Are superhero movies hitting their peak?

[NealKenneth]

I believe so.

DC and Fox continue to march forward with their current plans even though a reboot would be better for both studios. Meanwhile Marvel doesn't seem to have a path forward post-Infinity War. All the great Phase 4 villains will either be used up or locked up with Fox by 2020. And the underwhelming box office reaction to both Guardians 2 and Homecoming are concrete evidence that audiences are simply worn out at this point.

Obviously I am huge fan of the MCU but it's hard to see Infinity War as anything but a grand finale to this phenomenon. After that, I don't know if I'll really be interested in sticking around to watch the B-listers or sitting through any sort of reboot/building phase for any studio. What can they show me that I haven't already seen?

Like Pixar or the western, the superhero dominated cinema for many years, but I think we're nearing the end.

 

[Greens]

There is no way to know until after the fact, but I'd say no.

 

[NotNickFury]

I believe they're on the way, but not yet. Each couple of years comes a milestone, whether it's something like a Superman '78, Dark Knight, Avengers, and so on. Infinity War could be a peak based on how much that film has built up and how many characters it will have, but I think we could be getting to that point. Similar to the fatigue point, so long as these films turn a profit, studios will churn them out, so that may give creators the incentive to try and reinvent the wheel.

But I do believe we may get to a point where the formula becomes not necessarily stale, but too routine. So right now, I'd say No, with an asterisk.

 

[Flint Marko]

Several things here...

Wonder Woman is a shockingly clear indicator that a reboot isn't necessary for the DCEU. Similarly, Fox doesn't need to reboot because A) they've found massive success with Deadpool and B) their approach isn't really based on tightly-woven continuity so they can basically just keep taking each movie as it comes.

Saying that Marvel "doesn't seem to have a path forward" is pretty ridiculous. They've got three untitled movies scheduled after Infinity War along with Guardians 3 and Spider-man 2. Just because you don't know what the plan is doesn't mean there isn't one.

Referring to the box office take of Guardians and Spider-man as "underwhelming" only tells me you had unrealistic expectations going in. The only potential negative thing to gleam from those numbers (aside from the obvious context of reboot-fatigue and how Apes and Spider-man cannibalized one another) is that Marvel's audience isn't growing in any significant way - that happens with every big franchise (see the latest Harry Potter and Twilight sequels), but to suggest that audiences are "simply worn out" is laughable. Audiences have already given the MCU over a billion in revenue this year with one more film to go.

I think your question has some validity, but these points don't have merit.

 

[Tony Stark]

They are hitting their peak as far as saturation, but that doesn't mean that you can't have improvements. However, I think it's going to be a while before we have another film that has the box office and cultural impact that Avengers, The Dark Knight and the first Spider-man film had. Wonder Woman may have had that to a lesser extent, but not quite the impact on the international market as it did in the States.

 

[DrCosmic]

My first instinct is to laugh and say 'no' and keep moving, but I can tell you're serious, and I like to talk, so let's talk about this.

Pixar's not ending. Proof: Incredibles 2.
MCU is better off without great villains. Proof: Compare the movie with Alexander Pierce with the movie with Ultron. How re-using Loki was received vs how Mandarin was received.
DC and Fox aren't better with a reboot: Proof: YOU have no interest in sticking around through any reboot phase for any studio.
GotG2&SMH are not evidence the audiences are simply worn out. Proof: Audiences spent more money on those so called disappointments than on their previous iterations. Wonder Woman came out between them and made more than expected. If audiences were tired, then they'd spend less money, right? Maybe execs just overestimated how much more people like superhero movies than they did three years ago.

As far as Phase 4... they can show you things you haven't already seen. Proof: You haven't seen everything.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

Why would the DCEU need a reboot? If Justice League makes comparable numbers to Wonder Woman that is $1.5 billion or more for WB this year.
Add to that the $1.6 billion the DCEU made last year. The DCEU is just getting started.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Yes, they are hitting their peak. Now does this mean that things are going to be doom and gloom going forward and the genre will be dead in 5-10 years? Definitely not. Superhero films have been around on a regular basis since the 70s and it isn't about to change now. But it won't be as big as it is now either.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

Yes, they are hitting their peak. Now does this mean that things are going to be doom and gloom going forward and the genre will be dead in 5-10 years? Definitely not. Superhero films have been around on a regular basis since the 70s and it isn't about to change now. But it won't be as big as it is now either.

