How much longer does this genre have?

[Kevin Roegele]

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

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

Computer animation is not a genre. It's a medium. If you want to be exact it's a technology.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

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.

But look back at Batman & Robin and the 90's; superheroes weren't actually popular then. Only Batman was. The Shadow, the Phantom, the Rocketeer, Steel, Spawn, etc, etc, none of them made any money. It wasn't until Blade, which is far more a martial arts/action movie and a horror movie than it is a superhero movie, that there was another comic character besides Batman who audiences took to. It's really the combination of X-Men and Spider-Man, and the influence of The Matrix, which kicked off the current craze.

 

[Kevin Roegele]

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

It will be both. Check out the Universal horror movie craze. Or in fact, any craze.

The warning sign for me is that, towards the end, Universal began putting two or more monsters in one movie (Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, etc). Ring any bells? This may seem like a great way to double business but actually dilutes the product.

 

[Lord Blackbolt]

But look back at Batman & Robin and the 90's; superheroes weren't actually popular then. Only Batman was. The Shadow, the Phantom, the Rocketeer, Steel, Spawn, etc, etc, none of them made any money. It wasn't until Blade, which is far more a martial arts/action movie and a horror movie than it is a superhero movie, that there was another comic character besides Batman who audiences took to. It's really the combination of X-Men and Spider-Man, and the influence of The Matrix, which kicked off the current craze.

Although to be fair...most of those comic movies were either not household names...and weren't very good.

 

[Octoberist]

With the next generation of comic book movies, they need to rethink how they should do the first installment because 'origin' films aren't cutting anymore unless they're really cleverly done.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

They should stop doing origin stories period. Look how banal Green Lantern looks.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

That has to do with the tone not the origin.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

GL looks as safe as a trojan condom.

 

[Chris Wallace]

With the next generation of comic book movies, they need to rethink how they should do the first installment because 'origin' films aren't cutting anymore unless they're really cleverly done.

You're basing this on what? The last origin film was "Iron Man" which was HUGELY successful. What was the last one before it? "Batman Begins"? Also went over quite well. I don't see a need to eliminate origin films because we have to remember that they are INTRODUCING these characters to the GA, as well as re-establishing the story for us.
I think if anything could potentially hurt the genre, it's boneheaded moves like "Catwoman" or stupid comedies like "Green Hornet". Just because they did it with "The Mask" & got away with it doesn't mean it's the way to go.

 

[Octoberist]

That's why I said the next generation: that includes Green Lantern and any future installments of any comic book movie. Iron Man & Batman Begins came in at the right time.

It's very formalistic in its beats, despite the sci-fi tones. Let's face it: Most comic origins are fairly similar. That's just the nature of the medium. And since it's in the same film genre, it's easier to notice than let's say any action movie out there that uses 'A Hero's Journey' as its template.

I'm against it, but IF YOU READ MY ORIGINAL POST, I didn't say it's impossible, but it has to be cleverly done. It has to be fresh and not paint by the numbers.

That's why I kinda fear for Green Lantern*, as much as I support it. That's why I hope the Flash's first film follows a different path as an origins tale.

Of course movies like 'Catwoman' can hurt the genre, but getting stale can too.

*(Thor is a little different because he is already Thor, as noted in the teaser. Captain America...I have to wait till I see footage or know more about it.)

 

[jmc]

The genre's life expectancy is going to limited. We've gotten just over a decade of the genre having a regular place in the movie calendar and in that time it hasn't really done anything to show me there's longevity beyond a few more years. Stories have started to become formulaic and cliched, villains are not nearly as interesting as they should be, hero's journeys becoming similar, it's almost becoming a case of the same type of film each time but with a different costumed hero. The problem is no studio is willing to risk trying anything genuinely new and different, WB lenience with Chris Nolan seems to be the exception to the rule, without new ideas and ingenuity and breaking borders we're only ever going to get a bunch of films that fall into the same kind of area in terms of story, action, acting and directing. In other words the genre borders on becoming stock movies, and audiences will grow tired of it. The biggest issue is looking at these films as superhero films as opposed to the genre the character really represent, Batman is a crime drama, Thor is a fantasy, GL is a space epic, Captain America a war story, etc, focus should be on making the character suit those type of genres. I'm still predicting by 2012 after TDKR comes out interest will begin to wane, by 2015 the number of releases from studios will be halved, after that the only superhero character that will been seen are the ones who's mainstream appeal is strong enough within the next 5 years. The only two characters I can see bucking the trend are Bats and Spidey, they could almost end up being like a bond series mostly due the villains and characters at their disposal.

 

[JoeyConQueso]

I think as long as audiences want to see blockbusters in the theater, superhero movies will have a chance. Genres don't really go away. I don't think people just blindly go to every superhero movie. If it looks visually stimulating enough and as though it won't be cheezy or a snoozefest, they'll probably show up.

 

[Figs]

2012 - Batman, Spider-Man, Superman, Avengers and The Wolverine 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.

You forgot one.

Yeah, that year is going to be superhero crazy.

 

[Hobgoblin]

People have been complaining about the glut of comic films for years now. I saw a movie years ago that featured the teaser trailer for Daredevil and the guys behind me said in amazement "Another one?" That must have been in 2002, and here we are nearly a decade later. While the general audience may be sick of comic films, they still make money, so the studios will keep making them. Look at the the various quality that the films have been since 1989. Lots of ups and downs. Yet the genre hasnt gone anywhere. It may Peter out, but it wont go away forever.

 

[Homer J. Fong]

There's no expiration date for the superhero movie, just like there's no expiration date for the slasher movie, the disaster movie, or any other genre or subgenre. Every genre/subgenre does have a kind of saturation point, though, and I'm sure we will see the flow of superhero films slow down in a few years. They'll obviously never go away, though. Peaks and valleys.

 

[Chris Wallace]

There's no expiration date for the superhero movie, just like there's no expiration date for the slasher movie, the disaster movie, or any other genre or subgenre. Every genre/subgenre does have a kind of saturation point, though, and I'm sure we will see the flow of superhero films slow down in a few years. They'll obviously never go away, though. Peaks and valleys.

This.

 

[roach]

There's no expiration date for the superhero movie, just like there's no expiration date for the slasher movie, the disaster movie, or any other genre or subgenre. Every genre/subgenre does have a kind of saturation point, though, and I'm sure we will see the flow of superhero films slow down in a few years. They'll obviously never go away, though. Peaks and valleys.

no there isnt an expiration date but everything is in cycles....horror went from giant monsters in the 60's to supernatural slasher guys in the 70's and 80's...then the teen flicks (Scream, I know what you did last summer...) then replaced by japanese horror remakes and onto torture movies like Saw and Hostel

 

[roach]

doubley quotus

 

[Chris Wallace]

Remember when fans were complaining about the LACK of comic book films?