Hero fatigue

[Macalpinerules]

So I've been reading a few reports on how Fantastic 4 flopped big time in its debut. It got me to thinking about Super Hero films in general. It seems like we get about 6-8 of these hero films every year, and it's been that way for the past 10 years now. I'm not a comic book buff nor did I have even a slight interest in them growing up, so maybe my opinion is worthless. But I just feel like this genre of film is getting close to running its course.

These movies are very expensive to produce, so they always depended on an above average turnout to at least break even. For example, this weekends fantastic 4 film cost $200M to produce yet only managed to generate $20M in its debut which experts say is an indication that it will fall well short of the break even point.

I just think there's going to come a point where people like me, who watch these movies without actually being hardcore fans like the comic book collectors, are going to become fatigued. All these hero movies, despite their varying story lines, are starting to feel the same to me. And I hear similar thing from the average movie viewer too. I think superhero fatigue is a real thing amongst the casuals. And in the end it is the casual fan (not the comic geeks) who keep these big-budget hero films alive. My prediction is that within the next five years, a super hero film that would have demanded a $200m budget will instead be produced and distributed straight to Blu-Ray without seeing any national theater time.

The big dogs like X-men, Spider-Man, The dark Knight, Avengers etc. will continue to survive. But even they will have to adjust and lower their budget and output.

So what are your thoughts on superhero fatigue?

 

[Iroh]

F4 flopped because they went full retard on it. Anybody that is even the slightest bit familiar with the film industry knows that you never go full retard.

Everybody saw this coming, it has nothing to do with fatigue.

 

[uppercutbus]

by the numbers, made by comittee, lame ass jokes per minute, same format, open ended to allow sequel, all start to feel the same, PG-13 garbage.

That lame ass ant-man, fantastic four etc. If I see another film like these my brain will explode

This weekends fantastic 4 film cost $200M to produce yet only managed to generate $20M in its debut which experts say is an indication that it will fall well short of the breakd even point.

huge if true.

 

[Combat Squirrel]

Back to tough guy action films and romcoms then, I guess.

 

[Organic Damage]

Yeah I'm going to have to dispute the premise as well. I don't think superheroes have yet left the zeitgeist in the same way Westerns and sword & sandal epics did when they fell out of vogue years ago.

A lot of the success of superhero films has to do with the comic fanbase acting as grassroots marketing and hyping the property to others who may be unfamiliar with it. But this F4 reboot was just riddled with bad press and weird casting and the baggage of the mediocre previous attempts. It had an almost insurmountable task ahead of it.

Hero fatigue? Not yet. Shitty movie fatigue is definitely for real though.

 

[NAKMUAY18]

It's cycles man. Gladiator came out and everything was swords and sandles for a couple of years, Unforgiven came out and everything was westerns, Pulp Fiction and it was gangster film.
Superhero movies might cycle down eventually, but it all gets regurgitated 10-15years later.

 

[Clear Winner]

When Marvel, buoyed by the success of GOTG, announced their plans for the next 5 years or so, I was quite excited. When DC announced theirs it became apparent that there were way too many. I think fatigue will happen over the next few years. However, all it takes is one big stand out movie to give it life again. We've just had 2 out of three that weren't as good as expected.

Also, some of these movies need to find USPs. GOTG's was humour, Bat Man was realism the ones that are coming out need to have something that is different.

 

[Macalpinerules]

It's cycles man. Gladiator came out and everything was swords and sandles for a couple of years, Unforgiven came out and everything was westerns, Pulp Fiction and it was gangster film.
Superhero movies might cycle down eventually, but it all gets regurgitated 10-15years later.

I don't think any of those genres had the type of run Hero flicks are currently on .

 

[pinkybrief]

ff4 flopped because it sucks balls.
that movie was like watching paint dry,

Antman came out and nonnerds doesn't have a clue what the hell is antman, but the movie turned out awesome

 

[TheComebackKid]

I've had Hero fatigue for about 10 yrs it seems. Hopefully more people are joining me and they will go back to putting out original movies again.

 

[sh1tehawke]

I've never been into comics but when the superhero films first starting coming out they were a bit of a novelty and there was some decent films, like the batman ones, the 1st avengers, etc. but i soon got sick of them and we seem to be reaching a point of oversaturation. it doesn't help how they all seem to be more or less the same film, with a different character and a few minor plot variations.

 

[Combat Squirrel]

I don't think any of those genres had the type of run Hero flicks are currently on .

I think the rising popularity of the franchise film model helped with that. Now they will do franchise romcoms:

Mr.&Mrs. Whocares: Standard romcom
Mr.&Mrs. Whocares II: Married life comedy
Mr.&Mrs. Whocares III: Divorce comedy
Mr.&Mrs. Whocares IV: Remarriage comedy
Mr.&Mrs. Whocares V: Old people married life comedy

 

[Hearse Lightning]

Only way I'm going to watch a super hero flick is if it's rated R. Your city is always a piece of shit spiderman because you just rough people up and go on your way. Time to hold court on the street and hand out some capital punishment.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

ff4 flopped because it sucks balls.
that movie was like watching paint dry,

Antman came out and nonnerds doesn't have a clue what the hell is antman, but the movie turned out awesome

The 1st half of ant man was shit, I was literal falling asleep and then bang it turned into a great movie. Also I just wish they killed off Michael Douglas off

 

[Cool Hand Luke]

off what?

 

[KILL KILL]

Fantastic 4 flopped because;

- they made the characters super young
- the casting was weird
- the previews were almost all cgi
- they already made 2 terrible fantastic 4 movies
- it didn't bring anything new to the table
- because fuck you that's why

 

[Kick Strickland]

Back to tough guy action films and romcoms then, I guess.

Speaking of romcoms, I just saw Playing It Cool last night with Chris Evans and Michelle Monahan, and it was pretty damn funny. It was an R rated romcom where the main dude talked like people actually talk. Also had Falcon from Winter Soldier in it, and the main guy from the original Fantastic 4. Not sure if that was a nod to Evan's superhero films or just coincidence.

 

[method115]

I've had Hero fatigue for about 10 yrs it seems. Hopefully more people are joining me and they will go back to putting out original movies again.

Yea because all the non super hero movies are real original. We have Total Recall, Terminator, Mad Max, Conan, I could go on and on. Just so many original movies if only we'd stop with all these super hero movies that have never been done before.

 

[AGGAMEMNON66]

The Fantastic 4 are gay.

 

[Rhood]

Fantastic Four was just a cash grab.
Somebody from the studio wanted to milk it for all it's worth.