After superhero movies, another very popular genre lost its luster. Premiere after 20 years

When Hollywood's summer movie season kicks off on Friday, theater owners will rely on the high-heeled women of the comedy “The Devil Wears Prada 2” rather than superheroes in capes to draw audiences to theaters, Reuters reports.

For the past two decades, the first weekend in May has brought a superhero movie or other adrenaline-pumping adventure title to the big screen. Disney had planned to release “Avengers: Doomsday” in early May, but they replaced the title with “Prada 2,” a comedy starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, after the Marvel movie's makers asked for more time.

Film industry analysts expect the decision to prove inspired, with the film, a 20-year follow-up to the original feature, expected to gross more than $100 million in its opening weekend.

But Disney's move also coincides with a decline in the commercial strength of action films, according to an analysis of North American box office by consulting firm TD Cowen.

As many action movies, but lower grosses

Doug Creutz, the author of the report, told Reuters that last year “Superman,” “F1” and other action/adventure films accounted for 35 percent of ticket sales among the top 100 films.

The percentage was the lowest since 2010 and marked the third year in a row that it did not exceed 40%.

Disney-owned Marvel Studios' superhero movies and Universal Pictures' “Fast & Furious” racing features drew massive movie theater audiences in the 2010s.

Even more recently, in 2022, action movies accounted for 56 percent of Hollywood's domestic box office, driven by Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick.

The number of action films released in theaters has remained relatively constant at about 25 per year for more than a decade.

Have movies gotten worse?

Analyst Creutz says some of the decline in ticket sales could be related to the lower quality of new films. However, even critically acclaimed titles generated lower grosses than in years past.

“It appears that audiences are no longer as eager to see even good superhero movies as they were before the pandemic,” Creutz wrote in a research note.

In contrast, family films are on the rise, as are horror films. Recent hits include “Lilo & Stitch,” “Zootropolis 2” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.”

Cinema owners say genre popularity is cyclical. The key to success, they say, is a varied offer of films throughout the year.

New 'Spider-Man' and 'Star Wars' movies coming this summer

“We need more drama and comedy,” Greg Marcus, president and CEO of The Marcus Corporation, told Reuters. The company is the fourth largest operator of movie theater chains in the US. “They say that no one goes to dramas or comedies anymore. The reason is that, in fact, there are no more movies like these that are worth going to the cinema for,” he believes.

And yet, the star of action movies has not completely set. Analysts are bullish on this summer's releases, including “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” the new “Star Wars” movie. “Avengers: Doomsday,” instead, has been delayed and scheduled for December.

The previous title in the “Avengers” franchise, 2019's “Endgame,” generated $1.9 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of all time.

It was later overtaken by James Cameron's original Avatar after it was re-released in China in 2021.

“It doesn't have to be just one genre that kicks off the movie season”

Shawn Robbins, director of film analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, says “The Devil Wears Prada 2” could support the idea of ​​greater genre diversity in theaters, said .

He expects the film to bring in at least $70 million in North America alone, providing a solid start to the summer season that typically brings in 40 percent of annual box office receipts.

“I can guarantee that there are a lot of people who are hoping that this becomes the new normal,” Robbins told Reuters, referring to the desire to see more films outside of the action genre.

“It doesn't have to be one genre that launches the movie season at a very profitable time,” he added.