Much like Star Wars has been around since the 70s and it is doing better than ever.

 

[SomeOldGuy]

I wouldn't say the genre is peaking as much as it is maturing. Once upon a time, I would go to any CBM, even one featuring characters or teams I wasn't particularly attached to, just to vote with my dollars on the kind of films I wanted to see more of. Now I feel free to skip ones that aren't of interest, or just get bad reviews/WOM, like I would with any non-CBM film. They're just movies now, and that's a good thing.

 

[NealKenneth]

does this mean that things are going to be doom and gloom going forward and the genre will be dead in 5-10 years? Definitely not.

Exactly.

Just to specify, by "peak" I mean that we'll still see good films from here out, just fewer and further between. We'll never see a year like 2017 again. Superhero fatigue is so strong right now that people are turning their noses up at a primetime television series based on a superhero team, a show produced by the most trustworthy studio, no less. Think about that.

2010 me would have laughed and thought a primetime superhero team was impossible.

2015 me would have laughed at the idea that people would not be interested in it.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Much like Star Wars has been around since the 70s and it is doing better than ever.

It hasn't always. It has had ups and downs throughout the years. It peaked in the mid-to-late 90s with the SEs, Phantom Menace, and things like Shadows of the Empire, and then it is peaking again now.

James Bond has also been up and down. It has always been popular, but there have definitely been times it has been more popular than others. That's what I mean by peak.

 

[Kreem Pi]

I disagree that there is superhero fatigue at all. We've had four comic book movies already and all four have been well received. All four had or is having healthy box office runs. Has Spider-man dropped hard? It is the second reboot to a franchise that hasn't had a good movie in thirteen years. Of course it was gonna take more than one movie to recover. As long as there are quality superhero films and varied superhero films we won't experience a fatigue. What the genre can't afford though is banality and poor quality. There are gonna be like 7 or 8 superhero films next year. What they must do is be good and move the genre forward in ways. That's how you stave off fatigue.

 

[Tony Stark]

It's not that it's fatigue, it's that studios can't relelase a mediocre production and expect the public to react to it. A film like the first Fantastic Four film, might have done better in an age where we didn't have two Spider-man films and Batman Begins that were far superior. Suicide Squad might have been mildly acceptable if not for the far superior Guardians of the Galaxy that tried for the same off beat quirkiness.

 

[StormC]

Oh good, the "GOTG2 underperformed at the BO" argument, one of my favs.

Homecoming has been out a week and people are already calling it a dud.

 

[BestGirl]

Exactly.

Just to specify, by "peak" I mean that we'll still see good films from here out, just fewer and further between. We'll never see a year like 2017 again. Superhero fatigue is so strong right now that people are turning their noses up at a primetime television series based on a superhero team, a show produced by the most trustworthy studio, no less. Think about that.

2010 me would have laughed and thought a primetime superhero team was impossible.

2015 me would have laughed at the idea that people would not be interested in it.

You're referring to The Inhumans, right? People are turning up their noses at it because it looks like garbage, not due to any fatigue. The Hype probably would've hated the show even back in 2010.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

It's not that it's fatigue, it's that studios can't relelase a mediocre production and expect the public to react to it. A film like the first Fantastic Four film, might have done better in an age where we didn't have two Spider-man films and Batman Begins that were far superior. Suicide Squad might have been mildly acceptable if not for the far superior Guardians of the Galaxy that tried for the same off beat quirkiness.

And let's be honest, the MCU isn't going to be turning out films at the high level of quality they have been forever. Whether it is when Feige leaves or something else, there will be a rough patch eventually.

 

[DrCosmic]

Exactly.

Just to specify, by "peak" I mean that we'll still see good films from here out, just fewer and further between. We'll never see a year like 2017 again. Superhero fatigue is so strong right now that people are turning their noses up at a primetime television series based on a superhero team, a show produced by the most trustworthy studio, no less. Think about that.

