I’m not a huge comic-book person or a comic-book movie person. I’m not judging those who are, but it’s not my cup of tea. I never even saw the third Iron Man movie. I saw The Avengers when it came out on DVD. I have no desire to see another GD Spider-man franchise reboot. I think Batman vs. Superman is going to be a gigantic mess (a mess that will earn a billion dollars, but a mess nonetheless). So, I’m okay with people involved in this year’s awards cycle throwing a little shade at comic-book movies. But you know who got a little bit prickly about it? James Gunn, director of the wildly successful Guardians of the Galaxy. He wrote a little essay on his Facebook:
I didn’t really find the Jack Black superhero jokes offensive, did you guys? It was, like, a joke. I’m not sure if you guys noticed, but the writing on the Oscars didn’t seem to be all that well thought out.
As far as Dan Gilroy saying that attendees of the Independent Spirit Awards have survived against a “tsunami of superhero films” – well it seems a bit weird coming from a guy whose wife has acted in two Thor films – really, that seems like you’ve drowned horribly in that tsunami. But I know I just kind of make up stuff as I go along on these awards shows, so I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
Whatever the case, the truth is, popular fare in any medium has always been snubbed by the self-appointed elite. I’ve already won more awards than I ever expected for Guardians. What bothers me slightly is that many people assume because you make big films that you put less love, care, and thought into them then people do who make independent films or who make what are considered more serious Hollywood films.
I’ve made B-movies, independent films, children’s movies, horror films, and gigantic spectacles. I find there are plenty of people everywhere making movies for a buck or to feed their own vanity. And then there are people who do what they do because they love story-telling, they love cinema, and they want to add back to the world some of the same magic they’ve taken from the works of others. In all honesty, I do no find a strikingly different percentage of those with integrity and those without working within any of these fields of film.
If you think people who make superhero movies are dumb, come out and say we’re dumb. But if you, as an independent filmmaker or a “serious” filmmaker, think you put more love into your characters than the Russo Brothers do Captain America, or Joss Whedon does the Hulk, or I do a talking raccoon, you are simply mistaken.
I think he makes a good point – and let’s be fair, many of nominated actors have had parts in major comic-book franchises. Michael Keaton was Batman, Benedict Cumberbatch will be Doctor Strange, Bradley Cooper was a talking raccoon, Mark Ruffalo is The Hulk (Ed Norton too). And the reason the studios have the money to wage Oscar campaigns for their small, “important” films is because they have cash-cow franchises and comic-book movies. Variety has a write-up/analysis piece about whether people should lay off the comic book movie jokes. It does seem like it’s sort of biting the hand that feeds, you know?
Now, all that being said, there IS a tsunami of comic-book movies and I have to think that this too shall pass. This is a market trend, only it just happens to be a HUGE market trend that will probably last another decade. I came of age, as a film lover, during the heyday of the 1990s independent film movement. That was a trend too, as “indie” became profitable and commercialized and those films lost a lot of their street cred. With comic book movies, I just have to think that… all it takes is one major flop, one huge box office bomb, and then suddenly that particular model will be harshly reassessed.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
No, we should make more fun of it.
It’s no problem if you enjoy these movies, but if you think that they’re anything but cookie cutter diversions which aren’t really GOOD movies you’re crazy.
Please, enlighten us as to what a ‘good’ movie is
Yes Jenny , please enlightened us on what a good movie is. And sometimes us comic book loving movie goers need a little diversion away from reality. So go ahead and call me crazy.
I’m with you V4real. I love comic book movies. Sometimes we need a break from reality, a time to just sit back and laugh at a talking racoon or a worry about the crazy antics of a reclusive billionaire. These movies entertain me, and that’s what I go to the movies for.
Absolutely. It’s storytelling, and many that are huge blockbusters have entertaining stories and incredible production craft. It seems this anti comic book movement is right in line with the self-congratulatory smugness of actors et al who think their role in society is so much more important and meaningful than entertaining which in and of itself is a beautiful and necessary “diversion” from life.
