Study reveals interest in superhero movies is falling as Marvel and DC ramp up content

A new study has revealed America's interest in superhero movies is shrinking.

After being dazzled and amazed by four separate phases of Marvel cinematic content as well as a peppering of DC Comics films, it seems like our appetite for superhuman saviours is drying up.

Morning Consult survey revealed 59 per cent of all respondents enjoy superhero movies.

While that doesn't seem too bad, that number is down from 64 per cent last November.

People responding to the study said they were 'getting a little tired of so many of them', which is fair considering how many productions have been greenlit in the last few years.

The number of self-identified Marvel fans who like superhero flicks is also down from 87 to 82 per cent.

Marvel/Disney

The results of the study have been released just after Marvel announced a slew of new projects that will be hitting our cinemas over the next few years.

We're getting as many as 10 projects, some of which only have a name at this point, and then you've also got the numerous Marvel TV series, which will likely continue to grow and dive deeper into new and old characters.

Despite the figures, there's no denying that superhero films still manage to get bums on seats.

Four out of the top 10 highest grossing films of all time are ones about people with special powers or a crusading cause.

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness and Thor: Love and Thunder have also been some of the highest grossing films of 2022.

So, there's clearly still people out there who want to soak up some entertainment for two hours or so.

However, Morning Consult's survey questions how long that interest will last.

DC Comics has recently revealed they now have a 10-year plan that will try to emulate what their competitors have been excelling at since the late 2000s.

Marvel/Disney

Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO David Zaslav said: "We have done a reset.

"We’ve restructured the business where we’re going to focus, where there will be a team with a ten-year plan focusing just on DC.

"It’s very similar to the structure that Alan Horn and Bob Iger put together very effectively with Kevin Feige at Disney.”

That statement comes fresh off the news that Batgirl had been dropped from theatrical and streaming release because of alleged poor audience testing.

That's the big challenge superhero producers are faced with: as they move away from the highly recognisable names like Iron Man, can they still get people interested in an unknown?

The proof will certainly be in the box office over the next few years as audiences weigh up whether they want to spend their hard-earned cash on a new story.

Topics: TV and Film, Marvel, DC Comics

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Senior Journalist at LADbible. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign. He is in charge of the LADbible Australia editorial content and social presence.

@stewartperrie