A quick glance at the top ten highest-grossing films of all time will reveal a selection that is dominated by superhero movies. At any given time, there are more than 10 highly anticipated superhero movies under development. Even superhero movies that receive poor critical review scores and face fan backlashes still rake in hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Why is this the case?
They Feature Characters We Are Familiar With
One of the benefits enjoyed by superhero movies (as well as reboots of popular franchises) is that the viewers are already familiar with the characters. Other types of film have to work hard to create characters that will appeal to the audience; superhero movies don’t have that burden. People remember superheroes from childhood cartoons and comic books and are often eager to see how they will be re-imagined in a live-action movie environment.
They Consistently Feature Conflict and Drama
While the modern superhero movies have made tremendous efforts towards having nuanced plots and well fleshed out characters, the superhero movie is built on a predictable premise. There are the heroes and the villains. The conflict between these opposing forces usually creates a fast-paced, and action-filled story that is almost universally appealing. Even with more nuanced ‘anti-heroes’ and sympathetic villains, conflict will always be at the centre of the plot from start to finish.
The Explosive Growth of CGI Technology
Superhero characters and their stories feature a lot of creativity and fantastical elements. This is why they have been traditionally presented through comic books and cartoons. The rapid development of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) in the last two decades or so has now made it possible to recreate these fantastical elements in a live-action film. Epic fight scenes, new worlds and the many different superpowers can now be realistically portrayed in movies. This unparalleled visual stimulation is one of the reasons people can’t get enough of superhero movies.