I agree that comic book movies can be good. But “escape from reality”, “they entertain me”, “a diversion”, do not necessarily a good movie make. There are millions who saw the billion dollar grossing Transfomers 4 and would call it a good movie because “they escaped”. I think “good” implies a movie that sticks with you, not a roller coaster ride you forget two days later. I saw the Sweet Hereafter ten years ago and remember more about it than the Hobbit which I saw last month.
Again, comic movies can be good but to be good I think they should have to offer a bit “more”. I’d call the Dark Knight, Winter Solider and first Iron Man great. Avengers and X Men were good. Thor 2 and Iron Man 2 were garbage. It’s not all or nothing.
Thank you for being so eloquent ( and Nicer than me!) about it Mia… My BF is one of those Transformers People and I totally shade his Terrible movie taste LOL left up to him we’d only be at movies from June- August but a TON of the time I ask him, do you not want to watch something a BIT deeper than a puddle of water? .. he is just the prime target of this Superhero-80s nostalgia refried remakes Movie Peddlers
Me personally They tired me, I can Write the plot original comic unseen, I can come up with absurd power and convoluted tie in to the next movie circumstance with my eyes closed, then there is the casting leaks and the protests and the Teaser “in a World where_________” trailer then the real trailer… It’s all really ridiculous and exhausting, Put a trailer out that tells me a bare bone about SOMETHING im gonna watch without cutaways, In said trailer you tell me the day… and don’t expect me to stay seated to watch whatever end credits fuckery is in store for the next one
+10000 Jenny
I second this. Good movies are not being made because heaps of money are spent on this trash.
Yeah, let’s not pretend this guy has talent above his B-movie grade. The ‘made with loooooove’ schtick can be used to sell anything…
…and I am not even comparing him to the greats (Tarkovsky, Visconti), he’s not even up to Oliver Stone. He’s basically Stallone without the muscles. He should live with it and stop whining.
Dear James Gunn,
You are amazing. Make whatever kind of movie you want. I’m a fan for life.
Thank you.
I love the little hands raccoons have. They’re just so cute 🙂
Is that a real or fake racoon?
Real! He’s the model they used to make Rocket Raccoon in the movie.
I used to love superhero-comic book movies, but the constant barrage of them has soured me on them.. I know the studios have to give the crowds what they want, but they’re starting to get cookie cutter and repetitive.
I love Agent Carter on TV because it reminds me of what I feel a comic book adaption should be. Fun, dramatic, a little hokey and not drowning in CGI.
I’m loving Agent Carter right now also!
Isn’t she fantastic?? I so hope they give us another season! I loved the fact that we get a female kicking ass and taking names without any superpower, just her brains… it helps that she is gorgeous in a bombshell, curvy way, (not trying to body shame anyone but so tired of the super thin look, nice to see a change.) And they had mild flirtations but without anyone jumping in bed with someone else, another refreshing change. I keep signing the #RenewAgentCarter thing online and emailing ABC..
I want that raccoon.
I have suffered through several of these movies with my husband. Guardians of the Galaxy was actually funny. And last year my dad was bitten on the hand by a wild coon and all I can think is RABIES lol.
I also enjoyed GOTG Joy and I was going there after flat out declining my dude’s invites to several of them, but as im deadly afraid of rodents and racoons and their creepy rabies filled minihands ( I have WAAAYYYY too many gross Racoon-coming-at-me Stories) it took me A WHILE to get it together and not be flinchy/gaggy throught the movie
He’s right in that the mockery of comic book movies is based on elitism – comic book movies are “too mainstream” and are for the “wrong” type of nerds/geeks (the ones who are stereotyped as male, living in their parents’ basements and who have at best limited social skills), while indie movies are for the “right” kinds of nerds/geeks (the ones who are into art! and literature!)
There is one huge reason to love comic book movies and that is Chris Evans as Captain America. Whew!
I can’t disagree that I find myself enjoying watching Chris Evans as Captain America, that being said I won’t be sad when this trend is over.
It’s just…they’re all the same, even the men look the same (hugely built on top, skipped leg day IMO).
