid $845 million worldwide. However, despite being the conclusion to a beloved trilogy, it never outperformed its predecessor, let alone grossed $1 billion like Disney. Used to do regularly. By November”Wonders“It was a critical failure, having the worst opening weekend in MCU history. ‘Captain Marvel’ grossed $1.1 billion in 2019, but the sequel is struggling to surpass $200 million. Since the film was the culmination of several shows and films Marvel TV show, fan apathy signaled another embarrassing rejection of the current MCU era.
Get rid of the old and bring in the new
some He argued These failures can be blamed entirely on the films themselves being unable to snuff themselves. After all, most superhero movies this year received lukewarm reviews, and Marvel had come out with poorly received films like “Eternals” and “Thor: Love and Thunder” that likely tarnished the brand.
But it’s also possible that audiences are tired of being inundated with endless superhero content — especially after the advent of Marvel’s Disney+ shows. Added to the complex It’s early 2021, which makes it feel like homework to stay up to date with the franchise. This fall, the second season of “Loki” received positive reviews, but it still isn’t He reportedly lost viewers From the first season, indicating that low quality is not the only reason. For Marvel 2019″Avengers: Endgame“Provided that this satisfying ending gave audiences a suitable outlet to bail once they felt the subsequent films wouldn’t be as strong.
The advent of streaming and the shortened window between a film’s theatrical release and its availability at home has made moviegoers more selective about what they watch on the big screen. So the film must now be seen as an event to get them to show up. For a while, it was almost a given that any new superhero movie, especially any new MCU movie, was an event. 2023 suggests that this is no longer the case, whether oversaturation or lower quality is the cause.
success “Barbie and Oppenheimer“It also indicates that moviegoers are hungry for movies that are unlike anything they’ve seen before. In this environment, it may be more difficult for superhero movies to qualify unless the reviews are glowing or there’s a particularly strong hook — a hook like, e.g. Example, the eye-catching animation of the beloved lover.”Spider-Man: Through the Spider-Verse“, which shattered expectations over the summer. However, a movie like this doesn’t come along very often.
The waning cultural importance of superhero movies is leaving room for another entity to take their place, and video game adaptations are a prime candidate. “Super Mario Bros movie“Five Nights at Freddy’s” and “HBO”The last of us“They’ve all been huge hits this year, and Nintendo is already working on.”Legend of Zelda“Movie. Perhaps 2023 will usher in an era in which Hollywood executives search for new franchises not in comic book store stock, but in the aisles of GameStop.
