14 DAY TRIAL // First Christopher Nolan, now Tim Burton. Whereas Nolan doesn’t think that Marvel movies are “real” films, Tim Burton has no faith in the studio’s superhero releases because, he says, there’s no way in hell they could stand the test of time.
A reminder is needed now: Marvel Studios has put out 10 superhero films in 6 years, with plans to release 11 more until 2019. Those 6 are the highest earners in cinema right now, making Marvel’s superhero franchise the most successful and popular ever. Of all time, as Kanye West would say.
Still, Burton doesn’t think that this universe has legs, because fans are bound to grow tired of seeing the same thing over and over again.
The Marvel formula is successful but it can’t be that for ever
Tim Burton is not blind, to not see that people love Marvel flicks. Even if he were, being part of the movie industry, he has access to information that never goes public, so he must know that the appeal of the Marvel superhero movies is greater than with any other film franchise.
That’s not a situation that can last, he tells Yahoo! Movies. Marvel has a certain “formula” that’s using right now and it’s returning amazing results, but audiences will eventually grow tired of it. He’s not saying this out of spite: this is just the way things are, especially in the entertainment business, where you have to offer audiences something new with every project.
“But how many times can you say ‘you’re wearing a funny costume’ with the tights and stuff? That’s been going on for 20 years now. Yes, we all know that superheroes are damaged individuals. Maybe we need to see a happy superhero?” he says.
Burton might do another superhero film after all
Burton did 2 Batman movies, with Michael Keaton as the beloved Caped Crusader. He’s amazed today that his version of Batman got so much criticism for being “too dark,” while Chris Nolan’s reinterpretation in “The Dark Knight” trilogy, which in turn inspired all superhero movies to go dark and serious, was praised as a breakthrough.
The circumstances have changed and this explains why he was criticized while Nolan was praised. With the circumstances, the tastes of the moviegoers changed – and Nolan simply happened to be there to meet their desire of a less cartoonish, more “real” superhero.
Burton has a point, though: it does feel like we’re reaching superhero saturation, and not just with Marvel. This is the only reason why he’s no eager to jump on this boat, even though he admits there might be another superhero film in it for him.
Marvel isn’t alone in supersaturating the market with superhero flicks
Come 2016, Warner Bros. will also be launching its response to Marvel’s Avengers franchise, with “Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which will include more Superman films, probably a Batman spinoff as well, and at least one Wonder Woman and Aquaman film.
While Marvel continues to expand on its Avengers and its newest hit, “Guardians of the Galaxy,” Sony Pictures is also struggling hard to relaunch one of its hottest properties, the “Spider-Man” franchise. They rebooted it only 10 years after the original, but both installments with Andrew Garfield that came out so far have been met with less than enthusiastic reviews by the fans and critics.
What with the Sony Hack, the studio might abandon the superhero film race altogether – and with that, we’re still in danger of seeing too many of these films. Again, Burton has a point: by 2020, we might all be sick and tired of dudes and dudettes in funny outfits, fighting the entire universe to save the planet.