I don’t mind comic stories, some are really really great, but I wish that my only choices weren’t comic book characters or reboots of characters that have already existed for forever.
give us some new heros, give us some real stories, give us anything else, they don’t have to be ‘super’ to have adventures…
Huge reason? Eh. He’s certainly very nice to look at and does a good job, but not overwhelming. It will be interesting when the recast happens (oops, spoiler? I won’t say when). Comic book fans will carry on without blinking I imagine. I will be interested in the wider reaction.
What?! Is there a recast in the works?! I’m crying in my Cheerios…..
Amanda: I agree & thought that’s why Guardians of the Galaxy was good. It was fresh & not typical. I also loved Big Hero 6. Hollywood should think of new characters (always played by Chris Evans in tight shorts though).
I dont give a raccoon’s hoo hoo about this either way.
Yeah get over it. You’re not making yourself look anymore artsy by bashing comic book movies. They’re fun and they acknowledge that. Being in one doesn’t seem to hurt genuinely good actors from getting good roles.
Did he write this as a response to Dan Gilroy or were there others who said it. If is the former, than that is rich since he co wrote such indies as ‘Two for the Money’, Real Steel’ and ‘The Bourne Legacy’. I mean with those films you never knew if you had money for post production. Give me a break, Dan.
Everybody has their own place in the film industry, use your’s, Indies and leave the others alone to make whatever movie they want to. It’s “We, the people” who decide to watch it or not. As long as they don’t overdo too many of the same like Spiderman, Superman,Batman etc. I am fine with Comic book movies, they are fun to watch.
I saw Birdman; I saw Guardians of the Galaxy. Birdman bored and depressed me, GotG delighted me from the opening scene onwards. You’d have to pay me to watch Birdman again; I would happily pay triple the price for another fun, entertaining, happy movie like GotG. I am now a “comic book movie” convert.
Birdman WAS depressing as hell! I could not make it all the way through I am so in the minority on that movie :L
OK this has me rolling my eyes. When the guy whose movie made $20 million takes a shot at the guy whose movie made $800 million, the guy who made $800 million has the power and really should just let it go! Gunn gives it credibility by responding.
Nolan’s Dark Knight was praised as a masterpiece and didn’t get a Best Picture nom. What made people think Guardians of the Galaxy (praised mostly as a “really fun movie”) would?! Return of the King you say? You mean the film based on the classic novel? This scorn and lack of prestige is nothing new. Go cry on piles of money guys. 😉
I’ve loved comic books since I was a little girl and love the movies now as an adult. I saw zero of the movies nominated for best picture (I did see Selma but hah) but you damn well sure I was there opening night for Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America. Why? Because it’s my tastes. I like watching the heroes from when I was a kid on the big screen. I like knowing that my good guys will probably win in the end and yeah they may die but there’s always reboots. Bad story telling? Cotton candy media junk food standard carbon unite 345? I have terrible taste? Sure. Whatever.
And I’ll still be there opening day for Age of Ultron. My husband and I took the weekend off even.
Ditto!
+2 and for us, it isn’t worth $50+ to go see many films that won’t be able to take advantage of the full effects of the big screen, surround-sound, IMAX, etc. We just wait until they come on Netflix or Redbox. I’m a 90s girl, too, and I love indie character dramas or quirky stories. The comic book popcorn movies are just a fun night out, though.
All that right there. I saw “This is where I leave you” in theaters and at home on my TV and the experience was the same. Guardians of the Galaxy? It’s not the saaaaaame. 😀
I feel like this is the unspoken element to this indie vs. superheroes thing. The audience is just not there for indies at the theater anymore. It’s too expensive to go see a family drama that you could see at home for half the price (or less, in some markets). Indies are mad at superhero movies for “taking over”, but really they should be mad at ticket prices for going so high that the average movie-goer no longer thinks it’s worth it to pay $15 to see something like The Judge at the movies.
