The Last 20 years of superhero movies is quite revealing, Trends can be tracked and patterns can be seen. This is the first decade I will analyze. Most if this is simply opinion and you are encouraged to disagree.
1996: Ah yes, a year before I was born. The highest grossing
superhero movie was “The Crow: City of Angels” so yes, this is the great
depression of superhero movies. It sucks.
1997: The biggest, and only movie of
note, was Batman and Robin. It’s an okay movie. But far from great. These are
still dark times. Movie producers aren't making superhero movies because there is no money in it.
1998: This is a legendary year for movies, but not for
superheroes. The Mask of Zorro was the highest grossing movie, but I’d hardly consider
it a super hero movie. I’d consider this
a slight bump but basically irrelevant in the large scale. Hardly any real superhero movies are being made and all of them are low budget and aren't very popular.
1999: Mystery Men is the only superhero movie in this year.
Dark times indeed. But still, I’d consider this a tiny movement in the right
direction. It’s a fairly good movie but not really a classic, it wont have much of an impact in the long run.
2000: The first X men movie came out. This is huge. I’d
consider this a massive turning point. It finally brought awareness back to the
genera. People were actually excited
about comic book movies. Movie makers took note and decided to get in the business.
2001: Nothing. Normally I’d say this is a bad thing but a
year off to make some good movie is better than a year of bad movies.
2002: Blade two and Spider Man. I have to argue against the
quality of these two but the biggest point is that it brought about even more
awareness. People were excited again and these movies made a big splash. The
wake of the splash would continue. Quality aside, the sheer quantity of the
popularity is noteworthy.
2003: The second X-Men came out. But so did Daredevil. This
is the year that we are beginning to see some of the “inflation”- bad movies
that do okay and a whole lot of them. They are trying to cash out on the profit
without and regard for accuracy and without any fucks given to the fans. These
are the blockbusters that no one remembers.
2004: This is a pretty big year for superheroes. Some good
and some bad and some that made a bigger difference than one might expect.
Spiderman two and Cat woman came out. I’d say they are equally shitty but they
still brought in a lot of dough. Hellboy appeared this year, that’s cool, I’m
not a fan but I can appreciate it. The third blade came out. Ugh. But what I’m
going to focus on is Punisher. It is cheap, it didn’t do great, but I think
it’s important. It is dirty, gritty, it’s just a man who is pushed too far and
he kills people. Honestly, it reminds me of a more serious Deadpool. I’d argue
that Punisher is part of the reason we see the style of Superhero movies we do today.
2005: We are hitting peak inflation here. A shit load of
crappy movies. They made a lot of money but no one looks back at them and says
“Wow that was great” Fantastic four, sky high, Shark-Boy and Lava-Girl and many
others are good examples of bad movies. It’s not all bad though. Batman Begins
came out. That’s a big plus. Other than that, it’s clear we are about to go off
a cliff. The money is flowing but attendance is slowing. Some are beginning to question the movies.
2006: We are starting the downward spiral. Halfway through
our journey and it doesn’t look so good. The only light from the great shadow of
Superman Returns, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Special, and Zoom is one of my personal favorites, V for Vendetta.
Originally a comic book, so I’m counting this one. But it’s a loose connection.
Shitty movies make a lot of money. It doesn't look good, but what will the second half bring?
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