Steven Spielberg says the end is near for superhero movies

[Comicopolis]

Unfunny comedy films - when will they stop making those?

[Bronty]

Disney being invested is as you say a big point. They will keep the characters alive just like they keep the Disney princesses alive and that point can't be overlooked.

 

That said, there will come a time when they make less of them.

 

Why? I haven't seen interest in the stories decrease. The comic market has been slowly shrinking due to reading in general tailing off in the face of competition from newer media. I can't tell that interest in superhero stories across all media has tailed off at all for almost a century now, so I'm not sure what would replace them for future generations of kids.

 

Then you're not reading this thread. I watch fewer of them than I used to, others on this thread have made the same comment. They've been on a 15 year bull run. Can't last forever.

 

Yes hero stories will always be around, but superhero stories won't be the #1 genre / sub-genre forever. Fatigue. Right now they are relatively fresh as movie experiences. Do you really think Avengers #17 (or even #5) can be as big as avengers #2?

[fantastic_four]

Then you're not reading this thread. I watch fewer of them than I used to, others on this thread have made the same comment. They've been on a 15 year bull run. Can't last forever.

 

Yes hero stories will always be around, but superhero stories won't be the #1 genre / sub-genre forever. Fatigue. Right now they are relatively fresh as movie experiences. Do you really think Avengers #17 (or even #5) can be as big as avengers #2?

 

We're old fogies, so we're not the prime audience. I see no reason that younger generations won't continue to be inspired by superheroes as they have been since it all kicked off in 1939. I would suggest to Spielberg that Westerns never died, they just changed venue. Six-shooters, horses, and Indians were replaced by the march of technology in the form of lasers, spaceships, and aliens.

 

As for keeping old heroes fresh, I'd expect similar trends to what we've seen in the comics. If this were 1970 we could point at Daredevil and the X-Men as examples of how series die off over time, but those went through multiple revivals with the introduction of new heroes, villains, and writers. To cite the series you referenced, Marvel is moving FAR too fast with the Avengers. They threw too many new characters into Age of Ultron.

[cloud cloddie]

Unfunny comedy films - when will they stop making those?

 

When Adam Sandler and Kevin James die.

[bane]

Unfunny comedy films - when will they stop making those?

 

When Adam Sandler decides to retire.

[Bosco685]

Unfunny comedy films - when will they stop making those?

 

When Adam Sandler decides to retire.

 

[fantastic_four]

Do you really think Avengers #17 (or even #5) can be as big as avengers #2?

 

Really the core question here is less specific to superheroes and more about the idea of whether or not any serial adventure can maintain a strong box office draw over an extended period of time. We actually have a VERY good existing example of how hero-based serial films that follow a single character can live for half a century or more and go through highs and lows and prove that an old franchise is capable of having new legs--James Bond. He's proof that a character can go on indefinitely in the theatres.

 

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=jamesbond.htm

 

Given that the emotional demand for hero stories is a human constant that has endured for millenia, and the success of superheroes specifically has been consistently strong for almost a century, I see no identifiable reason to think the end is anywhere close. We'd have to envision something actually replacing it, and nobody's seen it yet.

 

 

[delekkerste]

I have to admit, this summer I stopped watching super hero movies. The fatigue is real. I also stopped watching the arrow, the flash and agents of shield. Add another drop in the bucket.

 

+1

 

It used to be that I felt compelled to see every major Marvel film (including those produced by Fox and Sony) in the theater, but now I feel like I can wait for DVD/streaming for most or even skip some altogether. There will be diminishing returns over time - even successful franchises need to be put on ice and freshened up for some years before bringing them back. Speaking of which...

 

 

Really the core question here is less specific to superheroes and more about the idea of whether or not any serial adventure can maintain a strong box office draw over an extended period of time. We actually have a VERY good existing example of how hero-based serial films that follow a single character can live for half a century or more and go through highs and lows and prove that an old franchise is capable of having new legs--James Bond. He's proof that a character can go on indefinitely in the theatres.

 

That's because there have only been 24 official Bond films in 53 years. If they had done 24 Bond films in 3-4 years, as is happening with superhero films, people would have gotten sick of them long before they got to the 24th outing. Remember, there was a 6-year hiatus between Licence to Kill and Goldeneye, and 4-year hiatus between Die Another Day and Casino Royale. Also, the series has only been effectively rebooted once, with the first Craig film, whereas ASM, FF and Superman have all been rebooted within a decade.

