Is the world finally bored of superhero films? DC’s The Suicide Squad flopped and Angelina Jolie’s upcoming Eternals doesn’t excite – but maybe the new Spider-Man film will save the day

Aug 26 , 2021

We’re getting more superhero films in recent years, but are they all that ‘super’? Photos: @ronaaaaaak/Twitter, @StarLord_Supra/Twitter, @CultureCrave/Twitter

Despite starring John Cena, with a Sylvester Stallone voice cameo, 2021’s The Suicide Squad was down US$100 million in the box office on opening weekend, compared to 2016

Eternals features Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani, but their obscure characters are no Captain America or Batman – is it time for Hollywood to move on?

Hollywood’s got a superhero problem. Hollywood’s got a lot of problems, but superheroes are a big one. It seems they’ve been called on a few too many times. And now when it’s time to save the day, the big guys aren’t answering, and lesser heroes are struggling to get the job done.

Like Polka Dot Man. What’s that? You haven’t heard of Polka Dot Man? Well, what about Shang-Chi? Kingo? Not ringing any bells?

David Dastmalchian, who plays Polka Dot Man, in a behind the scenes photo with director James Gunn. Photo: @dastmalchian/Instagram

These are the superheroes that are now or soon to be hitting screens. If they seem like results from the fifth page of a Google search of “superheroes”, that’s because they’re a far cry from Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and the other top-tier superheroes on which Hollywood’s current comic book business model was built. And the outlook isn’t sunny.

There was much hand-wringing earlier this month when The Suicide Squad opened below projections with US$26.2 million its first weekend. That was off by more than US$100 million from the US$133.6 million opening of the previous Suicide Squad in 2016.

From left: David Dastmalchian, John Cena, Idris Elba and Daniela Melchior in The Suicide Squad. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

A lot of factors played into this, chiefly the box office-crushing pandemic that is still ravaging Hollywood. There’s also the fact that due to that pandemic, The Suicide Squad is streaming at home on HBO Max, which cuts further into box office receipts.

There are other points of consideration, including its rating (the first movie was rated PG-13, the new one is R), the overall poor reception of the first film, and the fact that the new one doesn’t star Will Smith.

Joaquin Phoenix in a still from Joker (2019), which is currently not considered a part of the DC Extended Universe. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

But then there are the characters themselves. The first movie featured the Joker, the most recognisable villain in the superhero/comic book universe. Everyone knows the Joker. The Joker sells tickets.

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