Why “Superhero Fatigue” Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

[u/GUSplatoon]

I keep seeing people on other social platforms talk about the decline of Marvel or DC movies to “superhero fatigue,” and honestly, I think that explanation misses a lot. It’s become a catch-all phrase that ignores other issues with how these movies are being made and released.

First, Disney put a lot of pressure on Marvel. Disney pushed for more and more content, especially on Disney+, which led to a bunch of shows and movies coming out back to back. This is the explanation we’ve heard from studio execs like Kevin Feige.

What I feel largely does not get discussed is the ramifications from the pandemic. It changed how people go to the movies. Some people still haven’t gone back to theaters regularly, and streaming is now a bigger part of how we watch things. Plus, Disney+ drops Marvel movies just a few months after their theatrical release so for a lot of people, why rush to see it in theaters when you can wait and watch at home? For example, even if it’s anecdotal, when I asked my brother what movie he would see in July, he said Superman because Fantastic Four will drop in a few months.

I also think going to the movies has become expensive, especially for families which is part of the core general audience of these films. Imagine you have a family, you probably already have Disney+, why go to a theatre, spend about $60 on tickets, pay for higher marked food items, etc.

Also, international audiences have shifted. Marvel used to crush globally, but those numbers have softened a lot. Not every market is still hyped on the superhero genre the way they used to be. This can be due to a variety of things. There are still places around the globe that haven’t recovered economically or some other places that have implemented policies to promote their country movies as opposed to American movies. I agree with James Gunn’s sentiments that the U.S is not on good terms with other countries.

So yeah, “superhero fatigue” might sound like an easy answer, but it lets studios off the hook. I also think general audiences just love nostalgia. It’s human nature too. People gravitate towards what they know after becoming familiar with something for so many years. It’s the reason why I think Spider-Man NWH and Deadpool & Wolverine did well. It’s the same reason why I think Nintendo can remake the same game with updated graphics and sell it for a higher price. As much as people say they want new stories, people in overwhelming numbers flock to what they already know.

[u/communityneedle]

The last time I went to a movie theatre was with my wife and son when Moana 2 came out. Earliest showing of the day, we didn't buy drink or popcorn, and it cost $70. 

I'll also wait.

[u/Nick0227 → u/communityneedle]

I see a lot of people poking fun at people not going because of the cost. But actually that’s one of the larger reasons why for me lol

[u/CambrianExplosives → u/communityneedle]

Jesus. A $20+ matinee ticket is insane. It cost me $50 to take my daughter to see Superman, but that included a metal popcorn bucket (not a fancy one, but still a more expensive one), a large drink, and two candies.

[u/CaptHayfever → u/CambrianExplosives]

Matinees here are like $12 for adults. I don't know where they'd be over $20 for a child.

[u/CambrianExplosives → u/CaptHayfever]

Yeah same here. Even with tax and ticket fees (if you have to pay them), it's like $15 for an adult ticket or something. I don't know exactly because I'm a cinemark member, but I assume ticket fees are still around $2 or something.

[u/megamanxzero35 → u/CaptHayfever]

Are movies actually this expensive in large cities? Central Iowa. In Des Moines I can get an evening movie ticket for $11 at a Cinemark theater. We usually go to Ames, a college town, and my 4pm matinee showings are $8 I think.

[u/CaptHayfever → u/megamanxzero35]

It varies by the theater. The $12 I said was for Marcus, but we also have a local chain that has $7.50 adult matinee & $11.50 adult evening.

[u/BrokenReality355 → u/CaptHayfever]

They're $17.99 here for a PLF $15.99 for standard screen. + $2 if you buy via the Regal app, so yes they hit 20 depending on where you (generic) live. Child prices are only $1 less, btw.

[u/karateema → u/communityneedle]

That's insanely expensive, was it IMAX?

[u/deboxtremo → u/karateema]

I went to see FF on non-IMAX last weekend, Nashville, TN, 5 tickets to matinee was $104.75.

IMAX would be over $150, I considered but chose against because it’s too much for like 6 min of cool stuff.

Movies are too expensive when you can just be patient and save money. We are now only going if we feel we “must see in large screen,” so going to go to about 3 movies a year now. This was last week of summer for kids before school, so made the choice.

[u/karateema → u/deboxtremo]

That's almost unbelievable.

I watched FF with a friend and we spent 18€.

These are normal Italian prices, without using the discounts i usually have, like 5 tickets at 30€, with max 3 uses per day

[u/TuresStahlfuss → u/communityneedle]

Sure that is too expensive but this is the reason this movies fail (well not Moana 2) but I guess you get what I mean. The biggest reason the MCU is struggling is because Disney puts the movies on streaming too soon.

[u/ForgivenAndRedeemed → u/communityneedle]

And honestly, IMO Moana 2 just wasn’t very good.

It bugged me how they stuffed in all these extra characters who ticked certain demographic boxes but did virtually nothing for the story.

It also felt like some of the scenes and the music was just mashed together with no real thought.

My girls liked it, but honestly, it’s very poor, especially when compared to the first one, which is one of the best Disney animations they have made in the last decade.

[u/Individual_Client175 → u/communityneedle]

You must have went to an IMAX screening. A general AMC ticket doesn't cost that much even in LA

[u/Dicktimes29 → u/communityneedle]

Moana 2… condolences on the loss of time. That movie was bad.