 

Different genres are popular at different points in history based on underlying social, economic, and cultural conditions. The Socionomics Institute has done some great academic research on this subject, showing the waxing and waning in the popularity of Disney characters, horror films, the Beatles, etc. throughout the decades. The popularity of superhero films will also wax and wane in the coming decades, and even franchises as popular as The Avengers will, at some point, have to be put on ice and refreshed.

[fantastic_four]

Also, the series has only been effectively rebooted once, with the first Craig film, whereas ASM, FF and Superman have all been rebooted within a decade.

 

This is where Marvel has shown so far--at least up until Feige recently killed the Marvel Creative Committee--that they can do a better job. Those reboots were a result of creative bankruptcy by Sony and Fox; a company with a much longer view and management who care about and understand the material should do much better just as the Broccoli family has done with James Bond.

 

Different genres are popular at different points in history based on underlying social, economic, and cultural conditions. The Socionomics Institute has done some great academic research on this subject, showing the waxing and waning in the popularity of Disney characters, horror films, the Beatles, etc. throughout the decades. The popularity of superhero films will also wax and wane in the coming decades, and even franchises as popular as The Avengers will, at some point, have to be put on ice and refreshed.

 

That makes sense and I'd expect them to stop dominating the box office--I'd actually prefer it for a reason I'll go into in a bit--but I don't see Spielberg's prediction that "superhero films will go the way of the Western" coming true anytime in the foreseeable future. Westerns were simply obsoleted by time and replaced by the new frontier of space, and any that come out from here on out will largely appeal to people who enjoy historical drama, which is my second-favorite type of film behind science fiction. Unlike Westerns, there is no currently-foreseeable expiration on the superhero concept.

 

I'd like to see far more superhero films that all bring in significantly less money. CGI gets cheaper as time goes on; much of the cost of these huge budget films is attached to the marquee stars they hire to be in them. As a lifelong fan of the genre, I'd be fine with not having the big names. The Daredevil Netflix series is a prototype for exactly what I'd love to see a LOT more of.

[Bosco685]

If a genre gets over-baked because studios feel it is prime time to take advantage of a new or renewed interest, I can see it getting so excessive with content people will turn away. But have we gotten to that point yet with comic book material?

 

Luckily for the hobby, like any written material, it is made up of many themes that are much greater than just one genre. Because that's the mistake Spielberg may be making here - comic books are just superhero stories. Some examples clearly point out how comic books touch on many genres leading to films and TV shows (completed and pending).

 

- Action: 300, A History of Violence, Bulletproof Monk, Dredd, Kingsman, Red, Road To Perdition

- Adventure-Fantasy: Preacher

- Alternate History-Fantasy: From Hell, V For Vendetta

- Comedy: Scott Pilgrim Versus the World

- Fantasy-Folklore: The Crow, Sandman

- Horror: Blade, Hellboy, Tales From the Crypt, Walking Dead, 30 Days of Night

- General Life: American Splendor, Ghost World

- Sci-fi: Aliens vs. Predator (though both came from movies), Men In Black, Oblivion, Tank Girl

- Superheroes: This is fairly clear

- Western-Adventure: Jonah Hex (if only this had been so much better)

 

A well-rounded company like Dark Horse could very wisely hit on many of these genres, and navigate the waters just fine. Especially without a dependence on just superhero films or TV shows or streaming.

[NewEnglandGothic]

It won't be a new genre that kills superhero movies, It will be "real life". Look to the Batman show in the 60's, a top rated program "killed" by the Vietnam War coverage. Picture that kind of scenario or some mass devastations where ordinary men and women stand up despite overwhelming odds and become heroes. The part in Superman Returns, where he sits in front of a TV and witnesses the all evils in the world that happened during his absence, including 9/11 was pretty much more disgustingly self-serving all by itself, "Superman would have saved us". I prefer The Dark Knight's approach, by giving us an event like that by basing the entire movie about the war on terrorism.People always will want heroes, but in the end they always will prefer the 'real' ones. Whether wearing badges or an ARMY uniform, heroes come in all shapes and sizes and all it takes sometimes is just answering a door (the Cleveland Abductions) and not just having the ability to fly around in an iron suit saying wisecracks.

[zosocane]

Interesting that Spielberg never did a super-hero film. I wonder if he ever read comic books as a kid? He is 68, which means he was 10 years old when SC 4 hit the stands and 15 years old when FF1 hit the stands. So he was the perfect age to have been exposed to early SA comics as they hit the newsstands.

[NewEnglandGothic]

I happen to agree with Mr. Spielberg.

