Yes says Catherine Gobert-Jones
This blockbuster season there’s one thing everyone can agree on: the film industry’s gone superhero crazy. With the recent release of The Avengers, and the upcoming release of The Amazing Spider Man and The Dark Knight Rises, people everywhere are excited for what looks to be an unforgettable summer for film.
And this trend of superhero blockbuster doesn’t look like it’s going to end for a while, with the announcement of a new Iron Man film and an Avengers sequel being released. However, by producing a large quantity of films of the same genre at the same time, I can’t help but think that the film industry has accidently created a type of internal competition that will be far more deconstructive to the popularity of superhero films than constructive.
At a time where cinema prices are escalating, we no longer go to see every film on offer, and instead may choose between our favourite superhero films, thereby causing a split in the superhero genre’s clientele. Consequently, by saturating this genre, the film industry may cause people to come away from these films comparing them, rather than commenting on them.
In my opinion, the flood of films in this genre may lead to a fall in the reception towards superhero films, as we begin to think of them as a normal occurrence. This could lead to fall in positive reception towards otherwise quality films, as we become bored of them, rather than taking them for what they’re meant to be: exciting, entertaining films, perfect for a summer blockbuster.
NO says Rory McGregor
The quantity of superhero films being released around the summer period isn’t a reflection of the Superhero genre, but rather a fault of the film industry itself.
The summer is blockbuster season and thus the season where the most money is garnered by films, hence the presence of the big action flicks.
However, it’s not quite so simple, and superhero films are certainly not all released in one period. It is true that the market has been saturated with superhero films, but one only has to look at the ingenuity of release dates to see that the studios are trying desperately not to step on each others toes and make sure that consumers can see as many superhero films as they want.
The biggest action superhero blockbuster this year, The Avengers, wasn’t even released in the blockbuster season – it was released in April. This was certainly to monopolise on a superhero/action film absent area and cash in on the hype surrounding the film. Chronicle and Ghost-Rider: Spirit of Vengeance were released in February, but catered to two separate audiences so weren’t really competing. It’s true that this summer Spiderman and The Dark Knight Rises will maybe affect each other’s sales, but any two ACTION films, not specifically super hero films would.
This isn’t a reflection of one genre, but of the industry as a whole. Releases tend to be centred around certain points – big action films crammed around the summer and the artistic dramas around the Oscars in an attempt to build momentum. That’s not even mentioning the post-award season dry spell where studios dump all their worst films. So to end on a horrible cliche – don’t hate the player (or superplayer) hate the game.