The superhero genre has no doubt been a huge moneymaker for Hollywood since the days of Blade when the future of Marvel movies really was uncertain and was only a dream. Here we are almost 20 years later from Blade and we’ve seen the entire famous catalog of Marvel being brought to the silver-screen. Whether you love it or hate it, Marvel has been a constant in Hollywood with their feature films. However 20 years, means a lot has happened that a lot of us fans had to sit through whether it was garbage or probably the best we’ve seen. Something is truly hitting me in regards to the future of superhero movies in general. A lot of it has to do with Marvel, but is the genre evolving or devolving in front of our eyes and we just don’t know it yet?
I say this because a lot of it deals with the future of cinema as a whole. Movie theaters are the best way to watch hit Marvel films like Avengers, Iron Man, Spider-Man, etc. Not just Marvel though, but also DC films have had a number of releases. The future though I feel at this point could go either way. As for the future of films, I say this due to the biggest point I want to make, DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION. One of the biggest sleepers in the mass market that has slowly been growing for years and is now at its peak where growth is being shown massively despite the debt Netflix has right now.
An example I would like to make is Bright. While not a perfect film or maybe not a good film by some, you have to admit, it did sit well with audiences in some regard. It may not be the movie you want to watch over and over again, but hey, “IT WAS A DECENT ACTION FLICK” is what many will say. When viewing the movie. The quality however is unlike anything Netflix has ever distributed. It’s a high octane blockbuster; that is the type of movie that would turn heads at the theater. Why Netflix though? This type of movie I won’t say would be a smash-hit, but in regards to making money it would be considered a success or pictured as a success. So what does this mean?
It means the future is closer than ever. Movies being shown on Netflix and Hulu that are from the digital services directly are going to make a huge impact. Even though films like War Machine, Adam Sandler movies as well, prove actors don’t really mind being on the service and have actually gotten a better response than being released in a theater. Audiences don’t want to pay for the concession stands, or overpriced movie tickets. Audiences wait for the next blockbuster to arrive to throw all their money at it all at once. With the increasing number of superhero films and blockbusters, one can’t help to wonder what a regular consumer feels about this. Do they accept the new wave of films or do they often wish for more easy access for content similar to blockbusters you see in theaters?
With the recent merger with FOX and Disney, this does seem like the next “big thing” for Disney. With them also releasing their own service and owning 60 percent of Hulu in the future, is Disney planning to beat Netflix at their own game? Precisely, YES. Imagine a 90 million dollar budget Fantastic Four film not being shown in theaters but only on a subscription based package like Hulu or whatever Disney subscription service they have in mind. You could be at home at the comfort of your own home watching the movie instantly without the need to drive out to the theater. Bright proved the possibility that theaters shouldn’t be the one stop for blockbusters, maybe Disney saw that during Bright’s announcement and realized the potential of adding such big names like Will Smith & David Ayer into the fray which makes a good opportunity to cease.
Where am I getting at though? Is this considered an evolution entirely set on superhero films? Not exactly. This does mean that the market is purely changing, in a way the genre is not devolving as I dramatically put it, but more like someone who is moving state to state. They are going to a new environment, a new home that will deliver on the consumer’s needs. As for theater chains, I do see theaters doing their best to try to create comfort, offering deals, cards where you redeem points to free screenings or free medium popcorn like from AMC or Xscape Theater chains. The question still remains for them, is this enough for the consumer? Honestly, it possibly isn’t.
Film isn’t what it used to be anymore. Everything is practically digital, shooting on film is slowly turning into dying technology which we once used. 35mm is not what it used to be. With this, it seems like almost anyone can pick up a camera and become a director. Creativity is no longer available to Hollywood or New York, but now to anyone with a video camera. Camera quality on even cell phones, sort of mirror DSLR cameras or ALEXA cameras being used in films like Captain America: Civil War. This is where Netflix takes advantage or hell even YouTube, the amateur director we see nowadays might have a vision that yeah, maybe Hollywood doesn’t see money in what many amateurs bring to the table. Chronicle was a smash hit at the box office with a first time director, but then we saw Fantastic 4 and it pretty much went to shit with his career, but you have to admit, something blocked his vision for being fully realized on screen. Would Netflix deem to take creative control? No, which is why you have a lot of big hits, but also a lot of misses on the services.
For the future of superhero movies, it does seem to be wanting to take off digitally. With shows like Teen Titans being shown on the DC Network subscription coming soon, and shows like Daredevil, Jessica Jones and so on and so forth proved to be big hits digitally and even had writing that matched big movies in Hollywood that came as success, it does seem like the logical next step is digital. Fans of movie theaters and sitting in a packed crowd may not like this, but the majority of consumers would rather just sit at home and watch a movie at home with the comfort being able to pause, rewind or even add subtitles without the need to conform to other audiences in attendance at either screening. Case in point, there is an evolution coming and we are in the middle of it. We adapt to it. All I can say is prepare, “coming soon to theaters” will be a tagline that will be part of the past in the history of media as we get closer to the coming years. Who knows, this may benefit us in a lot of ways than we know.
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