 

I also do not think, when done right, Westerns are boring. What's boring? Well this whole generation has made Michael Bay it's biggest box office director and he's raped more childhood dreams than anyone in cinematic history.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

I just saw The Salvation. Not a bad addition to the genre. Though, Once upon a time in the West along with the Spaghetti's remain my favorite. Even the Neo-Westerns like Outland.

The best!

 

Have you seen the Director's Cut? Even greater, with an awesome transfer. Some might consider the Mad Max films westerns too..

I never even knew there was a director`s cut?

 

Also I know the Spaghetti's Eastwood`s got at least a trilogy, but what about The Outlaw Josey Wales? Is that part of the canon?

Yup. It 18 minutes added. My favorite addition was a brief one, the part with the boot when Eli Wallach is endlessly torturing Eastwood.

 

I do not believe Josey Wales is part of it. Just Eastwood trying new directions for the genre. Even though The Beguiled isn't so much a western, I think you should try it out from that time period. I'm not sure, but I think it's Eastwood's first villian role where he runs into folks worse then he is.

 

Besides Josey, there's always The Dollar Trilogy, Unforgiven, Pale Rider, Silverado, Dances With Wolves (4 hour Director's Cut), Jeremiah Johnson, The Man Called Horse films, Soldier Blue, Little Big Man, Tombstone, Hang 'Em High, Joe Kidd, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Once Upon a Time in the West, They Died With Their Boots On, The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and even Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.

 

I can't believe someone on here implied Westerns are boring.

 

That's a stagecoach load of great films.

Whoops! I'm gonna burn in hell for not adding Quigley Down Under!

 

Not to mention Deadwood.

[ComicConnoisseur]

If a genre gets over-baked because studios feel it is prime time to take advantage of a new or renewed interest, I can see it getting so excessive with content people will turn away. But have we gotten to that point yet with comic book material?

 

Luckily for the hobby, like any written material, it is made up of many themes that are much greater than just one genre. Because that's the mistake Spielberg may be making here - comic books are just superhero stories. Some examples clearly point out how comic books touch on many genres leading to films and TV shows (completed and pending).

 

- Action: 300, A History of Violence, Bulletproof Monk, Dredd, Kingsman, Red, Road To Perdition

- Adventure-Fantasy: Preacher

- Alternate History-Fantasy: From Hell, V For Vendetta

- Comedy: Scott Pilgrim Versus the World

- Fantasy-Folklore: The Crow, Sandman

- Horror: Blade, Hellboy, Tales From the Crypt, Walking Dead, 30 Days of Night

- General Life: American Splendor, Ghost World

- Sci-fi: Aliens vs. Predator (though both came from movies), Men In Black, Oblivion, Tank Girl

- Superheroes: This is fairly clear

- Western-Adventure: Jonah Hex (if only this had been so much better)

 

A well-rounded company like Dark Horse could very wisely hit on many of these genres, and navigate the waters just fine. Especially without a dependence on just superhero films or TV shows or streaming.

Very good post. This shows that it`s all about niche now. The days of the three networks are long gone.

Before one thing like westerns could dominate the networks. It can`t happen now.

I myself watch Netflix and Youtube much more than any TV network.

Marvel only makes 2 movies a year.

DC hasn`t made a movie in 2 years.

Man of Steel came out in 2013.

The only fatigue I can see was caused by the latest FF and Spider-Man movies.

When Deadpool comes out the tide will turn again.

Deadpool,Suicide Squad and Batman versus Superman look like grown up movies.

 

 

 

[Darkowl]

I happen to agree with Mr. Spielberg.

 

I also do not think, when done right, Westerns are boring. What's boring? Well this whole generation has made Michael Bay it's biggest box office director and he's raped more childhood dreams than anyone in cinematic history.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

I just saw The Salvation. Not a bad addition to the genre. Though, Once upon a time in the West along with the Spaghetti's remain my favorite. Even the Neo-Westerns like Outland.

The best!

 

Have you seen the Director's Cut? Even greater, with an awesome transfer. Some might consider the Mad Max films westerns too..

I never even knew there was a director`s cut?

 

Also I know the Spaghetti's Eastwood`s got at least a trilogy, but what about The Outlaw Josey Wales? Is that part of the canon?

Yup. It 18 minutes added. My favorite addition was a brief one, the part with the boot when Eli Wallach is endlessly torturing Eastwood.

 

I do not believe Josey Wales is part of it. Just Eastwood trying new directions for the genre. Even though The Beguiled isn't so much a western, I think you should try it out from that time period. I'm not sure, but I think it's Eastwood's first villian role where he runs into folks worse then he is.