2010 me would have laughed and thought a primetime superhero team was impossible.

2015 me would have laughed at the idea that people would not be interested in it.

I think I have a clearer idea of what you're saying now. I think you pick really poor examples, for instance, people recognizing Inhumans sucking isn't really a sign of superhero fatigue. If Inhumans looked good and sucked, that'd make more sense, unless you're saying that it sucks because Marvel knows that superheroes are so big they don't have to bother making a good show?

I think the potential growth is going to cut out in a couple years after 2019, that will be hard to top in terms of market share. I don't think that things will start spreading out, I just think they'll stop increasing. I don't think we'll get to 10 superhero movies a year.

 

[Osiris-Rex]

Exactly.

Just to specify, by "peak" I mean that we'll still see good films from here out, just fewer and further between. We'll never see a year like 2017 again. Superhero fatigue is so strong right now that people are turning their noses up at a primetime television series based on a superhero team, a show produced by the most trustworthy studio, no less. Think about that.

2010 me would have laughed and thought a primetime superhero team was impossible.

2015 me would have laughed at the idea that people would not be interested in it.

I don't think it's because people are turning up their noses at superhero teams. I think it is more that the CW doesn't reach as many houses as networks like ABC and CBS.
You can't just base it on the live ratings as the CW show do well in delayed viewing and on Netflix. Also the foreign market is large for the DC based shows.

 

[Link]

I do think there are far too many superhero films right now. It doesn't feel quite as special when you don't really have to wait for the next one, in case you are like me and watch them all. In another year I would have been more excited by GOTG 2 and Homecoming, but with Logan and WW it's easy to forget each one.

 

[Spider-Aziz]

I believe they're on the way, but not yet. Each couple of years comes a milestone, whether it's something like a Superman '78, Dark Knight, Avengers, and so on. Infinity War could be a peak based on how much that film has built up and how many characters it will have, but I think we could be getting to that point. Similar to the fatigue point, so long as these films turn a profit, studios will churn them out, so that may give creators the incentive to try and reinvent the wheel.

But I do believe we may get to a point where the formula becomes not necessarily stale, but too routine. So right now, I'd say No, with an asterisk.

This is probably the best answer for this question.

 

[NealKenneth]

With the FF characters remaining at Fox becoming more of a credible threat, I'm reaffirming that Avengers 4 will be the finale of this era of cinema.

I do not see the MCU having a compelling path forward for Phase 4 without those characters, especially the villains.

I do not see Fox, Sony or WB mustering the competency to develop a good series.

 

[2kt09]

With the FF characters remaining at Fox becoming more of a credible threat, I'm reaffirming that Avengers 4 will be the finale of this era of cinema.

I do not see the MCU having a compelling path forward for Phase 4 without those characters, especially the villains.

I do not see Fox, Sony or WB mustering the competency to develop a good series.

MCU still has trilogies of other characters to bank on. If Avengers 4 caps off the era, I'm perfectly content with that both box office-wise and what audiences come to expect. Hollywood can finally do some worthwhile prospects like never before without spending so much realizing there are cheaper yet more effective ways to market. More studios take over the market with fresh and innovative ideas.

 

[DrCosmic]

With the FF characters remaining at Fox becoming more of a credible threat, I'm reaffirming that Avengers 4 will be the finale of this era of cinema.

I do not see the MCU having a compelling path forward for Phase 4 without those characters, especially the villains.

I do not see Fox, Sony or WB mustering the competency to develop a good series.

I have no idea why people think the MCU needs good villains after Ego and Vulture, two of the biggest jokes in comics becoming two of their most epic baddies.

Does your ability to see a compelling path account for their ability to make characters no one cares about, like the GotG, into characters everyone cares about, or are you limiting yourself to comics popularity = movie viability.

 

[NealKenneth]

If Avengers 4 caps off the era, I'm perfectly content with that both box office-wise and what audiences come to expect.

I would be content as well, and I think most fans would be too. Marvel will have given us dozens of great films by that point. But this is another reason why I believe we are at the peak. Marvel has given us more than we ever dreamed at this point and we are satisfied. Supply is rising while demand is falling.