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A14 PEOPLE / ARTS
Thursday 28 december 2023

Was 2023 a tipping point for movies? ‘Barbie’ success and Marvel

struggles may signal a shift

By JAKE COYLE a film released just two
AP Film Writer months after Swift’s record-
NEW YORK (AP) — Eight ed concerts in a first-of-its-
years ago, Steven Spiel- kind distribution deal with
berg predicted that the su- AMC Theatres. It grossed
perhero movie would one $250 million worldwide, and
day go “the way of the was followed by the similar-
Western.” ly released “Renaissance:
Spielberg’s comments A Film by Beyoncé,” anoth-
caused a widespread stir er No. 1 debut.
at the time. “Avengers: More surprising was “Sound
The Age of Ultron” was of Freedom,” a $15 mil-
then one of the year’s big- lion film from the indepen-
gest movies. The following dent Angel Studios, which
year would bring “Cap- matched Swift with $250
tain America: Civil War,” million worldwide. It was re-
“Deadpool” and “Batman leased with a unique “pay
v. Superman: Dawn of Jus- it forward” program that
tice.” The superhero mov- allowed people to donate
ie was in high gear, and This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Margot Robbie in a scene from “Barbie.” tickets.
showing no signs of slowing Associated Press Going into 2023, no one
down. Sting” and “American Graf- tered like never before. original dates. was betting “Sound of Free-
But Spielberg’s point was fiti” led all movies in ticket “The Marvels” marked a Overall ticket sales in U.S. dom” would outgross “The
that nothing is forever in the sales. “Barbie” and “The new low for the Marvel Cin- and Canadian theaters Marvels” or that “Five Nights
movie business. These cy- Super Mario Bros.,” based ematic Universe, collect- for 2023 are expected to at Freddy’s” would have a
cles, Spielberg said, “have on some of the most famil- ing $200 million globally. reach about $9 billion, ac- bigger opening weekend
a finite time in popular cul- iar brands in the world, will DC Studios, in the midst of cording to Comscore, an than “Indiana Jones and
ture.” And the maker of generate spinoffs and se- a revamp, saw disappoint- improvement of about 20% the Dial of Destiny.”
“E.T.,” “Jurassic Park” and quels of their own. ing results for “The Flash” from 2022. The industry is still “There are going to be ex-
“Jaws” might know a thing But it’s hard not to sense and “Blue Beetle” before trying to regain its pre-pan- amples of big-budget, tra-
or two about the ebbs and a shift in moviegoing, one watching “Aquaman and demic footing, when ticket ditional blockbusters that
flows of pop-culture taste. that might have reverbera- the Lost Kingdom” sink to a sales regularly surpassed do well,” says Dergarabe-
As 2023 draws to a close, no tions for years to come for $28.1 million debut. $11 billion. Output of wide- dian. “But for every one
one is sounding the death Hollywood. Both Marvel and DC have releases in 2023 (88) still of those, there have been
knell of the superhero mov- “There’s an inflection point already made moves to trailed those in 2019 (108) two that failed.
ie. The Walt Disney Co.’s in 2023,” says Paul Der- right their ships. Bob Iger, by 18.5%. An audience that’s finding
“Guardians of the Galaxy garabedian, senior media Disney’s chief executive, Hollywood is still coaxing a lot of interesting mate-
Vol. 3” made $845.6 million analyst for data firm Com- has called turning around moviegoers back to the- rial on streaming is becom-
worldwide and Sony’s “Spi- score. “ Barbenheimer is Marvel his top priority. He aters something “Barbie,” ing more open to films like
der-Man: Across the Spider- just one part of that story. said the superhero studio “Oppenheimer” and “Ma- ‘Godzilla Minus One,’ In-
Verse” ($691 million) was Audiences, they want to has suffered greatly from rio” went a long way to dian cinema, Japanese
one of the most acclaimed be challenged. I think the too many films and series helping. anime. There’s a shift in au-
films of the year. Marvel is tried and true is not neces- leading to “diluted qual- “It reinforced something dience taste and studios
still mightier than any other sarily working.” ity.” The James Gunn, Peter that we’ve known for need to get a handle on
brand in the business. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Safran-led DC, meanwhile, 100 years in the business: this.”
But more than ever before, from Warner Bros., was the won’t officially launch until People like going to the That poses as much of a
there are chinks in the ar- year’s runaway hit, with 2025 with “Superman Leg- shared experience out of challenge as an opportuni-
mor of the superhero mov- more than $1.4 billion in acy.” the home,” says Jeffrey ty to studios. If more-of-the-
ie. Its dominance in popu- ticket sales worldwide. It In the meantime, some- Goldstein, distribution chief same no longer has quite
lar culture is no longer quite was a blockbuster like none thing else will have to fill the for Warner Bros. “They love the same appeal for mov-
so assured. A cycle may seen before: an anarchic void. That was a theme in being entertained. Movies iegoers, an industry that for
be turning, and a new one comedy that set a string of 2023, too, when the writers are a good financial prop- years has depended on
dawning. records for a movie direct- and actors strikes marred osition and can bring in a sequels, prequels, reboots
For the first time in more ed by a woman. release plans and forced mass audience.” and remakes to make up
than two decades, the Nearly as unprecedented the delay of several films “It probably started with the bulk of its profits may re-
top three movies at the was the success of Chris- including Warner’s “Dune: ‘Mario’ last April,” adds quire new creativity.
box office didn’t include topher Nolan’s “Oppen- Part Two,” Sony’s next Goldstein. “I think that The Western didn’t vanish
one sequel or remake: heimer,” a three-hour dra- “Ghostbusters” movie and showed audiences again all at once. After two de-
“Barbie,” “The Super Mario ma that nearly grossed $1 MGM’s “Challengers.” that theaters are a fun cades of ubiquity, it began
Bros. Movie” and “Oppen- billion. As different as it and Those disruptions will con- place to be to. And it going out of style in the
heimer.” The last time that “Barbie” were, they were tinue in 2024. Analysts showed studios and con- 1960s. And the Western,
happened was 2001, when each original feats of cin- aren’t expecting a banner tent creators: Up your of course, continues to be
“Harry Potter and the Sor- ema and personal state- year for Hollywood in part game.” rich territory for filmmakers.
cerer’s Stone,” “Shrek” and ments by its directors. because films like the next If 2023 is any guide, hits will This year, 81-year-old Mar-
“Monsters, Inc.” topped At the same time, the Walt “Mission: Impossible” film come from increasingly un- tin Scorsese made his first
the box office. Disney Co.’s Marvel, a hit- and the “Spider-Verse” se- predictable places. Western in “Killers of the
No, it’s not exactly a lineup making machine like none quel, both delayed by the That was the case with Flower Moon,” the three-
of originality like, say, 1973, other in movie history, fal- strikes, won’t make their “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” hour-plus $200 million epic
when “The Exorcist, “The from Apple Studios.q