“There’s eventually going to be an implosion — or a big meltdown. There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen megabudget movies are going to go crashing into the ground, and that’s going to change the paradigm,” Steven Spielberg cautioned in 2013, but he has yet to see his prophecy come true. In fact, he’s living in a time where box office receipts couldn’t be healthier, with things shaping up like they could mark the first time there’s been a $40 billion year worldwide.
However, bubbles are made to be burst, and in a new interview with Associated Press, the filmmaker stands by his prediction that the good times will only last for so long, and even more, he believes superhero movies will go the way of another Hollywood genre that at one time rode high in the saddle.
READ MORE: Discuss: Is 23 Super Hero Movies Over The Next 4 Years Too Much?
“I still feel that way,” the director said about potential blockbuster fallout. “We were around when the Western died and there will be a time when the superhero movie goes the way of the Western. It doesn’t mean there won’t be another occasion where the Western comes back and the superhero movie someday returns. Of course, right now the superhero movie is alive and thriving. I’m only saying that these cycles have a finite time in popular culture. There will come a day when the mythological stories are supplanted by some other genre that possibly some young filmmaker is just thinking about discovering for all of us.”
And Spielberg is bang on. Audience tastes change, and the industry moves in cycles, so its not unreasonable to suggest there will be a time when Marvel won’t be the flavor everyone is chasing and something else totally unexpected comes along. However, his comments will surely meet those who disagree, and spark an interesting conversation around the current state of big-budget movies. Hit up the comments section with your thoughts.
I agree with Spielberg. The popularity of those movies is not going to last forever. I don’t think they are going to disappear but they won’t be as popular as they are today. Today the “geek-pop culture” is something hot. You can see how popular COMIC CON is around the world, or just look at THE BIG BANG THEORY numbers. As far as I remember, every time when a new super hero film comes out is a big blockbuster. I just remember when the BATMAN directed by TIM BURTON came out, it was huge…and they kept coming back as a big success even if the critics hated them. From my point of view, the SUPERHERO films merged with EPIC films. In fact, I think SUPERHERO genre is the new EPIC in film. We don’t have big films now like GLADIATIOR, BRAVE HEART or TITANIC…juts listen to their music, look at the battles, cinematography, acting, directing, how serious and important all that is. On the other hand, SUPERHEROS are the SHAKESPEARE of this age. There was the time when people would have rumours about who was going to play JUILETH or HAMLET, now the biggest rumour is: who is the next SPIDERMAN.
I love films, all kind and genres, but I am tired of superheroes. No matter how amazing the battle is, we know they will win at the end… Spielberg is right, there must be a crack somewhere there in those films. In fact, is already happening. Look what happened with the new FANTASTIC 4.
The idea that superhero movies are a genre trend because there have been genre trends in the past is something I\’d be wary of. The marketplace is so different from when westerns and musicals came and went. We\’ve got television, VOD/Netflix/Amazon, international audiences, and cheaper ways to make massive movies. I\’m not saying it won\’t or can\’t flame out, but the future is impossible to predict. Certainly when based on something we saw 50 years ago.
I hear old Stevie backing off a bit, and couching his dooms day prediction with a prediction that something else will replace visual spectecle block busters. It sounded before as if the industry would melt down completely and go away with a series of flops.
I think that there\’s a general dumbing down of pop culture — movies will get even more crass, cynical and corporate… perhaps one day we\’ll even miss the "golden era" of bullshit like Thor 2 and Age Of Ultron.
Most people who read comic books as a kid waited for the day when the technology would advance to the point where a superhero movie could actually look seamless. When we get our fill, the bubble will burst unless the technology advances in other, even more unforeseen directions that give us something more than what we\’ve already seen.
Wait. There are trends in the movie industry? I need to sit down.
It all moves in cycles. The massive super hero trend will die down in a few years and with Star Wars back the trend could swing in the direction of fantasy and sci-fi again.
His insight is as clever as his films. He warns about a potential blockbuster apocalypse but is currently preparing a potential blockbuster. Spielberg everybody!