Has Marvel Saved Cinephilia?

By Sara Ciplickas

In my quest to understand this concept, it was no surprise that I stumbled upon Martin Scorcese’s claim that “Marvel isn’t cinema.” If you are unfamiliar with the essay, the award-winning director compared the films to “theme parks” and argued that “nothing is at risk. The pictures are made to satisfy a specific set of demands…designed as variations on a finite number of themes.” Scorsese’s claims may have some truth to them. Marvel films, or superhero films in general, tend to have the same plot structure and predictability. However, whether or not you enjoy sitting down for a two-hour action-packed, men-in-tights (or metal suits) adventure, one cannot deny that Marvel has dominated the box office, globally calling people back to the movies.

Six of the top fifteen highest-grossing films of all time are produced by Marvel. As of June 2022, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the highest-grossing franchise globally. Additionally, Disney+ has allowed for brand expansion into television with mini-series such as Emmy-award-winning “WandaVision,” “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” and “She-Hulk.” Their universe is far more expansive than other franchises, such as Star Wars and Harry Potter. They have eleven more projects in the works and do not seem to slow down. So what does this have to do with cinephilia?

When trying to understand if cinephilia is dead, I pose two questions: Are people still going to the movies? Are people still talking about movies? People still go to the movies, and more and more people are becoming comfortable with post-pandemic life. However, 55% of Americans still prefer to watch films at home. Streaming services, ticket prices, and general interest in the released films are the main reasons people hesitate to enter the theater. If fewer people are going to the theater, it is worth paying attention to what they are paying to see. In many cases, people are going to see a Marvel blockbuster.

I would argue that more people are talking about films than seeing them. Social media, including TikTok, has over 4 billion people using at least one platform. Millions of accounts, subreddits, threads and feeds are dedicated to talking about films people watch (whether they watched them in the theater or online). Go on any social network and type in #marvel. Millions of people use that hashtag, and TikTok alone has 199 billion views of videos using #marvel. You can’t escape it!

While my personal definition of cinephilia involves going to the cinema and discussing what you see, it is more than that. Instead, cinephilia is an obsession or fetishization of cinema. Are people still obsessed with movies? According to the box office results, people love seeing those movies. More importantly, each film creates additional interaction between the audience and the universe. Audiences go nuts over each new project: films, theme parks, video games, costumes, and merchandise. There is always a lot of buzz, both good and bad.

With all the praise the studio gets, Scorcese is not the only one who doesn’t enjoy what is being released. “She-Hulk” and “Ms. Marvel” bombed, and “Thor: Love and Thunder” was average to many critics and could’ve flourished more. I have often heard that Marvel is turning into a “quantity over quality” studio as more projects are released and not exceeding expectations. Some say the studio has peaked and is no longer at its former glory. I agree that the sheer amount of projects and lack of quality is starting to deter me from visiting the theater, but there is something to be said about bad publicity. If people are genuinely obsessed with cinema, they are just as obsessed with talking about how bad a film is versus how good it is. The predictable superhero films get a lot of attention, and people still have to go to the theater and watch the film to critique it.

Whether or not Marvel is at the top of its game does not sway my prediction that some of the upcoming Marvel films will yield massive box office success. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" will be released in November this year. Following the tragic death of its star, Chadwick Boseman, I predict many people will be interested to see how director Ryan Coogler will handle the story. Additionally, phase five of the cinematic universe includes more Avenger films which always seem to dominate ticket sales. Does box office success necessarily mean every film produced by Marvel is a masterpiece? No, not at all. Does it mean everyone who attends a Marvel film is a cinephile? No. However, cinephilia is not defined by what an individual likes or dislikes. Rather, this exploration of Marvel versus cinephilia forces us to look at the concept as a whole instead of the individual viewers. It is possible Marvel cultivates only obsessive fans and not cinephiles, but again, fans are not the only ones who watch those movies.

It may be a tough pill to swallow, but Marvel studios may have helped save contemporary cinephilia. Yes Martin Scorcese, the films do feel like theme park attractions or cut and paste projects. Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people see movies in the theater, and Marvel guarantees attendance. Additionally, the obsessive viewer culture attached to the brand ensures that people will talk and critique each project with enough passion to defeat any colorful villain in a shiny suit. This is not a piece saying only Marvel fans are cinephiles, or Marvel is the end-all-be-all of modern-day cinephilia. However, if cinephilia is struggling, the Marvel blockbuster machine is a crutch.