Russo Brothers Attributing Marvel's Difficulties to Younger Audience Instead of Content Quality
New Take:
In the current zeitgeist, it's hard to deny that Marvel Studios, with its smash hit X-Men '97 series on Disney+, is still reigning supreme in the hearts of fans each week. But it's not exactly a secret that the studio's big-screen tentpole releases have been a tad underwhelming as of late. Could it be the content itself, lacking the cohesive magic of the Infinity Saga? Maybe it's the sheer volume of Marvel material flooding our screens - between films and TV shows, it's like a superhero deluge! Or is it the unavoidable concept of superhero saturation finally rearing its head?
Nah, say Joe and Anthony Russo. It's the little ones with their short attention spans and their TikTok-fueled minds that we should blame.
"There's a massive divide in the way people consume media these days," Joe Russo told GamesRadar about Marvel's gradual slip from cultural behemoth with the release of Avengers: Endgame. "The older generation grew up with scheduled viewing and going to movie theaters, but that's dying out. Now, there's a new generation that wants everything instantly and processes it in a hurry, moving onto the next thing."
"I believe the two-hour movie format, with its traditional story structure, is starting to feel outdated," Russo continued. "This new generation is seeking new ways to tell stories catering to their ADHD-induced minds."
"The superhero fatigue argument has been around for a while now," Anthony Russo chimed in, pushing back on the idea that viewers are simply tired of superhero tales. "Folks have been discussing the demise of the superhero boom for almost as long as the boom has been powerful. Yet, westerns were considered dead for years, yet they had an impressive run."
Sure, that reasoning may have some truth to it, but suggesting that Marvel's recent struggles at the box office are due to the younger generation's short attention spans is nothing short of absurd - especially when one of Disney+'s biggest hits is an excellent, half-hour animated series based on the X-Men, a property steeped in decades of comic lore and animated history. So, it's not exactly floundering because it's a weekly animated show, contrary to what Joe Russo may think. Nope, it's working because it's a bloody fantastic TV show.
With top-notch soap opera drama, captivating action sequences, and a breathtaking embrace of decades of comics and animated series, X-Men '97 has its fans hooked. It's not that audiences are jaded by spandex-clad heroes - they're tuning in week after week because it's consistently delivering quality storytelling. So, perhaps it's time to ditch the simplistic generational explanations.
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In the current conversation, the argument about Marvel Studios' declining performance in the big-screen releases is ongoing. Joe and Anthony Russo propose it's the short attention spans and instant cultural consumption levels of the new generation that contributes to this issue. However, this assertion is debatable, considering the success of the X-Men '97 series on Disney+, a weekly animated show deeply rooted in comic lore and animated history. The two-hour movie format has been questioned as outdated in today's fast-paced media consumption environment, but it seems that quality storytelling may be the key to engaging audiences, regardless of format or generation. Leveraging this understanding could help reinvigorate the superhero genre and also contribute to the success of future Marvel projects.