I like watching movies that make me “feel” but my husband lives watching movies that help him escape for 90 minutes. Isn’t that what movies are for? I came upstairs to “Die Hard” on our tv the other night & I thought “oh no- he must have had a really bad day”. He watches films for fun, to feel like a kid again, etc & that does not make the movies dumb.
I do that with “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” – when it’s a super lousy day, I pop it in and it is a signal to hubby to tread lightly 🙂
“Blues Brothers” for me. I’m having a bad day? Jake and Elwood are going to be the to help me out.
I said movies that made me “feel” but I’m full of it. When it comes to a bad day I curl up & watch ” Wet, Hot American Summer”. Paul Rudd & Amy Pohler always make me forget & laugh. If my husband hears Ani DeFranco (it’s been years) he knows to be extra kind & pour me a big cocktail!
No
I thought he made some good points. I can’t stand comic books or anything that stems from comic books. I don’t know why. I didn’t like them as a child, either. But I imagine someone who loves them can be as passionate and have as much integrity as someone making a “better” film. I think simple things can be great as long as they’re done well. You might cook an omelet for dinner instead of a complicated gourmet dish, but if it’s a superb omelet, isn’t it just as good in it’s own way?
Exactly:)
I do believe filmmakers put a tremendous amount of time and care into their superhero movies. That said, they are WAY too pervasive in our society. I understand the need to ‘escape’ and traditionally comic books and superhero movies do that, but when it becomes the norm, you have to wonder how many thoughtful, deserving smaller movies are being forced out.
It’s not superhero movies forcing them out, though. The problem is that ticket prices have gotten too high to sustain a theater-going model. Once the studios cut ties with the theater owners and start releasing movies directly on demand, there will be an explosion of lower budgeted movies. They’re not economical right now because you won’t get a good return on a movie made for $50 million. Frankly, they don’t get good returns on the superhero movies, either, but at least those come with merchandising and derivative revenue streams that make up the difference. But once the studios figure out how to make a $50 million dollar movie profitable on demand, that part of the industry will come roaring back. We just have to get away from the theater-going model.
Everyone knows this. James Gunn knows it, Dan Gilroy knows, Jack Black knows it. But it’s a radical shift in the industry’s paradigm, which is always tough to swallow (look how many companies went out of business when sound came along and they couldn’t adjust), and it ties into the film vs. digital debate. That’s a ridiculous argument because painters aren’t fighting about oils vs. acrylics and it’s really the same thing, except that, in a digitally-driven distribution model, film would have no real function. It would just be a niche indulgence. It’s already kind of a niche indulgence, though, so I think filmmakers just need to admit that film will not be the core format of movies, but an expensive process that only a few filmmakers choose to work with.
It’s just not as simple as indies vs. superheroes, that’s just the cheap and easy target for what are actually much bigger, fundamental conflicts on going in the industry.
Well said. The truth is that there is demand for both indies and superhero movies, but one does well at the box office and the other doesn’t – like you and others have said, if it costs me almost $80 for three people to see a 3D version plus the snacks etc. then I will not see Birdman in a theatre, I will wait until I can stream for $6. End of story. I do want to watch both, but the theatre experience has become a rare thing because it is so pricey. And I can’t replicate the 3D big screen experience at home, so I will go see that kind of special effects movie at the theatre and watch the Most Exotic Marigold Hotel at home and enjoy both to bits. So yes, the industry needs ot find a better way to market both kinds of movies… and hopefully indies can make sufficient cash through streaming/Netflix/DVD/HBO, so they can continue to flourish, and if that means only big block busters make it into theatre, so be it. The truth is the big operators have jacked up the tix prices to the point that they will run out of clients if movies like the superhero genre fall out of favour.
(A complete aside, the recent Rogues anthology from G.R.R.M has a very cool story about the super cinema chain of the future where out of 50 movie titles, only 5 are real and actually play on, all reboots of franchises, while the rest are a smoke screen to entice you to spend the day at essentially an amusement destination where you shop, eat, play arcade games etc. We are almost there though, aren’t we??)
