“Back in my younger days” (LOL, when we all had to walk 20 miles to school in the snow), going to our local movie theater was just such a thrill. Yeah, I’ve got enough grey hair now that posting a black & white photo of Richmond Square Theaters is all I could find!
As a lifelong comic book & superhero fan, nothing beat that thrill of sinking into those creaky ‘faux soft’ seats, popcorn in lap, waiting for the lights to dim and the screen to explode with larger-than-life heroes. And YES, it was a delight not having to sit through 15 minutes of commercials, but I guess if we all went to the theaters as much as we did in my ‘big 80s era,’ maybe they wouldn’t need that extra revenue today ha!
Whether it was Star Wars: A New Hope in May ’77, Superman: The Movie in ’78, those films had us all hooked. I mean come on…just Google ‘Best Movies of the 80s’ to see the Power of Film we enjoyed, and those of us who had the fun of living through that era KNOW that anticipation that came from having to WAIT THREE YEARS for Empire Strikes Back or Temple of Doom to release!
These Days? That spark is dimming & I’m left wondering if it’s the movies, me, or the world that’s changed?
Let’s Start with the Movies.
The last decade or so, Marvel & DC churned out superhero flicks like they were on an assembly line, trying to appeal desperately to every level of potential audience possible, rather than the tried & true, where we’re at a point where watching THE CRITICAL DRINKER (2.33M YT Fans) or NERDROTIC (1.21M YT Fans) often out-view the movies they’re actually reviewing!
A few do stick with us, of course. Sure, a juggernaut like Deadpool & Wolverine still gets my blood pumping, but most new releases feel like they’re missing that secret sauce - the heart, the originality, the vibe that had us pining for those nights at the cinema. Remember when Marty McFly ripped that guitar solo in BTTF??? ABSOLUTE EPICNESS on film.
Wanted to cuddle up with your date? A Horror Movie it was. Needed that adrenaline rush? Top Gun or Mad Max had you covered. Needed a good laugh? FERRIS BUELER and pretty much anything with Mel Brooks (Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs..).
Maybe it’s the industry chasing trends over storytelling, or maybe I’m just a jaded old collector dude trying to relive the highs of my youth, when every new issue or film felt like a revelation. I’m am SO HOPING Fantastic Four First Steps come at least CLOSE to watching Ryan & Hugh slug it out last year…
Maybe, It’s Not Just Nostalgia. Maybe, The World Did Actually Shift Under Our Feet
COVID turned theaters & their related districts (restaurants, bars, roller rinks???) into ghost towns, and even now, I hesitate to brave sticky floors & overpriced M&M's when my home theater system, complete with a 65-inch 4K screen & soundstage level sound, and ‘pause-for-bathroom-break’ ease of use, and likely soon - mass adoption of VR Headsets & glasses to further rival the multiplex.
Why shell out $20 to $50 or more for a ticket when I can wait a month to stream the latest blockbuster in my PJs? Add in a shaky economy, where every dollar counts these days if we like to, oh…eat or drive, and the theater’s allure fades as fast as a comic cover left out in the sun.
Then There’s Technology
I tried to limit my social media use for years, but of course I need FB Marketplace for deals or alerts from friends on pending concerts or get togethers, LinkedIn to help manage my work life & “most importantly,” I needed an X account SPECIFICALLY for VeVe’s massive community fandom there. Oh yeah, that YOUTUBE thing sure is fun & entertaining, but as someone who likes to WRITE blogs & read things, it too pulls a lot of my attention and time from other things.
It All Adds Up & Owning a Theater These Days Must be Tough
Of course, the entertainment industry’s just following the money, chasing our eyeballs to algorithm-driven feeds, which often means away from the big screen.
I half-expect to end up like those folks in WALL-E, glued to screens in floating chairs, where it’s EASY to expect an onslaught of AI-driven effects, where it feels so far gone from the days of expecting, and watching actual stunt people risk their lives for the entertainment value of ours. (OK, maybe except Tom Cruise…)
So, What About COMIC BUYING SPECULATION?
Does it sort of feel like the buying frenzies of years past aren’t quite as frenzied these days? New characters / first appearances don’t seem to pack that old punch of anticipation, where we’ve been through so many re-writes of stories trying to add ‘modern themes’ always has me wondering why it’s just not easier to re-release the originals?
George did it with the Star Wars did it with the "Special Edition" release in the ‘90s after fixing up a bunch of things he was unhappy with, so why can’t we do more of that?
Have our attention spans become so weakened, not wanting miss a post or Snap that we’re having trouble thinking about anything in the future longer than a day or two?
When we had to wait a year or more for a sequel to hit, the waiting game was filled with buying comics, books, those wicked light sabers that glowed green if you left ‘em under a lamp for an hour…the toys & comic titles were strategically delayed, just enough to titilate the pending movie release, so we had to have them in our rooms at any cost.
LET ME ASK YOU:
DO YOU jump all over comic titles and speculate, in the hopes of hitting a home run with a comic based on an upcoming theater release? Does that matter as much to you these days?
NGL, when rumours of Taylor Swift showing up as Dazzler in Deadpool 3 hit the media, yeah…I grabbed an old physical book of hers found at an antiques store, while I went pretty heavy on X-Men #130 in VeVe, stacking up Dazzler’s FA in Marvel Comics.
And yes - it had a huge pump, with the ‘Secret Rare’ (exclusive-to-VeVe) variant cover of only 125 to ever exist, DAZZLED its way from a standard $350 - $500 market floor rate, to over $5000 during the FRENZY, now settling back into its previous ‘standard’ floor with the excitement of Taylor Dazzler all but gone.
So from that Standpoint, SURE - I'm Thrilled to See the Spec Runs Alive & Well
Maybe I’ve just been overthinking this as usual, as the announcement of Fantastic Four First Steps hasn’t seemed to hit overly hard on the OG FF book spikes, although some of the newer titles like DOOM #1 seem to be faring rather well.
Of course, I also grew up in an era where comedy was openly allowed in society. Benny Hill, Archie Bunker, On the Buses, Airplane ('SHIRLEY' you must remember Leslie Nielson rocking out the guffaws), Policy Academy…to be in a room with 200-300 other people laughing our collective arses off are memories worth keeping, as I’m not so sure we may be able to win those allowances back…too many things set too many people off in the wrong direction these days…which maybe in itself is partly the reason new releases don’t have the excitement of our ‘good old days?’
Maybe the magic’s still out there though, just waiting for the right story and bold producer to Strike Back at the Empire.
In the weeks ahead, I DO plan to see both the new Superman & Fantastic Four flicks, so all fingers crossed my recent buys of those books hit the speculation frenzy that at least I was absolutely enjoying.
Regardless, I hyped myself into buying these, and have a few still on my wish list...cuz they're great to read & hold whatever happens at the theater!
Thanks for Reading!
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