Buzz
It's increasingly challenging for superhero films to attract audiences like during the Avengers: Endgame era. Viewer numbers are declining, and the plots are becoming more mundane, posing a risk of the superhero genre being overshadowed by other works.
Variety reports a staggering 73% decline in revenue for The Flash compared to its opening week. The DC superhero film only grossed $15.3 million from 4,265 theaters in North America. Shazam 2 faced a similarly disappointing outcome with a global revenue of $57.6 million.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania by Marvel Studios has a more optimistic outlook, earning $100 million in the US. Surprisingly, despite years of neglect from this market, the film only grossed $19.2 million in its opening week in China, a potentially lucrative market for Hollywood.
Experts are questioning whether the superhero's dusty fistfights hold the same appeal anymore.
When audiences lose their zest for superhero movies
DC and Marvel have long been the polar opposites of the superhero film genre, with a plethora of characters and diverse storylines. However, recent film quality has not met expectations.
For instance, Marvel's post-pandemic productions like Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, despite their high revenues of $760.9 million and $955.8 million respectively, have been deemed as disproportionate in quality.
The love story between two Thors in Thor: Love and Thunder is considered outdated and dull. Many jest that audiences only flock to theaters for Chris Hemsworth's nude scenes.
While Doctor's story impresses with its multiverse narrative, audiences still feel unsatisfied with Marvel's formulaic approach. As a result, both films, touted as Marvel's blockbusters of 2021, only received B+ ratings on CinemaScore.
Morbius' fate is even bleaker. Despite pre-release PR leveraging Jared Leto's star power, with chilling producer reactions to Leto's performance and Marvel's outstanding anti-heroic work... The result? Disappointment due to the vampire doctor film's childish visuals and story.
Morbius has become a film Marvel dare not mention, with numerous low ratings from critics: 35/100 on Metacritic, 16% on Rotten Tomatoes, labeled as rotten tomatoes... Many experts boldly dub Morbius as Marvel's worst film.
Despite securing Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson as the lead, DC's Black Adam still suffered heavy losses, grossing just over $390 million against a budget of $250 million (producers only begin to profit when revenue exceeds 20% of the budget, according to Variety).
The Future of Superhero Films
It's undeniable that DC and Marvel are the childhood of superhero film enthusiasts. The MCU is so successful that even someone who hasn't watched it can name Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor. Similarly, DC is known for Superman, Wonder Woman...
Gradually, the declining film quality has left viewers less enthusiastic. Moviegoers now are the loyal fans of superhero films. In other words, they go to the theaters to relive the excitement of Iron Man (2008), the Avengers series, and the most touching part, Avengers: Endgame... but it's elusive.
In a survey of 2,200 people in mid-2022, the percentage of people who like superhero movies has dropped to 59%, a decrease of 5% from November 2021. The percentage of those who dislike it has also increased by 5%.
The survey shows that moviegoers simply trust the Marvel brand, with 82% not expecting substantial content. Others admit they can't remember all of Marvel's films because there are too many.
Superhero movies are said to be losing steam in terms of content. The latest Thor film explores the romantic relationship between Thor and his ex-girlfriend, indicating that the film is unlikely to have a more impressive script after 10 years.
DC has recently been embroiled in a series of scandals, especially with actor Ezra Miller, who plays in The Flash, facing allegations of assault and theft... This has tarnished DC's reputation. Many of the company's major projects such as Batgirl and Wonder Woman 3 have unclear release dates, causing fans to turn away.
Despite the downward trend in films, the film industry continues to produce superhero works. While fans lament the decline of the genre, industry professionals remain optimistic, seeing this as an opportunity to balance the film market and theater revenue.
'It's also time for other genres to have a chance to make money. Some people enjoy epic action stories, while others want to see romantic tales. This is the formula for a healthy film industry,' Megan Colligan, president of IMAX Entertainment, told The Wrap.