Interesting comment. I still believe that smaller movies are being ignored by movie ‘makers’ because they don’t generate as much income and frankly, they are afraid to take risks on the unknown (with comic book movies, there is a built in audience). I am an MFA student in film and we’ve had many, MANY of these discussions. The truth is, it is harder for smaller movies to find distribution because those in charge have an aversion to risk. On demand is an interesting concept, but I’m not sure it is a game changer for indies. The audience is very fractured so again, the return on investment is small. So yes, in a way, it IS big budget movies vs small budget movies. The other factors you mentioned come into play, but distribution is still an issue (I should know, i worked on an indie feature last year). I do think you have a point with ticket costs, but there are people out there willing to pay to see indies. I don’t think ticket costs alone are contributing to lack of distribution though. Also, I do think there are plenty of people out there who want the theater experience with independent films (myself included). I don’t think the theater model is going anywhere anytime soon. It certainly won’t go away. It will have to change in some way because clearly there is still an audience for it.
Also, your statement ‘that’s just the cheap and easy target’ is a bit combative. I don’t think it’s cheap and easy. I do think it’s complex, but it is an issue about money and where that money goes. It goes to the blockbusters at the moment.
It’s not ticket costs alone, but it’s all tied up together. By “cheap and easy target” I mean that it’s simple to say, “Superhero movies, that’s the problem. There are too many and they’re stifling everything else.” But the problem is much bigger than just superhero movies, and at its heart, it’s about the way audience viewing habits are changing. Of course there are people who will always prefer going to the theater, and there will always be theaters, but for the average citizen, the habit now is to see the “big” movies on the big screen, and watch everything else at home. It’s not ticket prices alone driving that, but it’s a big part of the equation. It’s all tied up together, it’s not any one element on its own that’s doing it, but complaining about the “glut” of superhero movies (I would argue there’s a glut because it seems like in any given year there’s only around 4 superhero movies), is ignoring that the real issue is that the audience is shifting away from theatrical viewing as the go-to model for watching movies. Ticket prices are a big part of that, yes, but the other side of it is that the theater experience can be miserable because of rude/talky audiences, etc. There’s a lot going on, but I see it time and again in marketing meetings, across the board viewer habits are fundamentally changing from what they’ve been for the past 90 years. The entire industry is changing.
I think the surge in comic book movies is because they fit well with CGI, which is largely what separates the cinema from the TV experience in a world of 50in flatscreens and streaming services. So I think they’ll continue.
They’re not for me, because no matter how much guff anyone talks about loving storytelling, there is, by and large, little of it in comic book films. I like storytelling and am unmoved by CGI, so I’ll leave the comic genre for others to enjoy.
It’s odd because in the world of books, I think there’s a better argument. Arguably, there’s more storytelling in genre fiction than there is in its literary cousin. Whether or not the storytelling is actually BETTER rather than by-the-numbers and predictable, well, that’s another argument again.
There’s no denying the over-saturation of superhero/comic book movies, but they crush at the box office (most of them, anyway) so there’s obviously a demand for them. For me, as a movie lover, my tastes are all over the place. Sometimes I’m in the mood for something light & funny, or dramatic & serious, or taut & suspenseful, or mind-bending & thought-provoking, or fast-paced & exciting, or fun & adventurous, or even mindless eye candy (etc., etc….). Everyone is not going to be into the same thing, and people’s tastes vary. To dismiss or discredit “big” movies as less than smaller, independent ones just seems silly to me. They’re all art in their own right, big or small.
My thoughts exactly. While I agree that there’s an oversaturation of comic book movies and not all of them good, there’s a clear demand for them worldwide and the industry is responding to that and financing their artsy-independent fare with the receipts. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes I just want to be entertained, not have to think about the themes and scenes of the movie for days. Comic book movies fill that need for me, since I find smart comedy films hard to come by these days.
I have some sympathy for his views and agree that makers of superhero films have faced bias and snobbishness from the film community.
