Earlier this week, MCU Chief Kevin Feige dismissed the idea of people getting fan fatigue from the onslaught of comic book movies that we have endured since 2008. He even went so far as to juxtapose Marvel movies with Gone With The Wind, and flippantly asked: “…Do you think the audience will ever sour on movies being adapted from books?”
Kevin Feige’s Hubris is preventing him from seeing the eventual decline of interest in Comic Book Movies. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Matt Baron, 2019
Feige is an example of a man whose hubris keeps him from seeing the big picture. For one thing, people won’t ever sour on movies being adapted from books because there are hundreds of thousands of different novels, novellas, and short stories that are unique. They don’t need to tie into each other and rely on other properties in their genre to score a quick cash grab.
Another very important thing Feige refuses to acknowledge is the very existence of human nature., which is ultimately going to lead to the dormancy of comic book movies altogether.
Comic Book Movies Won’t Be The First Genre That Fans Tire From
Throughout the history of cinema, many genres have captured the hearts of fans, only to disappear faster than Amber Heard’s dignity when the masses grew tired of them.
- Film Noir was huge in the thirties and forties. Films like Vertigo, The Third Man, and Touch of Evil captivated audiences.
- Pirate Movies dominated screens in the 1950s and looked like they had a permanent place in the heart of the audience. Treasure Island, and Against all Flags ushered in this era.
- Perhaps one of the most dominant genres in film history is the Western. The Western was a force to be reckoned with from the thirties to the seventies. With titles like Stagecoach, The Searchers, Shane, and The Wild Bunch; It certainly appeared like the Western Genre was here to stay… Until it wasn’t.
Western’s such as Hang ‘Em High were a long running staple in theaters until audiencesgrew tired of the Western genre.
- Gangster Movies were the next big thing. After The Godfather captivated audiences; People were flocking to theaters to see everything from The French Connection to Goodfellas. That hot ticket also eventually cooled down.
Nobody understood this, and felt the pain of going back to the well one too many times than Walt Disney. When Sleeping Beauty failed at the box office and almost put Disney out of business, Uncle Walt realized that people might be tired of the Princess movies that he had become so famous for. Disney, being the smart and intuitive man that he was, pivoted. He began to rejuvenate his studio with excellent movies outside of the Princess genre. Sword In The Stone, 101 Dalmatians, The Jungle Book, and Aristocats all had a hand in having Disney see his life’s work preserved and safe. Sadly, He would not live to see Aristocats.
Sleeping Beauty’s failure at the box office made Walt Disney realize that he needs to pivot in order to keep his audience captive.
Kevin Feige does not have that intuition. For that matter, neither does David Zaslav. They just want to pump out content with the expectation of fans just blindly following their orders to consume product and fork over their money.
Final Takeaway
Human beings are a fickle species. If we weren’t, Men would all still be wearing short shorts in the summer and Women would be wearing poodle skirts. Yo-Yos would still be our preferred toy and on a personal note, I would still be looking for my wallet in the excessively oversized pockets of my Jnco jeans. Trends; whether it be clothing, toys, food, video games, or movies have a shelf life. Some have a longer expiration date, others such as pogs get relegated to obscurity within a year.
The MCU as a whole is not a bad product. I am not writing this to tell people not to watch the films. I am simply pointing out that after 15 years of box office domination, the cycle is due to run its course.
If Kevin Feige can’t foresee that, maybe he isn’t as smart as we all thought he was.
What do you think Geek faithful? Are Comic Book Movies nearing their end? Is there still some gas left in the tank? sound off in the comments!
Thank You For Reading. When I am not writing, I enjoy time with my wife Barbara, my Three year old daughter Frankie, and my Hound Marbles.
Stay Geeky Everybody!
