The superhero genre has become one of the most successful in Hollywood, with some of the biggest actors all wanting a piece of the action. It’s hard to believe that just a few years ago, superhero films were not as good. Today, multiple films come out every year, and superhero movies are given huge marketing campaigns and media attention.
Small-time actors are now pushed to Hollywood elite while big stars receive a comeback role to recharge their career. Once released, these movies top the charts in box office sales, and make millions in merchandising. However, with the genre showing significant signs of growth in the last few years, questions have circulated on if the general audience will be burnt out on superheroes.
If a child were born in 1996, they would have grown up with a constant string of superhero movies. They would have seen two "Spiderman" movie series, an entire "Batman" trilogy, 12 movies set within Marvel Studio’s cinematic universe consisting of 12 films since 2008, and another batch of films planned out until 2020.
Before the release of Sony's "Spiderman" in 2002, the superhero genre was not a proven idea. Studio heads were not too eager to invest millions of dollars into a superhero movie. However when "Spiderman" released in theaters it shattered all expectations, critics loved the movie and the film grossed over $820 million dollars. This opened the floodgates for a number of superhero adaptations.
Many analysts say the superhero genre will die the way western films did. Once the biggest in Hollywood the genre, western films became oversaturated. Audiences lost interest in the American cowboy and moved their attention elsewhere. Today with how studio executives are pushing for more superhero movies every year, the genre may soon become oversaturated as well.
Fans who grew up loving these comic book characters will be more than happy to their favorite heroes being adapted for the big screen, however, will the general audience be excited to continue seeing these films? The majority of the movie audience are not comic book fans and the increase of superhero movies might have them burnt out.
How many more times will fans go see the hero save the dame in distress or world from the evil villain? How many more times can this plot be used to fill seats in the theaters and get that wonder again? The genre might become a victim of its own success, with fans and audiences getting burnt out on the same formulaic plot and tropes they are accustomed to seeing. Although the superhero genre looks unstoppable today, the fad may soon stop as the industry becomes oversaturated.
