"Eight years of superhero movies, not a fad anymore" - Kevin Feige

[Kevin Roegele]

"People like to ask me if superhero movies are a fad. Once you start getting asked that question for eight years in a row, it’s probably not a fad any more.”

This is a quote from an interview with Marvel Studio's head honcho Kevin Feige.

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article4019608.ece

Now, Feige is obviously a clever man to be in his position. He knows that genres go in and out of fashion. He knows that two or three superhero blockbusters every year simply will not last. It's a case of when, not if, audiences get sick of them.

Feige must know this. My only question is, does he have a plan in place? Will Marvel, at some point, wisely reduce the number of movies they are making? Do they have a strategy for the decline in popularity of the genre? Will they go into other genres? Milly the Model the movie? Fin Fang Foom?

 

[TheVileOne]

Well if you think about it, Iron Man was the solution to the decline in the genre. Which I did a whole thread about in the Iron Man forums.

Marvel's pretty much announced their plans. But you never know how they might change after they've laid out the general idea of how they want to do it.

 

[bullets]

If the movies are good then the genre will continue to thrive. I could see general audiences getting tired of origin movies . I dont think two to three comic movies a year is too much. I know I'll keep seeing them.
The best decision would be to have a character with 1 or 2 sequels then move onto someone else. It would keep the genre fresh . Perhaps.

 

[Catman]

It may not be a fad, but it is possible for the genre's success to decline. For example...in the `80s action movies, especially ones with cops, were THE popular movies. Nowadays you still get those movies and they are still successful but they are no longer #1 for the yearly box office. I think at some point in the next decade the genre will still be successful but we'll probably get stuff like first X-Men which had a 70 million dollar budget.

 

[GL1]

Now, Feige is obviously a clever man to be in his position. He knows that genres go in and out of fashion. He knows that two or three superhero blockbusters every year simply will not last. It's a case of when, not if, audiences get sick of them.

Feige must know this. My only question is, does he have a plan in place? Will Marvel, at some point, wisely reduce the number of movies they are making? Do they have a strategy for the decline in popularity of the genre? Will they go into other genres? Milly the Model the movie? Fin Fang Foom?

Your concerns are a little unfounded. A little alarmist even. If the genre goes down in popularity, then the budgets will go down, not the number of movies. We still have sci-fi movies coming out, even though Sci-Fi isn't the 'big thing.' We still have horror movies, even though horror isn't "the big thing." A decline in genre only means smaller budgets, not less movies.

And by the time Marvel "runs out" of popular properties, spinoffs, sequels and team-up movies, it will be 20 years from now, and it will be time for remakes anyway.

Superhero movies aren't going anywhere, even if they lose their May 2-5 annual slot, there's always going to be 2-3 superhero movies every year from now on.

 

[November Rain]

I can't see anything of real stature coming out of the superhero film era after the mighty guns of justice league and the avengers hit the air...

that's the only thing the genre has yet to really do and that is consolidate its heroes into a formidable group, It's ultimately the big crossover effect that no film can recover from.

origin stories of a big group are about as big as you get. once this occurs, the bubble will burst 2/3 years after with poorer films and it'd all start again probably somewhere like 20 years down the line.

 

[November Rain]

Your concerns are a little unfounded. A little alarmist even. If the genre goes down in popularity, then the budgets will go down, not the number of movies. We still have sci-fi movies coming out, even though Sci-Fi isn't the 'big thing.' We still have horror movies, even though horror isn't "the big thing." A decline in genre only means smaller budgets, not less movies.

And by the time Marvel "runs out" of popular properties, spinoffs, sequels and team-up movies, it will be 20 years from now, and it will be time for remakes anyway.

Superhero movies aren't going anywhere, even if they lose their May 2-5 annual slot, there's always going to be 2-3 superhero movies every year from now on.

I don't think the fanbase will tolerate smaller budget lower quality superhero films. just look at all the hulk discussions about the cgi to realise that a step back in budget would not be a great thing. The numbers will decrease as will the enthusiasm.

It's pretty much the same as the ultimate universe, you do, spidey x-men, hulk and fantastif four then consolidate the avengers in the ultimates and peak out and the universe is pretty much left empty rehashing 616 storylines fairly badly.

That pattern has nearly reached its climax and should do by 2010. the justice league may stretch that to 2011 but it'll all be down hill in the 2010s for the superhero franchise which will probably pick back up by 2040.

 

[GL1]

I highly doubt we'll see Justice League, much less it's buildup and/or spinoffs done by 2010. And while doing a mid-budget Hulk is out of the question, I suspect there's plenty of market for mid-level books done well, Runaway for instance, is exactly the type of movie that has a great story, can find a sizeable audience and pull back 100+M from a 50M budget, regardless of whether Avengers has been done or not.

