How much longer does this genre have?

[Gunga Diner]

The superhero movie was born in 1978 with Richard Donner's Superman, in 1989 it was revived with Batman by Tim Burton. But Superheroes in film didn't really become a craze until the 2000's with X-Men and Spider-Man. But this "craze" is now 10 years old, and with movies like Green Lantern and Green Hornet receiving knee-jerk reactions by audiences like "ugh, another superhero movie," it begs the question: how much longer do superhero movies have until they've fallen out of style?

 

[Octoberist]

I really think when you start a new franchise, you need to rethink how to do the origins, because it has become..passe. Very predictable unless it's done the right way.

If future comic book movies refuse to understand that, it'll become stale and it'll die off.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Dose it matter? We are all dying in 2012 anyway. The Execs know this. Which is why we are getting all the major ones that year.

 

[El Payaso]

36 hours.


And well. Based on experince I have had just three movies where I've said "This is certainly new and revolutionary within the genre' and those movies happen every 10 or 20 years, so I'm not expecting anything really good in a long long time.

 

[Rac]

Avengers will probably kill the genre for a while. The superhero movie to end all superhero movies.

[BLACKOUT]Seriously speaking, I don't think it's going anywhere. It's here to stay, for better or worse.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[MadVillainy]

Yeah its here to stay especially after TDK and to a lesser extent Watchmen proving how superhero films can be dark character studies.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

36 hours.


And well. Based on experince I have had just three movies where I've said "This is certainly new and revolutionary within the genre' and those movies happen every 10 or 20 years, so I'm not expecting anything really good in a long long time.

Superman, Batman, Iron Man?

 

[Red Mask]

These things have their periods. We're seeing a resurgance of classic heroes, like the Lone Ranger. There was the whole sword and sandals thing that was revived by Gladiator. The superhero genre will be the same.

But when people stop being in the impossible, that's when people become dull.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I think the best thing to compare the superhero movie craze to is the Universal horror movies of the 30's and 40's. Many similarities.

I think the biggest harbinger of the death of the genre is Iron Man 2. It was not a movie in and of itself, it was a potboiler and an advert for bigger things. Iron Man 2 is not a complete movie, and audiences will not be happy with a lot of such things. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, sure, that's not a complete story either, but the audience is very clear which movie follows and where it goes. Mainstream audiences are not aware of Thor or the Avengers. They just see an Iron Man movie that is full of promises of what's to come, but they don't know if it's for Iron Man 3 or what it is. Not clever.

Anyway, the superhero genre will fade sooner or later. Everything does. Universal horror movies, westerns, disaster movies....all were huge for years, and then fell from fashion. What intrests me is which franchises can survive anyway. I think we can all agree that Batman, like James Bond, will be an eternal cinema fixture whether superheroes are popular or not. And Superman is always on TV or the cinema screen, and always will be. But what about Spider-Man? Or the X-Men? Why was the Hulk so popular on TV but struck out twice at the cinema? It'll be intresting to see.

 

[S.A.A.D.]

The comic book movie genre is here to stay until the end of the world and until humanity is extinct. And wether it's popular or not.

 

[El Payaso]

Superman, Batman, Iron Man?

Superman, Batman, The Dark Knight.

Iron Man was fantastic and I really enjoyed it but wasn't anything groundbreaking. It didn't need to be.

I think the best thing to compare the superhero movie craze to is the Universal horror movies of the 30's and 40's. Many similarities.

I think the biggest harbinger of the death of the genre is Iron Man 2. It was not a movie in and of itself, it was a potboiler and an advert for bigger things. Iron Man 2 is not a complete movie, and audiences will not be happy with a lot of such things. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, sure, that's not a complete story either, but the audience is very clear which movie follows and where it goes. Mainstream audiences are not aware of Thor or the Avengers. They just see an Iron Man movie that is full of promises of what's to come, but they don't know if it's for Iron Man 3 or what it is. Not clever.

Anyway, the superhero genre will fade sooner or later. Everything does. Universal horror movies, westerns, disaster movies....all were huge for years, and then fell from fashion. What intrests me is which franchises can survive anyway. I think we can all agree that Batman, like James Bond, will be an eternal cinema fixture whether superheroes are popular or not. And Superman is always on TV or the cinema screen, and always will be. But what about Spider-Man? Or the X-Men? Why was the Hulk so popular on TV but struck out twice at the cinema? It'll be intresting to see.

