Is Hollywood Sold Out On Superheroes?

By Author: John Hampton
Total Articles: 4
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Writer Journalist Ernest Hemingway once said a queer way to deal with Hollywood: “In the night you drive up to California border and throw your script over the fence. The next moment you get a big bag full of cash. You drive away fast and forget what was happened is entirely untrue.” One may think this is fancy, but if you are a scriptwriter of superheroes movies, this might not be a dream afterall.


Latest Hollywood movie news questions us whether Hollywood is sold out on superheroes. In last 5 years not a single superhero movie ever dumped in box office.Latest Hollywood news tells a statistic says Last 8 years (from 2005 to 2013 till)42 superheroes movies have been released and strikingly most of them are box office hit. Superheroes are now heroes in Hollywood where saviors of humankind, resolving their inner conflicts and battling super villains are not just their job; they draw producers like their lost brothers, and that is – they can deliver money.


In Hollywood Superheroes have a bigger role than mere saving the ...
... earth – hits turn into super-humongous money irrespective what they are offering. Consider Iron Man who is just a second tier superhero from the Marvel series but grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. Our friendly neighborhood Spiderman comes in a new lanky Andrew Garfield who seemed more confused than smart became the film is the 47th-highest-grossing film worldwide. Trying the footsteps of his brothers, another Marvel character super angry Hulk bludgeoned his way to become among top grossers on the list. This is not all. The third tier superheroes like Hellboy and Hancock with just blood and fire zoomed the top of the box office. And who can forget the astounding success of Batman; the Nolan’s franchise whose three movies (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) broke all records. The judgment is clear: superheroes rock the Hollywood. But why superheroes movies zoom in?


One reason is that everyone subconsciously wants to save the world, and when we see someone saves the world, even on silver screen, we get the kicks. Another reason is the change of superheroes characterization in movies; now they are more humane, dealing with everyday problems like a normal person. They not only fight with evil world but also a real world. Spiderman got immense popularity not just because of special effects but the romantic story and moral inhibition of Peter Parker.


Superheroes movies are an interesting mix of fantasy and realism. One side it provokes our internal dream to become a savior and on the other, it strikingly resemblance with the conflicts of average men. The battle between good and evil, lots of action and exaggeration and special effects appeal to children and youngsters but the issues of inner conflict, romanticism give a touch of realism that appeals adults. So, in way superheroes movies are well packaged catered to every age group.


This genre is still going great from last 10 years, but some critics worry that too much superheroes movie might lead to viewer fatigue and genre might eventually end up like spaghetti movies. With more and more 3D and CGI wizardry, these movies are getting more exciting.

John Hampton is a freelance film critic with number of magazines. He writes about Hollywood celebrity news and himself a movie buff. He has a huge collection of vintage movie DVDs and updates himself with latest Hollywood movie news, other latest Hollywood news.