There are those who would have you believe that superhero fatigue is in full effect. That narrative is being pushed by those hoping to will the comic book movie genre out of existence, but do Marvel and DC really run the risk of heading the way of the Western?
2023 has been a colossal disaster for the DCEU, while even Marvel Studios has struggled after delivering critical and commercial disappointments in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania and The Marvels.
However, there's hope on the horizon for both brands. The DCEU is being rebooted by DC Studios as the DCU and the MCU is looking to get back to quality over quantity by releasing only a single movie, Deadpool 3, in 2024.
Looking at the bigger picture - namely, money - is the MCU and the Multiverse Saga in trouble? Based on new details shared by Forbes, absolutely not.
Thanks to the record-breaking hauls made by Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, the 22 movies in the Infinity Saga have a per-film average of around $935 million at the worldwide box office (that figure is derived from dividing the Saga's $20+ billion haul by 22).
Prior to The Marvels, the 10 movies released in the Multiverse Saga have grossed a combined total of $8.1 billion. That's a per-film average of roughly $815 million, not bad considering the fact Marvel Studios has faced a pandemic and failed to release a single Avengers movie.
Now, there's no denying that interest has waned to some degree, but there's nothing here to suggest this is a) a franchise in major trouble or b) the beginning of the end for superhero movies. As the site explains, even the pandemic MCU movies which underperformed still grossed more than the likes of Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Flash in 2023.
On the subject of this year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the fourth-highest-grossing movie and even the Ant-Man threequel has cracked the Top 10. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has also made the cut, so talk of "superhero fatigue" is clearly premature.
Marvel Studios does need to make some changes and the Multiverse Saga has been undeniably hit-or-miss. Still, it seems like there was an unrealistic expectation that every MCU title would open to 90+% on Rotten Tomatoes and record-breaking opening weekends after the last two Avengers movies, a ridiculously high bar even before the pandemic changed the very nature of filmgoing as we know it.
What do you think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.