In the worst case scenario, Superhero movies shed the costumes and secret identities and just become action movies with superhuman/supernatural plotlines. If you're of the opinion that "Superhoro films" equals A-list superheroes, members of the Avengers and Justice League, then, yeah, Superhero films are on their way out, it'll all be over by 2015, undoubtedly.

But if the Frank Miller movies are any indication, if the success of non-A-list properties like Hellboy and Blade are any indication, I'll be watching superhero, or at least comic book, movies well into the century, if not for the rest of my life.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

Your concerns are a little unfounded. A little alarmist even. If the genre goes down in popularity, then the budgets will go down, not the number of movies. We still have sci-fi movies coming out, even though Sci-Fi isn't the 'big thing.' We still have horror movies, even though horror isn't "the big thing." A decline in genre only means smaller budgets, not less movies.

And by the time Marvel "runs out" of popular properties, spinoffs, sequels and team-up movies, it will be 20 years from now, and it will be time for remakes anyway.

Superhero movies aren't going anywhere, even if they lose their May 2-5 annual slot, there's always going to be 2-3 superhero movies every year from now on.

Sci-fi and horror movies are extremely broad catagories, full of sub-genres. Horror can be anything from The Shining to Dawn of the Dead. Sci-fi is even broader. Superhero movies are not a broad catagory. I am not saying the superhero movie genre will die, of course not. Superhero movies have been around for a long time, and if you include movie serials, they've been around almost as long as superhero comics.

What I am saying is, the current craze will end. Of course it will.

 

[Symbiotic]

They keep making em, I'll keep seeing em. I'm sure a great deal will as well.

 

[Jack O Lantern]

Of course it will die; superhero movies are not a genre; they are a sub genre. The movies fit nicely under either action or sc-fi. Right now they are the craze of both genres; eventually they won't be and eventually they will be again.

It's like the epic; in the 1950's Ben Hur and others ruled and then the genre got exhausted and they disapered and then made a return; just like the Western is doing.

Plus you have to take into account the changing world as well; SH movies are popular because of 9/11 and the over hyped threat of further terrorism; so people escape to a world where there are people who take care of such threats. When the real life threat of terrorism die's down; and it will; people will no longer need a world to escape to.

 

[cerealkiller182]

The genre is starting to get stale. But it turns out that Iron Man and The Dark Knight are probably the diamond in the rough. They show that good stories and film can be made from these stories based on a number of elements other than the fact its a super hero movie which i think a few of the more recent bad ones kinda did.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

I highly doubt we'll see Justice League, much less it's buildup and/or spinoffs done by 2010. And while doing a mid-budget Hulk is out of the question, I suspect there's plenty of market for mid-level books done well, Runaway for instance, is exactly the type of movie that has a great story, can find a sizeable audience and pull back 100+M from a 50M budget, regardless of whether Avengers has been done or not.

In the worst case scenario, Superhero movies shed the costumes and secret identities and just become action movies with superhuman/supernatural plotlines. If you're of the opinion that "Superhoro films" equals A-list superheroes, members of the Avengers and Justice League, then, yeah, Superhero films are on their way out, it'll all be over by 2015, undoubtedly.

But if the Frank Miller movies are any indication, if the success of non-A-list properties like Hellboy and Blade are any indication, I'll be watching superhero, or at least comic book, movies well into the century, if not for the rest of my life.

There is no need to worry IMO,just think about how many comic book characters exist right now from each comic book brand.



To me,more comic book characters=more comic book movies

 

[TheVileOne]

The genre was very stale before Iron Man was released. Iron Man totally revitalized and re-energized it. It also raised the stakes in a way none of the previous ones have done before.

A group of multiple comic book super hero franchises that will be connected.

WB doesn't even have the moxie to do this and they own AN ENTIRE MAINSTREAM COMIC BOOK COMPANY!

 

[The Major]

Sci-fi and horror movies are extremely broad catagories, full of sub-genres. Horror can be anything from The Shining to Dawn of the Dead. Sci-fi is even broader. Superhero movies are not a broad catagory. I am not saying the superhero movie genre will die, of course not. Superhero movies have been around for a long time, and if you include movie serials, they've been around almost as long as superhero comics.

Kevin, the super-hero genre includes many sub-genres within it. This includes mystery, noir, sci-fi, fantasy and horror.

Ghost Rider, Spawn, Dr. Strange, Hellboy, Blade = horror

Batman, Daredevil, Manhunter, Catwoman, Huntress, Green Arrow, Moon Knight = noir

Superman, Flash, Iron Man, Fantastic Four = sci-fi

Wonder Woman, Thor = fantasy

Booster Gold, Justice League International, She-Hulk, Deadpool = comedy

Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, New Gods, Legion of Super-Heroes, Adam Strange, Green Lantern, = space opera

Most super-heroes tend to over-lap their sub-genres with other sub-genres, too.

What I am saying is, the current craze will end. Of course it will.

Until the next good successful super-hero film gets made.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

Kevin, the super-hero genre includes many sub-genres within it. This includes mystery, noir, sci-fi, fantasy and horror.

