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Listen: MCU Ends
As We Approach The End of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: What’s Next for Movies?
• The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is nearing its end, with box office numbers declining and the potential disappointment of their upcoming film, “The Marvels.”
• This marks the end of an era sparked by two iconic films – “Jaws” and “Star Wars” – by Steven Spielberg and George Lucas.
• As Marvel’s influence fades, some are looking to a return to films with compelling scripts, exceptional acting, and genuine human drama.
• The culture of escapism began long before the MCU, but what will come after remains uncertain.
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) reaches its final stages, don’t expect movies to return to “normal”. The impact of two iconic films, “Jaws” and “Star Wars,” half a century ago forever changed the cinema landscape, giving rise to blockbusters and an era of popcorn-filled entertainment. The influence of these movies, along with the transcendent game-changers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas, cannot be denied.
Similarly, the Age of Marvel has become a mythical era, often seen as a continuation of the Lucas/Spielberg revolution. Comic-book movies didn’t emerge overnight—they gradually gained popularity from the late 1970s to the mid-2000s. The release of “Iron Man” in 2008 marked the beginning of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, sparking a new wave of escapism and fantasy. But now, it seems that the Marvel takeover may be coming to an end.
The Marvel movie-making machine is facing challenges, with declining numbers and a potential box-office disappointment for their upcoming film, “The Marvels”. Audiences, once enamored by the Marvel phenomenon, are starting to tire of the never-ending product churned out by the franchise. We know that all genres have their time in the spotlight before fading away, and the MCU is no exception.
So, what comes after Marvel? Many hope for a return to the movies of the past—films for adults with compelling scripts, exceptional acting, and genuine human drama. There’s a longing for communal experiences in movie theaters, where movies were once considered the art form of our time. But let’s not solely blame Marvel for the decline of cinema. The culture of escapism and over-reliance on special effects began long before the MCU took the world by storm.
As we enter the endgame of the Marvel era, there’s a sense of uncertainty about the future of movies. Will they recover from the influence of Marvel and regain their artistic essence? Only time will tell.