 

Besides Josey, there's always The Dollar Trilogy, Unforgiven, Pale Rider, Silverado, Dances With Wolves (4 hour Director's Cut), Jeremiah Johnson, The Man Called Horse films, Soldier Blue, Little Big Man, Tombstone, Hang 'Em High, Joe Kidd, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Once Upon a Time in the West, They Died With Their Boots On, The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and even Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.

 

I can't believe someone on here implied Westerns are boring.

 

That's a stagecoach load of great films.

Whoops! I'm gonna burn in hell for not adding Quigley Down Under!

 

Not to mention Deadwood.

 

Best western film i've ever seen is Tombstone. "I'm your huckleberry". Doesnt get any better than that.

[NewEnglandGothic]

I happen to agree with Mr. Spielberg.

 

I also do not think, when done right, Westerns are boring. What's boring? Well this whole generation has made Michael Bay it's biggest box office director and he's raped more childhood dreams than anyone in cinematic history.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

I just saw The Salvation. Not a bad addition to the genre. Though, Once upon a time in the West along with the Spaghetti's remain my favorite. Even the Neo-Westerns like Outland.

The best!

 

Have you seen the Director's Cut? Even greater, with an awesome transfer. Some might consider the Mad Max films westerns too..

I never even knew there was a director`s cut?

 

Also I know the Spaghetti's Eastwood`s got at least a trilogy, but what about The Outlaw Josey Wales? Is that part of the canon?

Yup. It 18 minutes added. My favorite addition was a brief one, the part with the boot when Eli Wallach is endlessly torturing Eastwood.

 

I do not believe Josey Wales is part of it. Just Eastwood trying new directions for the genre. Even though The Beguiled isn't so much a western, I think you should try it out from that time period. I'm not sure, but I think it's Eastwood's first villian role where he runs into folks worse then he is.

 

Besides Josey, there's always The Dollar Trilogy, Unforgiven, Pale Rider, Silverado, Dances With Wolves (4 hour Director's Cut), Jeremiah Johnson, The Man Called Horse films, Soldier Blue, Little Big Man, Tombstone, Hang 'Em High, Joe Kidd, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Once Upon a Time in the West, They Died With Their Boots On, The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and even Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.

 

I can't believe someone on here implied Westerns are boring.

 

That's a stagecoach load of great films.

Whoops! I'm gonna burn in hell for not adding Quigley Down Under!

 

Not to mention Deadwood.

 

Best western film i've ever seen is Tombstone. "I'm your huckleberry". Doesnt get any better than that.

"You ain't a daisy! You ain't a daisy at all"

I'm kicking myself for not getting the Vista Series Director's Cut the other day. I just wasn't in the mood and when I was, it was gone. It's not the same when I order from Amazon. I like the good 'ol days like when something popped out on the shelf and you rented/bought it or not.

"He was just high-strung"

[ComicConnoisseur]

I happen to agree with Mr. Spielberg.

 

I also do not think, when done right, Westerns are boring. What's boring? Well this whole generation has made Michael Bay it's biggest box office director and he's raped more childhood dreams than anyone in cinematic history.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

I just saw The Salvation. Not a bad addition to the genre. Though, Once upon a time in the West along with the Spaghetti's remain my favorite. Even the Neo-Westerns like Outland.

The best!

 

Have you seen the Director's Cut? Even greater, with an awesome transfer. Some might consider the Mad Max films westerns too..

I never even knew there was a director`s cut?

 

Also I know the Spaghetti's Eastwood`s got at least a trilogy, but what about The Outlaw Josey Wales? Is that part of the canon?

Yup. It 18 minutes added. My favorite addition was a brief one, the part with the boot when Eli Wallach is endlessly torturing Eastwood.

 

I do not believe Josey Wales is part of it. Just Eastwood trying new directions for the genre. Even though The Beguiled isn't so much a western, I think you should try it out from that time period. I'm not sure, but I think it's Eastwood's first villian role where he runs into folks worse then he is.

 

Besides Josey, there's always The Dollar Trilogy, Unforgiven, Pale Rider, Silverado, Dances With Wolves (4 hour Director's Cut), Jeremiah Johnson, The Man Called Horse films, Soldier Blue, Little Big Man, Tombstone, Hang 'Em High, Joe Kidd, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Once Upon a Time in the West, They Died With Their Boots On, The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and even Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.

 

I can't believe someone on here implied Westerns are boring.

 

That's a stagecoach load of great films.

Whoops! I'm gonna burn in hell for not adding Quigley Down Under!

