The box office failure of “Venom: The Last Dance” signals the end of superhero cinema as a dominant force at the box office. It also raises concerns about the fate of Marvel and DC films scheduled for release in 2025.
The sad ending named Venom 3
Sony Pictures has advertised Venom: The Last Dance ( Venom: Final Fight ) is the final chapter in the comedy series about an alien symbiote that takes over a human being played by Tom Hardy. But with a domestic opening of $51 million, down 44% and 55% from its predecessors, the film signals the end of cinema. superhero as a dominant force at the box office.
Superhero movies used to be the bread and butter of the film industry. In 2018 and 2019, the average global gross for superhero movies was over $1 billion. This year, that figure is only half that, even with the record-breaking success of Deadpool & Wolverine .
In fact, the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman collaboration is the only comic book movie to become a hit after Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse released in June 2023. Since then, the genre has endured an unusual box office drought. From The Flash , The Marvels arrive Madame Web and Joker: Folie à Deux both grossed dismal numbers.
From 2015 to 2019, 25 of 30 superhero films (83%) grossed more than $500 million worldwide. Post-pandemic, the situation has reversed: Since 2022, 10 of 17 superhero films (59%) have grossed less than $500 million worldwide.
The reasons for the box office decline vary from film to film. DC has been plagued by scandal and leadership changes. Marvel has saturated the market with its Disney+ programming and is in the process of limiting new releases. Meanwhile, Sony is trying to build a universe of Spider-Man-related characters without Spider-Man. However, the common point is the clear decline in commercial value of this film genre.
Difficult to repeat the miracle of Deadpool & Wolverine
Financial headwinds are putting almost tangible pressure on the 2025 superhero movie slate. After its release Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024, Marvel Studios ramp up again with three films Captain America: Brave New World , Thunderbolts and The Fantastic Four: First Steps .
“There’s no certainty here. There’s still a lot of goodwill around Marvel. It’s still the biggest superhero cinematic universe in Hollywood. But to answer the question of whether the new projects will do the same Deadpool & Wolverine "Whether it's a movie or not, I don't see that happening with any of these movies," commented analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations.
An important factor that Captain America 4 and Thunderbolts faced is the extent to which they rely on characters and storylines from several previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) titles, including Disney+ shows. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Hawkeye , along with the movies Black Widow , Eternals, Ant-Man and the Wasp , Captain America: Civil War , even The Incredible Hulk 2008.
That connection has been an advantage for Marvel Studios since its inception, but has been seen as a hindrance to recent projects like Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania , Secret Invasion and The Marvels .
Opposite, The Fantastic Four set in an alternate timeline, allowing the film to mark a new direction that insiders describe as invigorating for the studio.
In terms of stature, the Fantastic Four is especially important in the Marvel Comics universe as it is known as the first superhero family. However, two films by 20th Century Fox in the years 2000 and 2010 were both bombs.
Marvel Studios can't let that happen again: Robert Downey Jr. is ready to return as the team's arch-nemesis, Doctor Doom, in Avengers: Doomsday 2026. Together Avengers: Secret Wars In 2027, the film will be directed by Joe and Anthony Russo - who directed two films Avengers The most recent of which grossed over $2 billion worldwide. In other words, Marvel has set an incredibly high bar for reintroducing these core characters, and their challenge is to exceed that bar.
" Fantastic Four must achieve higher revenue Captain America and Thunderbolts , because they wanted a few more parts Avengers more," Bock said.
Marvel Studios is also committed to co-producing the film. Spider-Man Wednesday of Sony Pictures with Tom Holland, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings).
Sony Animation is also producing the film. Spider-Verse third (and final) film and television division Spider-Noir that the studio is making with Nicolas Cage for Amazon. But the future of Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) movies, which are being made without Holland or Marvel Studios, remains up in the air.
In spite of Venom: The Last Dance ends with an after-credits trailer, but there are currently no other SSU projects on Sony's roster after its release. Kraven the Hunter (rated R) in December with Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
“SSU has not completely collapsed, but Venom "Sony is feeling the squeeze of its superhero spinoffs. This is not a good prospect for the studio, which once planned several Spider-Man films a year. There is no doubt that Sony needs to go back to the drawing board," the expert said.
future uncertain
However, the strongest landing of superheroes in 2025 comes from DC Studios. In January 2023, newly appointed co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran announced a brand new slate of 10 films and TV shows, which are expected to reboot the DC Cinematic Universe (DCU) in a more creative direction.
The first of these projects, an animated series Creature Commandos , launched on Max in December. However, the project has more heart than Superman , written and directed by Gunn.
“I think it is unnecessary to emphasize the importance of Superman for the entire DCU. Probably should open with $100 million (domestic), something DC hasn't been able to do in quite some time, except The Batman 2022, like Joker: Folie à Deux , produced outside the DCU. Warner Bros. and DC movies would really be on the brink if Superman failed. They had to make some big decisions," Mr. Bock said.
Gunn and Safran pledged that no DC project would proceed without a completed script, which also helped reduce the risk for the company if Superman failed. There were only two projects. Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow and streaming series Lanterns has gone into production, along with the animated film. Dynamic Duo . Projects featuring less prominent characters like Booster Gold, Swamp Thing, and Authority have yet to be greenlit as of yet.
Still, Warner Bros. and Disney remain steadfast in their DC and Marvel film projects this decade.
"There's still no movie that can replace superheroes at the box office in terms of earning potential. Until we see some other genre take over, they'll continue to invest in that genre," Bock concluded.
Source
Comment (0)