Do you love a good super hero flick? Or are you one of the growing number of people who think your friendly, neighbourhood, billionaire, alien what-ever-he-is should go back to the comic books where he belongs.
If you’re among the later, we’re got some bad news for you: the cape-themed franchise is probably here to stay, especially if Disney has anything to say about it. Black Panther, the 18th movie in Marvel’s ongoing super hero franchise, called the MCU, opens today and will likely add a Hulk-sized load of dollars to Disney’s bottom line.
In didn’t used to be this way, but in the 10 short years since Marvel launched the MCU, which started with 2008’s Iron Man and includes nine of the top grossing films internationally of all-time, things have changed. Stand-alone movies are now as rare as Super Heroines. Even producing a franchise these days is not enough. The MCU has created a cross-platform empire that includes theatrical releases, network television shows and streamable content.
GN’s Guides Editor Gareth Warren joins us on the show to talk about what these changes mean and whether that is a good thing for both the industry and its viewers.