Ghost Rider, Spawn, Dr. Strange, Hellboy, Blade = horror

Batman, Daredevil, Manhunter, Catwoman, Huntress, Green Arrow, Moon Knight = noir

Superman, Flash, Iron Man, Fantastic Four = sci-fi

Wonder Woman, Thor = fantasy

Booster Gold, Justice League International, She-Hulk, Deadpool = comedy

Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, New Gods, Legion of Super-Heroes, Adam Strange, Green Lantern, = space opera

Most super-heroes tend to over-lap their sub-genres with other sub-genres, too.



Until the next good successful super-hero film gets made.

I rather put Iron Man in the fantasy category,and/or the technology one.

 

[The Major]

I rather put Iron Man in the fantasy category,and/or the technology one.

IM is one of the franchises which be in a few catagories. He can operate in sci-fi, espionage, business, politics, technology without being out of place.

Of course most super-heroes in Marvel & DC can do the same, though some have more room to manuver in other genres. Even then all it requires is a good creative team to make that work.

 

[Evil Twin]

Forget waiting around for The Avengers or JLA, I'm curious how superhero comic book movies are going to function in the potential wake of Watchmen. Considering the potential scope, deconstructionist ideas, layers, themes, and character arcs there, I sure wouldn't want to have the next standard superhero movie following that one.

 

[Catman]

If the genre goes down in popularity, then the budgets will go down, not the number of movies. We still have sci-fi movies coming out, even though Sci-Fi isn't the 'big thing.' We still have horror movies, even though horror isn't "the big thing." A decline in genre only means smaller budgets, not less movies.

In other words...you basically repeated what I said in the post above yours.

I don't think the fanbase will tolerate smaller budget lower quality superhero films. just look at all the hulk discussions about the cgi to realise that a step back in budget would not be a great thing.

Forget about Hulk movies. Remember that the first X-Men movie had like a 70 million dollar budget. When the craze is over we'll get a bunch of movies like X-Men. Although...I'd imagine that Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man will continue to be the exceptions. Especially Batman since it was a series producing big budget movies when the superhero genre itself wasn't really putting out much.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

The genre is starting to get stale. But it turns out that Iron Man and The Dark Knight are probably the diamond in the rough. They show that good stories and film can be made from these stories based on a number of elements other than the fact its a super hero movie which i think a few of the more recent bad ones kinda did.

What's the famous saying, "You're only as good as your last picture."

These comic characters go through swings of popularity so I think the movies will to. They'll be judged on an indivdual basis.

1. This is the most important one. Haven't I seen this sh-t before.

Fans seem to get into a big parade right now about rebooting everything because we are use to seeing these characters used several times a year. To the general audience, this is a generational thing, like Joker.

If a SH movie truly fails, (Ghost Rider, Batman and Robin bad) then prepare to wait at least ten years to see another version. Most of these characters don't have Batman's rogue gallery to do more than three films anyway.

 

[cerealkiller182]

What's the famous saying, "You're only as good as your last picture."

These comic characters go through swings of popularity so I think the movies will to. They'll be judged on an indivdual basis.

1. This is the most important one. Haven't I seen this sh-t before.

Fans seem to get into a big parade right now about rebooting everything because we are use to seeing these characters used several times a year. To the general audience, this is a generational thing, like Joker.

If a SH movie truly fails, (Ghost Rider, Batman and Robin bad) then prepare to wait at least ten years to see another version. Most of these characters don't have Batman's rogue gallery to do more than three films anyway.

But there are plenty of superheroes who can go an other directions than masked city protector or innately take the protector concept in new direction:

Iron Fist, Lobster Johnson (who could do awesome on its own), The Question, and of course Supermax off the top of my head.

I think Iron Man and The Dark Knight will inspire more active storytelling devices rather than formulaic superhero films

 

[Kevin Roegele]

In a few years, expect newspaper and magazine articles to start saying how tired the genre has become, and headlines like, "We Don't Need Another Hero".

 

[Raiden]

I agree with Kevin. We start seeing actors like Adam Sandler and Will Smith making movies with this genre (Zohan is a comedic superhero basically, and Will plays a drunk superhero), so this genre has become part of Hollywood like other genres or sub-genres. As long they keep pumping out great movies that are spearheaded by good, talented actors, I don't think it will ever go away.

 

[cerealkiller182]

I wouldnt mind if the subgenre was like the Western.

There was the huge influx of great Westerns (which is kinda like now and hopefully get stronger in time) then fade away and have another comeback where they are spaces out but really great like (Unforgiven, Dances with Wolves, Open Range, 3:10 to Yuma, Assassination of Jesse James)

 

[The Major]

Most of these characters don't have Batman's rogue gallery to do more than three films anyway.

Most super-heroes franchises don't but that doesn't mean their rogues are all have no potential, have rogues unable to be updated well or they can make new good villains just for the movies.