Is Superhero Movies Poll a Concern?

 by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

August 6, 2022

 

Disney continues to go all in on Marvel superhero movies, with Kevin Feige recently announcing Phases 5 and 6 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). For good measure, Warner Bros. Discovery, amidst controversy over its cancellation of Batgirl, is pointing to a 10-year DC superheroes plan.

At the same time, Morning Consult released a poll of American adults on whether or not they enjoy superhero movies. The title of the survey piece was “Superhero Film Fatigue Is Up From Last Year — Even Among Marvel Fans,” and it naturally grabbed online attention. But what are the key points from this poll?

 

First, in July 2022, 59 percent of adults said they enjoyed superhero movies, compared to 64 percent in November 2021. Those that do not enjoy superhero movies went from 36 percent in November 2021 to 41 percent in July 2022.

 

Second, among Marvel fans, those who enjoy superhero movies declined from 87 percent in November to 82 percent in July, and those saying they do not went from 13 percent in November to 18 percent in July.

 

Third, while this move in a negative direction warrants watching, it also must be noted that the poll has a margin of error of +/-2 percentage points. That means that each poll percentage can be as much as two points higher or lower. So, the changes in survey results between November and July just barely lie outside the margin of error, meaning that the relatively small changes cited might actually be even smaller.

 

Fourth, Gen Z adults were the only age group that had a larger share saying that they enjoyed superhero movies, going from 47 percent in November to 53 percent in July.

 

So, what can we really take away from these results? Even with a small move down between November and July, superhero movies remain highly popular with the public. However, no one in the superhero movie business should simply rest easy with these results. 

 

But I doubt that the slight move down in polling is about so-called “superhero film fatigue.” Instead, it has to do with the quality of movies. After Avengers: Endgame in 2019, the Marvel movies have fallen off notably in quality. 

 

The best of the lot were thanks to Sony’s Spider-Man films - Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) – and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) in the directorial hands of Sam Raimi. The other four movies – Black Widow (2021), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021), Eternals (2021), and Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) – ranked as middling to simply bad.

 

It also should be noted that other than Loki, the MCU streaming shows on Disney+ have not exactly been “wowing” many.

 

In general, movie-goers don’t suffer genre fatigue. Instead, they grow fatigued with uninteresting, forgettable, poor quality movies. That’s the lesson for Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, and anyone else in the superhero movie game – indeed, in the movie game in general.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, and the Alliance of Saint Michael novels; and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Two great ways to order Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel, which is Ray’s sixteenth work of fiction, and the first in the Alliance of Saint Michael series. Signed paperbacks here and the Kindle edition here. 

 

Two great ways to order Ray Keating’s new nonfiction book – The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist. Signed paperbacks here, and paperbacks, hardcovers and Kindle editions here.  

 

Get all of Ray Keating Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries in paperback and for the Kindle at Amazon.com and signed books at www.RayKeatingOnline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

 

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” Best MCU Movie Since “Endgame”

 by Ray Keating

Review (SPOILER FREE)

DisneyBizJournal.com

December 23, 2021

 

DisneyBizJournal.com Movie Rating: 4 stars out of 5

DisneyBizJournal.com Box Office Rating:  $$$$ out of $$$$

 

In Spider-Man: No Way Home, Tom Holland’s Spider-Man has to grow up, and moviegoers are enjoying, and should enjoy, going with Peter Parker on nearly all of the 148 minutes of this journey. In fact, Spider-Man: No Way Home ranks as the best MCU movie since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

 

Unfortunately, given dubious recent endeavors, one has to actually pause to give a thumbs up to the filmmakers – director Jon Watts, and writers Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers – for simply serving up a blockbuster story that makes sense, and isn’t riddled by story and/or character inconsistencies. 

Thankfully, though, No Way Home goes well beyond such barebones expectations. While the film starts off kind of pokey, moviegoers soon find themselves immersed in a story jammed with consequences, and packed with so many emotional wallops that I eventually lost count. (Writing a spoiler-free review of this movie is a mighty challenge.)

 

Watery eyes and a tear here and there were part of the viewing experience. There’s also a nice amount of humor sprinkled in, but a marked step up in wit and quips from some other recent efforts. Indeed, No Way Home is that rare superhero movie that is rich in both laughs and tears.

 

There’s a lot going on in this film, and that isn’t something to be criticized, but instead, it’s worth savoring.

 

Along the way, there’s plenty of action one expects from a superhero movie, but notably improved upon compared to recent MCU films like Eternals and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Unlike those two previous movies, even during times of mayhem the CGI holds up in No Way Home. This is rip-roaring good stuff.

 

No Way Home also rates as a full movie in a way that perhaps some other superhero films come up a bit short, including, to a certain degree, the previous Tom Holland Spider-Man movies – Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far from Home. That is, Peter Parker/Spider-Man goes on a full character arch, with game-changing consequences to decisions and actions along the way.

 

Finally, No Way Home serves up a more traditional – in the best sense of the word – take on superheroes and what they’re supposed to be about, that is, trying to do the right thing, trying to save others, and sometimes having to sacrifice to achieve such lofty goals. Yes, with great power comes great responsibility.

 

As for the business side of No Way Home, this film is turning out to be the biggest box-office hit of 2021. As of this writing (December 23), the film, which was released in the U.S. on December 17, had hit a global box office of $751 million.

 

It looks likely that No Way Home will top $1 billion during the Christmas weekend. That will make it the first and probably the only 2021 release to top the billion-dollar mark – and deservedly so. 

 

With a reported production budget of $200 million, that’s quite a Christmas gift for Sony, as well as for Disney and Marvel in that No Way Home is proving that audiences aren’t growing tired of superhero movies, and specifically, MCU movies. But given the under-performance of Eternals, for example, perhaps audiences are ramping up their demands for higher quality superhero movies. We can all hope that is the case.

