'Barbie' success and Marvel struggles may signal a shift for movies

Steven Spielberg predicted that the superhero movie would one day go "the way of the Western." He predicted this eight years ago which at that time caused a widespread stir.

"Avengers: The Age of Ultron" was then one of the year's biggest movies. The following year would bring "Captain America: Civil War," "Deadpool" and "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice." The superhero movie was in high gear, and showing no signs of slowing down.

Even though the Avengers series saw three releases this year, none of came in top 3 releases of the year. "Barbie," "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Oppenheimer" ruled the box office year. The last time this happened was in 20021 when "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," "Shrek" and "Monsters, Inc." topped the box office.


As 2023 draws to a close, no one is sounding the death knell of the superhero movie. The Walt Disney Co.'s "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" made $845.6 million worldwide and Sony's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" ($691 million) was one of the most acclaimed films of the year. Marvel is still mightier than any other brand in the business.

No, it's not exactly a lineup of originality like, say, 1973, when "The Exorcist, "The Sting" and "American Graffiti" led all movies in ticket sales. "Barbie" and "The Super Mario Bros.," based on some of the most familiar brands in the world, will generate spinoffs and sequels of their own.

But it's hard not to sense a shift in moviegoing, one that might have reverberations for years to come for Hollywood.

"There's an inflection point in 2023," says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. " Barbenheimer is just one part of that story. Audiences, they want to be challenged. I think the tried and true is not necessarily working."