I agree with pretty much everything.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

The comic book movie genre is here to stay until the end of the world and until humanity is extinct. And wether it's popular or not.

Until 2012 unfortunately.

 

[Silvermoth]

I would say they have about as long as adaptions of books will last.

 

[Red Mask]

I'm more worried when comics no longer become available in print. I don't like reading comics online.

 

[hopefuldreamer]

Dose it matter? We are all dying in 2012 anyway. The Execs know this. Which is why we are getting all the major ones that year.

LOL that's what I keep saying! Although technically, the new Superman is scheduled to come out AFTER the end of the world.

Seriously though, I don't think we will stop having Superhero movies made until they have done ALL of them. And there are only a few big ones left.

They probably have to do The Flash, Wonderwoman then Justice League before the end. They are others, but I see these and the major three to come.

It's kind of like the X Factor/American Idol. No matter how badly they start coming out, and how tired people start to get of it, if they are still making money out of it, they will keep doing it.

 

[sideburnking]

I don't think it will really be in much danger of fading as long as studios are still capable of coming up with fresh, interesting ways of bringing them to the screen (i.e. the poster here who brought up 'Dark Knight' and 'Watchmen').

 

[Chris Wallace]

I don't think the genre is in any danger whatsoever. I think at this point, Hollywood could produce yet another cataclysmic, Schumacher-esque failure & they would bounce right back as soon as a good movie came out.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

I don't think the genre is in any danger whatsoever. I think at this point, Hollywood could produce yet another cataclysmic, Schumacher-esque failure & they would bounce right back as soon as a good movie came out.

But it's not about quality as much as the audience's appetite. As soon as the general get sick of superheroes and decide they want to watch a different genre - and it will happen - then superheroes will no longer be Hollywood's number one genre.

At the moment, you could say it's almost at peak oil, or peak production. Next year will be intresting as it's three (cinematically) new superheroes that have never featured in big budget movies before. Plus we'll see how the X-Men do without Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen et al.

2012 - Batman, Spider-Man, Superman and the Avengers all in one year - I think that is close to over saturation. Of course you and I are enormously excited about these movies and will see them all asap. But that's not the case for everyone.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

I think after The Avengers and the final Nolan Batman film that things will go into decline. By that point most of the films that the general audience would be interested in will have been done, and all that will be left is a bunch of lesser sequels and third tier heroes. That will kill the interest in the genre.

 

[bullets]

I think it depends on how the Spider-Man and Superman reboots pan out. If they are hugely successful then with those two franchises and numerous adaptations in development it might start to die down but I don't see it going anywhere soon.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

If they die out it will be due to a lack of quality not a lack of interest.

Superhero movies are the closest Hollywood gets to event films these days. Hollywood and movie goers can't get enough.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

There are around 14 comic book movies coming out the next 2 years.

The only genre that's bigger is computer animation (17 films).

 

[Chris Wallace]

But it's not about quality as much as the audience's appetite. As soon as the general get sick of superheroes and decide they want to watch a different genre - and it will happen - then superheroes will no longer be Hollywood's number one genre.

At the moment, you could say it's almost at peak oil, or peak production. Next year will be intresting as it's three (cinematically) new superheroes that have never featured in big budget movies before. Plus we'll see how the X-Men do without Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen et al.

2012 - Batman, Spider-Man, Superman and the Avengers all in one year - I think that is close to over saturation. Of course you and I are enormously excited about these movies and will see them all asap. But that's not the case for everyone.

And then there are those who are pumped about the next Twilight movie, or the next Harry Potter. I don't really care but these movies do find an audience. They're still making Saw movies. They're still making "hood" comedies and raunch films. Nobody questions how much longer those will last. Hell, they're making a thrid "Big Momma's House" for reasons which I will NEVER understand. Audience appetites are all over the map. 13 years ago people thought Schumacher had single-handedly killed the genre.

 

[El Payaso]

2012 - Batman, Spider-Man, Superman and the Avengers all in one year - I think that is close to over saturation. Of course you and I are enormously excited about these movies and will see them all asap. But that's not the case for everyone.

It's like that year the world will end.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

2012 - Batman, Spider-Man, Superman and the Avengers all in one year - I think that is close to over saturation. Of course you and I are enormously excited about these movies and will see them all asap. But that's not the case for everyone.

Don't forget the Wolverine.