However, I am indeed tired of this superhero franchise machinery. While there is the occasional good flick like Captain America: Winter Soldier, a lot of these movies are simply the same old hackneyed stories, with utterly predictable character arcs, rehashed plots and cookie cutter templates. I’m sorry, these are not inspired filmmaking. Personally, I’d rather watch original studio movies with fresh plots and characters than the umpteenth remake of Spider-Man or Batman.
For now superhero films still generate fan interest and studios are lazy and seem happy just to greenlight movies which coattail on existing known franchises. And add to that a million sequels, reboots, origins stories and spin-offs. Looking at the upcoming slate, we have Dr Strange, Captain Marvel, Antman, Justice League, Suicide Squad… and these are on top of existing superhero films (!). Do we really need so many?
These movies take up space on the release calendar and get the bulk of marketing dollars and media coverage, so I can see why some feel they are steamrolling over other projects.
They are still bringing in the dough though, and studios would not tweak a winning formula. But I believe the day of reckoning is near. Audiences would eventually get superhero-ed out and box office receipts would underperform, and for me that day cannot come soon enough.
Everybody keep talking about how the studios are saturating the market with comic book movies, I never get that. It’s a genre! Does anyone ever say we get too many action or romance films a year? No. And last year we only got 4 comic book movies. In a whole year!
If you don’t like them or feel like there’s too many of them, don’t watch it.
And I love indie films as much if not more than I love comic book movies, but thinking that you’re a smarter or a better person because you like indies is pretentious as he’l.
Preach. Hell there’s more “Young-adult-dystopia/supernatural-chosen-one” movies than super hero movies lately.
This!
This. These movies just happen to be really succesful. Every single year around awards season, the same number of dramatic flashy biopics are released as Oscar baits. And no one complains?
From a purely business standpoint, if the studios did not make the big blockbusters, then there may be problems doing indies. Someone has to bring in he money to allow the “auteurs and artistes” to make their art house films. The big studios created entire segments to oversee the Indie films (Fox Searchlight did 12 years and Birdman and got Oscars) and then they put out loud comic book blockbusters to be able to cover the costs and have their Indie Oscars. And sometimes the blockbuster is also Oscar worthy, but not so much lately. Sometimes there is the rare film that is truly indie, scraping up funds (Boyhood), but it is rare in this day and age. The film industry could not survive on the indie business alone. There has to be room for both as there is an audience for them.
I’m sorry but did this guy actually listen to what Jack Black’s lyrics were? Black’s lyrics were 100% spot on about what’s going on in hollywood. He’s calling out the fact that there are no new ideas. That the default now is superheros, prequels, and sequels and reboots. SOO many reboots. And that the industry is only chasing after big openings and chasing the foreign market instead of new exciting well developed ideas and scripts. No one is saying there is less love and care and whatever in them. Or that superhero movies are beneath them. Just that those movies seem to be the only ones getting any attention or greenlit because they make money. And people are getting superhero/reboot/prequel fatigue-come up with something new already. It has started to become formulaic-much like the rom-com era in the 90’s.
The lyrics:
Now it’s market trend, fickle friends and hollywood baloney…this industry’s in flux, it’s run by mackamucks, pitchin tents for tent poles, and chasin chinese bucks. Openings with lots of zeros, all we get are superheros. Superman, spiderman, jediman, batman, sequelman, prequelman-formulaic scripts…in a world where our brains are becoming machines, the only screens we’re watching are the screens in our jeans!
That’s the issue I have with it too – so many sequels and reboots, it often feels like there’s not much original stuff playing out there.
I can see both points – it has to be a little frustrating to try to get other stuff made with the studios, because they are so focused on the superhero stuff and sink a LOT of money into those, in the hopes of big returns. Plus it’s hard to release other things in competition against them.
At the same time, some of those films are well made with great storytelling, and people put a lot of effort into them, so I can see feeling disappointed when the genre is dismissed as a whole like that.