 

Not to mention Deadwood.

 

Best western film i've ever seen is Tombstone. "I'm your huckleberry". Doesnt get any better than that.

"You ain't a daisy! You ain't a daisy at all"

I'm kicking myself for not getting the Vista Series Director's Cut the other day. I just wasn't in the mood and when I was, it was gone. It's not the same when I order from Amazon. I like the good 'ol days like when something popped out on the shelf and you rented/bought it or not.

"He was just high-strung"

There are some fascinating western characters.

 

Billy the Kid.

Jesse James

Tom Horn

Wyatt Earp

Wild Bill Hickok

General Custer

Gunsmoke

Bonanza

Have Gun Will Travel

Clint Eastwood

John Wayne

Davey Crockett

Daniel Boone

Hopalong Csssidy

Gene Autry

Roy Rogers

Rifleman

 

Lots of good stuff.

It`s a shame the younger generation won`t look at it because they think its boring.

 

[Ken Aldred]

There was also that short-lived western set in space called Firefly.

 

Very good series.

[Goldeneye]

I'd like to see far more superhero films that all bring in significantly less money. CGI gets cheaper as time goes on; much of the cost of these huge budget films is attached to the marquee stars they hire to be in them. As a lifelong fan of the genre, I'd be fine with not having the big names. The Daredevil Netflix series is a prototype for exactly what I'd love to see a LOT more of.

 

This is where superhero films based on comics as we know them will die down in the amount of films. I do not have to go to the theater to watch Superheroes anymore currently I can watch 7 DC programs within the 2015-1016 television season and 8 Marvel programs for the 2015-2016 television season. Possible 11 more DC TV shows on top of that and 2 more Marvel as well in development or pilot ordered.

 

These people going to the theaters will get their fix on television especially as CGI gets cheaper and more and more can be made for television. Once they realize they can get comic related material on regular television, cable, Netflix, and possibly soon Hulu. The mass amount of non comic readers going to see something they cannot tell the difference in will stop going to the theaters to watch these films and stay at home and watch comic inspired tv shows instead.

 

 

 

[Beige]

I happen to agree with Mr. Spielberg.

 

I also do not think, when done right, Westerns are boring. What's boring? Well this whole generation has made Michael Bay it's biggest box office director and he's raped more childhood dreams than anyone in cinematic history.

 

 

(thumbs u

 

I just saw The Salvation. Not a bad addition to the genre. Though, Once upon a time in the West along with the Spaghetti's remain my favorite. Even the Neo-Westerns like Outland.

The best!

 

Have you seen the Director's Cut? Even greater, with an awesome transfer. Some might consider the Mad Max films westerns too..

I never even knew there was a director`s cut?

 

Also I know the Spaghetti's Eastwood`s got at least a trilogy, but what about The Outlaw Josey Wales? Is that part of the canon?

Yup. It 18 minutes added. My favorite addition was a brief one, the part with the boot when Eli Wallach is endlessly torturing Eastwood.

 

I do not believe Josey Wales is part of it. Just Eastwood trying new directions for the genre. Even though The Beguiled isn't so much a western, I think you should try it out from that time period. I'm not sure, but I think it's Eastwood's first villian role where he runs into folks worse then he is.

 

Besides Josey, there's always The Dollar Trilogy, Unforgiven, Pale Rider, Silverado, Dances With Wolves (4 hour Director's Cut), Jeremiah Johnson, The Man Called Horse films, Soldier Blue, Little Big Man, Tombstone, Hang 'Em High, Joe Kidd, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Once Upon a Time in the West, They Died With Their Boots On, The Last of the Mohicans (1992) and even Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier.

 

I can't believe someone on here implied Westerns are boring.

 

That's a stagecoach load of great films.

Whoops! I'm gonna burn in hell for not adding Quigley Down Under!

 

Not to mention Deadwood.

 

Best western film i've ever seen is Tombstone. "I'm your huckleberry". Doesnt get any better than that.

 

Loved Tombstone.

But right up there is 'The Big Country' from 1958.

Megastar cast - Burl Ives, Jean Simmons, Charlton Heston, Chuck (Rifleman) Connors and Gregory Peck.

 

When The Major leads into Blanco Canyon, with Steve just behind,and the rest of the Terrill men following - backed up with the sublime score from Jerome Moross - well, that's pretty much the best Western scene right there!

 

Fantastic film, that won many awards (inc an Oscar for Ives) - deserves to be seen by anyone who hasn't yet had the pleasure.

 

"How many times does a man have to win you?" - awesome line!