 

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Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

For you and a great gift! The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution is here! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. 

 

Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13^th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Stan Lee, Spider-Man and Great Achievements

Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #184: Stan Lee, Spider-Man and Great Achievements – Marvel Comics legend Stan Lee showed that great accomplishments can come from different situations.

The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.

Marvel Movies Box Office Battle on National Superhero Day

by Ray Keating

Analysis

DisneyBizJournal.com

April 28, 2020

Today, April 28, is “National Superhero Day.” And on this date, it seems fitting to get into one of those arguments many of us engaged in as kids. You know, who is the best superhero? This superhero could beat up this other superhero. Oh, yeah? And so on. 

Except we’re going to narrow our fighting words, so to speak, to how powerful the various Marvel Cinematic Universe’s superheroes have been at the box office. Where do Disney’s MCU movies rank in terms of the amount of revenue raked in at the box office? 

The answer can be found in the following table, which ranks each of the 23 Marvel movies (so far) according to the estimated worldwide box office numbers in 2019 inflation-adjusted U.S. dollars.

Rank –  Real Box Office	Release Date	MCU Film	Worldwide Box Office –  Estimated in Real  2019 US Dollars
1	4/26/19	Avengers: Endgame	$2,797,800,564
2	4/27/18	Avengers: Infinity War	$2,085,474,952
3	5/4/12	The Avengers	$1,691,224,912
4	5/1/15	Avengers: Age of Ultron	$1,513,352,493
5	2/16/18	Black Panther	$1,371,318,517
6	5/3/13	Iron Man 3	$1,333,823,823
7	5/6/16	Captain America: Civil War	$1,228,486,127
8	3/8/19	Captain Marvel	$1,129,729,839
9	7/2/19	Spider-Man: Far From Home	$1,129,210,469
10	7/7/17	Spider-Man: Homecoming	$918,001,794
11	5/5/17	Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2	$906,473,402
12	11/3/17	Thor: Ragnarok	$890,667,135
13	8/1/14	Guardians of the Galaxy	$834,535,230
14	4/4/14	Captain America: The Winter Soldier	$771,499,819
15	5/7/10	Iron Man 2	$728,266,984
16	11/4/16	Doctor Strange	$720,510,624
17	11/8/13	Thor: The Dark World	$707,414,562
18	5/2/08	Iron Man	$694,849,347
19	7/6/18	Ant-Man and the Wasp	$634,435,712
20	7/17/15	Ant-Man	$559,663,516
21	5/6/11	Thor	$510,687,219
22	6/22/11	Captain America: The First Avenger	$421,175,245
23	6/13/08	The Incredible Hulk	$315,349,958

Source: Data from the-numbers.com. Calculations by author.

I guess no one should be surprised by the fact that The Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have proven to be mightiest at the box office.

Of course, what a ranking like this leads to is the inevitable “Yeah, but...” debate. In particular, yeah, but this doesn’t mean that this ranking necessarily reflects a ranking of the best MCU films. Let that debate begin! I’ll start by noting that I think that the top five MCU movies (not necessarily in order) are: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: The First Avenger, Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

And thankfully, there are more Marvel movies on the way to add to the incredible box office tally – in 2019 dollars, the MCU films have earned a total of $23.9 billion, so far – and to spice up the debate about which are the best and worst movies in the series.

And if you’re looking ahead, here’s the latest announced Marvel universe movies with scheduled release dates (according to Disney and various media reports):

Black Widow – November 6, 2020

The Eternals – February 12, 2021

Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings – May 7, 2021

Spider-Man 3 – November 5, 2021 

Thor: Love and Thunder – February 11, 2022

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness – March 25, 2022

Black Panther II – May 6, 2022

Captain Marvel 2 – June 8, 2022

Ant-Man 3 – no date announced

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 – no date announced

Enjoy, and happy National Superhero Day!

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of The Disney Planner 2020: The TO DO List Solution (now available at a deep discount) and the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

National Superhero Day is the perfect time to read Ray Keating’s HEROES AND VILLAINS: A PASTOR STEPHEN GRANT SHORT STORY. The Kindle edition is on sale for only $2.99!

Spider-Man Back in the MCU – Told You So

by Ray Keating

News

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 27, 2019

Spider-Man is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with widespread news reports today noting that Disney and Sony have come to an agreement. Told you so.

As the Hollywood Reporter noted, “Terms of the new deal were not revealed, but it will allow Marvel and its chief [Kevin] Feige to produce and run creative point on one more movie that would star Tom Holland, the actor who is the current incarnation of the web-slinging superhero. Depending on how things go, more movies could be in the offing.” In addition, it was noted: “Also as part of the arrangement, Spider-Man will appear in a future Marvel movie.”

The Sony Spider-man movie already has a release date: July 16, 2021.

The strange thing is that this outcome was doubted by so many, with the Reporter’s headline screaming, “Spider-Man Shocker.”

Really? There was nothing shocking about this. It wasn’t a matter of “if,” but only “when.”

Indeed, DisneyBizJournal.com expected this outcome, as I wrote the following when the news of a split first materialized last month: 

Call me a crazy optimist, but I  don’t think Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be exiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite news that Spidey’s out and the Internet is freakin’ out...

In the end, it’s unclear who needs whom more. I suppose given the MCU track record of success, a case can be made that Sony needs Marvel/Feige more. But in reality, this, again, is a clear case where each company benefits enormously from a partnership. And for that reason, while it might be a rough road along the way, I expect Sony and Disney to arrive at an agreement that results in Spidey remaining in the MCU. So, try to stay calm while these two entertainment companies fight it out over superheroes.

Yeah, I have to say it again: Told you so.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

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