to Feel Again

WRITTEN BY

There was a time in my life when seeing the newest Marvel movie was something I anticipated for months. It was a race between me and my peers to see the film before spoilers inevitably started circulating around the halls. Over the past few years, however, that attitude has completely shifted. Instead of hearing nonstop buzz for weeks leading up to the film’s release, people groan about having to relearn decades worth of lore before heading to the theater to watch yet another superhero take the screen.

Though these films still dominate the box office, a quick glimpse at audience reviews indicates that ticket sales don’t equate to quality. Reviews of Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania call it a “CGI circus,” “underdeveloped,” and “lifeless,” earning it an abysmal 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. While it’s possible that the quality of Marvel films is merely in decline, it’s worth considering that viewers’ preferences are shifting away from unrealistic action thrillers.

The COVID-19 pandemic encouraged audiences to envelop themselves in the escapism offered by the rich world-building utilized in fantasy movies. It was fulfilling to watch a film that depicted a hero saving their city or the planet because, at the time, we all secretly hoped that a quick fix would end the pandemic and return our lives back to normal. Now that life revolves less around COVID, the general public has been inspired to regain control of their lives, and the highest-praised modern films reflect that.

The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Turning Red were some of 2022’s highest-rated films, earning a respective 93%, 96%, and 95% on Rotten Tomatoes. At their core, they all tell the same story: a protagonist takes their life by the reins to establish their agency separate from their family, friends, and community. For most of the pandemic, we relied on people in power to bring us comfort, answers, and solutions, but they failed to do so. Now, audiences are moving away from relying on others and, instead harnessing their own agency to solve their problems.

What sets these films apart from the Marvel ephemera, aside from their respective genres, is that audiences finally see themselves represented realistically on-screen. Each of these films demonstrates the complete human experience, not just the aesthetically pleasing parts. Everything Everywhere

All at Once showcases a young woman, Joy, as she navigates the pressures of being the queer daughter of first-generation immigrants. The Banshees of Inisherin follows Pádraic as he deals with the insecurity of being abandoned by those closest to him. Turning Red focuses on Meilin, a Chinese girl who has to navigate the awkwardness of adolescence while also living up to the high standards her parents set for her.

When a viewer can look at a character and personally identify with them and their struggles, the viewing experience doesn’t end when the credits roll. The film designates two hours for audiences to sit with their feelings and explore them instead of pushing them down to be dealt with later; an experience that seems to be few and far between for many.

It is the emotional nature of these films, however, that results in their poor performance at the box office in comparison to their blockbuster action-film counterparts. Viewers are hesitant to watch emotional films in theaters with a room full of strangers. When they know films are typically available for streaming within two months of their theatrical release, it feels worth the wait to ensure a private viewing experience.

The problem with this practice lies in the fact that films always make more money from theatrical releases than streaming releases due to the high fees studios have to pay to distributors for their films to be available. Therefore, box office performance remains of the utmost importance in determining whether or not a movie will turn a profit. Everything Everywhere All at Once ranked 27th at the domestic box office for 2022, right below Morbius, which has a whopping 16% on Rotten Tomatoes. The Banshees of Inisherin came in at 83rd and Turning Red received such an underwhelming response ahead of its premiere that its theatrical release was scrapped, resulting in a release straight to Disney+.

If the movies that have received the best audience feedback in the last year have indicated anything, it’s that movie fans are hungry for control, and the way to take back control is by seeing movies in theaters. Laughing, crying, and screaming alongside a crowd of other moviegoers can reinvigorate the film industry. Film is an art form, but Hollywood is a capitalistic institution; dollar signs will always take precedence over the quality of a film. To avoid another decade of half-baked action movies, the billionaires who own production companies need to see that audiences don’t want two hours of CGI overstimulation anymore; they want to feel something. Nicole Kidman said it best: “We come to [movie] theaters to laugh, to cry, to care. Because we need that, all of us.”