I thought Guardians of the Galaxy was a cheesy Star Wars rip-off. I mean that tree character was Chewbacca all over again. I didn’t find the movie to be that good other than the special effects. I think it’s all pretty much the same thing with all those movies. They are nothing but cliched stories, one-dimensional characters, and a bunch of action sequences. It’s all the same. I can’t even remember what the film is about–it’s that forgettable. They’re like Saturday morning cartoons to me. Just bad movies, if you ask me. Plus, this cartoon director is taking things oh-so seriously with his rant against “elites.” Oh geez, what a victim. Go cry in your buckets of money, sweetie. Ha ha 🙂
I am a huge supporter of independent films, but I think it is unfortunate that Indie filmmakers are misplacing their resentment, because really, it has to do with the large sums of money spent to produce Superhero movies, not really the saturation of the Superhero genre.
I watched the Spirit Awards and didn’t hear anyone complain about the saturation of the mid-level budget horror films genre and Lord knows, there are far more of those around that get funded vs an indie.
From the front page’s thumbnail I thought this was Tom Cavanagh (Wells on The Flash) and I was like, yes! I want to talk about him!
I don’t understand this trend of attacking superhero movies. If you don’t enjoy them, fine. But millions and millions of people love them and are passionate about them. Why look down on that? I mean, you go on any of those sites that cater to fans and it’s millions of people whose hearts and imaginations are captured by things like Bucky Barnes or Star Lord. You don’t see that kind of passion for these pretentious indie films.
To me, if you as a viewer want non-stop explosions/crashes/CGI- and dialogue that is nothing more than filler bet said explosions,etc- then the next few years will be a godsend. I like a comic book movie-but I also like other options. And bet May 1- Labor Day, that is getting increasingly harder to find. I never heard the comments as criticism of actors or filmmakers, rather a comment as to how room should be made for other types of films.
It’s worth pointing out that superhero movies do not take money away from indies. Films are financed in “slates”, which is a package of usually 20-40 films pitched at once. Investors buy into the slate, not the individual film. For example, Fox will pitch a slate that includes, say, 4 superhero projects, 4 YA/teen movies, 8 comedies, 6 horror movies, 6 dramas, and 6 “indie” projects to be produced by their indie arm, in this case Fox Searchlight. That would cover 2 years of production, and investors buy into the whole lot, not picking and choosing one or the other. It’s not a matter of saying, “We’re taking $10 million from Indie X to fund Superhero Y.” It’s saying, “Indie X and Superhero Y are on the same slate, are buying into *both*?”
I am not a comic book book fan, but I really enjoyed The Avengers. The knock on effect was that I took a good look at some of the actors other projects, particularly Ruffalo and Renner, and my interest in Independent cinema really took off. I now keep the multiplex for the odd big budget action film and the little arts theatre for weekly small budget films; it is true that the ticket prices are lower but I go there a lot more.
In 1977 everyone flocked to see Star Wars. The Best Picture Oscar that year went to Annie Hall which did not make huge cash though was highly respected. Both are classic films now. This is a generations-old problem and there’s room for many genres.
Next.
I might be one of the only weird ones who has a crush on this man. He just speaks so much sense, while having a great sense of humor.
I don’t get the ‘over-saturation’ and ‘glut’ comments, there are how many romantic comedies every year? Horror movies? Dramas? Historical/bio pics? It’s all the same, you see the genre you lie and leave the ones you don’t.
I really don’t get the comments complaining about superhero movies preventing other types of movies being made. Uh, what kind of movie do you think Marvel cinemas would be making??
Thank you, Smurphy! I say the same thing. Watching the trailer for “Focus” always makes me think, “Haven’t I seen this already?”
It’s absolutely fine if you don’t like comicbook movies, but I wish people would stop saying, “I’m sick of them. I wish they’d stop making them.” It’s only been in recent years since we’ve actually been getting quality films based on comics and for fans, we couldn’t be happier.
Exactly. Marvel releases 2 movies a year and one (Avengers) for their banner year. Not exactly “oversaturation”.
Comic book movies are bubble-gum for the brain, which is OK just as long as you don’t try to tell me that they”re filet mignon. Personally I don’t see them as being a good form of escapism because they bore me. I find films about complex characters with real world problems far more interesting.