Superhero Movie Genre About to Fizzle

It probably won't survive the coming glut of movies from Warner Bros: columnist
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 21, 2014 1:44 PM CDT
Superhero Movie Genre About to Fizzle
This film publicity image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Henry Cavill as Superman in 'Man of Steel.'   (AP Photo/Warner Bros. Pictures, Clay Enos, file)

News that Warner Bros. is planning no fewer than 10 DC comics movies in the next six years is great news for superhero fans, yes? No, writes Stephanie Merry at the Washington Post. In fact, the announcement might just herald the end of the genre. "Decades from now, cinephiles will look back on the early 2000s as the Superhero Era—and they’ll be able to pinpoint the moment when the bubble burst," she writes of the studio's announcement. This kind of bubble-bursting happens with any film trend, from film noir to westerns to spy movies, and the move by Warner Bros. seems likely to speed things up.

The studio is desperately trying to overtake Marvel (Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy) as king of the superhero flicks, but in doing so it will only worsen the glut of such movies, writes Merry. People are going to get bored. "It looks like Warner Bros. is running hard to catch up when it might be smarter to focus on the next big thing," she concludes. Those looking for antidote to the skepticism can check out Graeme McMillan at Wired, who loves most of the new DC Comics lineup. With Wonder Woman, for example, "Warner Bros. has beaten Marvel to the punch of not only a solo female-led superhero movie, but also superhero movies with non-white leads: Aquaman and Shazam." Taken as a whole, the 10-movie schedule is, in a word, "super," and the heightened competition could lead to bigger, better movies from both studios. Click for McMillan's full column, or for Merry's full column. (More Warner Bros. stories.)

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