According to box office data, the most watched film in Bulgaria and North America this week, for the third week in a row, is “Black Adam” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The new “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” should crush all the competition.
Meanwhile, actor Chris Evans, known from “Captain America” and “Fantastic Four”, but also as the voice of animated superhero Buzz Lightyear, was named the sexiest man on the planet in the traditional ranking of the magazine “People ” . In Evans’ glittering string of box office hits, seductress roles are absent.
In June of this year, the ‘Rolling Stone’ website declared the 21st century the ‘golden age of superheroes’.
Are viewers tired of superheroes after more than 40 years of fighting? Absolutely no. The universes of “Marvel” and “DC Comics” keep dozens of images in stock that can come to life at any moment.
Photo: BTA
Yet time leaves its mark on the tastes of the public.
Fifty-year-old Dwayne Johnson is far from the cinematic images imposed in the 20th century. The 1978 film “Superman” is a milestone in the history of the silver screen. Smiling intellectual newcomer Christopher Reeve is 26 years old. He was joined by Marlon Brando. The screenwriter is Mario Puzo himself.
Against Reeve’s youthful age, 35-year-old Michael Keaton looks wise and relaxed as he dons the iconic black suit for the first Batman in 1986.
Modern images of superheroes are significantly different. Former wrestler Dwayne Johnson absolutely cannot be called a “sex symbol”, nor a role or image model. Before him, Robert Downey Jr. made the film comeback of his life with his role in ‘Iron Man’. Like “The Rock”, Downey gets into Tony Stark’s plastic suit already at middle age – 44 years old. He has served an effective sentence and is struggling with drug addiction. The role of Iron Man and the success of the film are vital for him.
Photo: Getty Images
Of course, the viewer doesn’t just want to see a battle between good and evil. Today’s audience doesn’t mind “giving a chance” to a retired steroid wrestler or old youth idol. While fighting to stop the bad guys, Robert Downey Jr. is also fighting his way back among the best actors in Hollywood. Everyone has the right to try and save the world, judge the viewer as they buy a ticket and keep “Black Adam” at the top for the third week in a row.
Photo: Getty Images
Paradoxically, movies with lots of effects and foreshadowing characters break clichés in the most positive way. Such is Wonder Woman, played by Gal Gadot. The search for alternative plots goes even further. The superhero was no longer necessarily on the right side for a long time. In 2016, Batman v Superman showed that in fantasy storylines, good and evil are relative categories. As in life.
Photo: Forum Film Bulgaria
Breaking through layered clichés is also the story of Wakanda. Filmmakers bet on black characters and reinvent traditional cultures. In the sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the female characters become the leaders, BTA reports. The first Black Panther film has already made history as the first superhero production to be nominated for an Oscar in the Best Picture category in 2019.
Who would watch a movie about a comic book superhero who destroys both enemy and prejudice? All.
