Marvel movies aren’t the hits they used to be.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a casual movie fan, let alone a die-hard fan, who wasn’t disappointed by Phase 4 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All movies from 2019 onwards infinity warespecially the last few times Kevin Feige The joint was lackluster, to say the least.
On the TV side, Marvel’s latest Disney+ service — secret invasion, she hulk, Ms. Marveland moon night — was also overwhelmed. Fans and critics alike are losing interest in the events within the MCU.
Marvel’s failures in recent years were supposed to open a Batcave-sized door for DC Comics. Sadly, the DC Universe also seems to be in turmoil.last year’s black adam It’s the latest in a series of box office bombs, but the behind-the-scenes changes are now attracting attention. james gunn He is shaping his own film world. Gotham’s future looks bleak.
Given the vestiges of comic book car crashes and superhero fatigue, it might be time to start looking for something new to replace Marvel’s dominance. What seemed impossible just a few years ago now seems like a reasonable question. Could another genre actually defeat the mighty Thanos?
Maybe some people already have it. Let’s run the numbers.
To illustrate, let’s compare two movies released during the pandemic.First, let’s consider black widow, produced by Marvel Studios and released in 2021. It grossed $379.8 million at the worldwide box office and received a score of 79 on Rotten Tomatoes. By modern Marvel standards, this is horrible.
But compare it to Demon slayer The film, an animated film released a year ago, has earned $507 million worldwide and a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes.it is Movies with the highest box office revenue In the world of 2020.
and Demon slayer This is not an abnormal value. Animated titles have been doing as well or better than superheroes for a while now.
Consider DC movies birds of preyDespite receiving acclaim from fans, the film was financially unprofitable, grossing $205.3 million at the box office.the same applies wonder woman 1988which grossed even less, $169.6 million, but had no audience support.
Compare that to a long-running series. one pieceThe first worldwide theatrical production was released. one piece film red, which reached $246.6 million.New series are also coming, including new manga and anime series Jujutsu Kaisenreleased, theater movies In 2021, box office revenue reached $196.3 million. It’s like the anime stole Thor’s hammer and used it to beat the hell out of Marvel.
Admittedly, these numbers are reinforced to some extent by the international audience that flocks to domestically produced products. But that only serves to emphasize the dire point. Whatever advantages America once had built into it are being lost.
Streamers are sounding the alarm and are devoting significant resources to increasing anime production. Here’s a quick tour:
- Maxwhich houses Studio Ghibli’s vast and critically acclaimed body of work alongside DC Comics. Miyazaki Hayao.
- Huluis a subsidiary of Disney, anime section with a title like BLEACH Millennium Blood War.
- Netflix Not only is it quite sturdy anime collectionnew titles have been added such as captain laserhawk and Castlevania NocturneBut it’s the only streamer bold enough to attempt a live-action adaptation. one piece was the number one show on Netflix for three consecutive weeks. one piece fans, especially at this time of year. year of one piece, I’ve seen a few people who weren’t originally fans invest in the Straw Hat Pirates.
- prime video We also provide great service anime curationbut chooses the route of satirizing the superhero genre with shows like , for its original output. invincible and the boys.
In a sense, all streamers are trying to catch up with Sony, which long ago acquired Funimation and became the number one anime destination in the West with its anime platform. crunchy roll.
As superhero content is finally being put out to pasture like Westerns, Eastern films are emerging to take its place. Gone are the days when MCU fans flocked to theaters cosplaying as their favorite heroes. Right now, the halls of Comic-Con are lined with armies of anime fans dressed up as their favorite anime characters.
Just as comics had to explore connections, so too did manga, whose advancements made anime the new cool. After all, your favorite rapper probably grew up in his ’90s and I love anime as much as you. But it’s not just rappers. All of his ’90s kids who grew up understanding the power of anime are now in their 30s and in a position to expand the genre’s reach.
As superheroes stagnate, the rise of anime becomes increasingly inevitable.
