2023 was the year that I realized I should no longer be the target audience for summer blockbusters. And that’s perfectly okay.
I love going to the movie theater, and I have the good fortune (or strategy) of living about a 3-minute drive from a large cineplex. I took time away from the movie theater during the height of COVID-19, as many did, and 2023 was the first year I was back as much as usual. The first thing I noticed was that everything had changed. The second was that the studios were the only ones who hadn’t realized it.
2023 Summer Movies Underperformed
There’s no doubt that 2023 was a lackluster year at the box office for the big summer movies. Aside from Barbie and Oppenheimer, many blockbuster films fell short of expectations. There were reasons that the others fell short. Some were obvious; some weren’t.
In some cases, the biggest movies of the summer fell short of expectations and didn’t review well. Audiences still appeared to lag in excitement for going to the movie theater, too. Many younger moviegoers have become accustomed to watching films on streaming services and are willing to wait until movies release there. Also, some people just don’t like the hassle of going to the theater and dealing with all the distractions it brings.
It Should’ve Been a Great Summer
The 2023 summer blockbuster slate was full of familiar names. Transformers, Indiana Jones, and Mission: Impossible all headlined what was an impressive lineup on paper. Hell, even Michael Keaton returned as Batman in The Flash! What could go wrong? These were all movies I had grown up with.
The problem, however, is that these were all movies and characters I had grown up with – in the 1990s. For younger audiences in 2023, the allure of these franchises is either declining or just isn’t there anymore. Don’t get me wrong – we ancient people in our 30s who have to ask what the hell “yeet” means go to see movies, too. But we don’t go as often or see movies we love repeatedly as often as those darn kids do.
Aging Heroes
Without question, the movie I was most excited about in the summer of 2023 was Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Alongside Star Wars, Indy is my favorite film franchise, and I have loved it since I was a kid. As I sat in theaters watching it, I liked the movie but couldn’t help thinking that an 80-year-old protagonist wasn’t an overly exciting prospect for younger fans. Indy’s heyday was 40 years ago, and even the most recent entry, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, is 15 years old. Indiana Jones just isn’t a staple for younger audiences.
In addition, the themes explored in Dial of Destiny – mortality, facing your past, finding your place later in life – resonate with adult audiences but not younger ones. Dial of Destiny focused more on character than on action, although the action it contained was excellent. I’m just not sure that 16-year-old me would’ve been dying to see it.
You might be thinking that that’s an extreme example and that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny also got middling reviews. That’s fair, so let’s look at an actor 20 years younger than Harrison Ford – Tom Cruise. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part I was a great film and reviewed very well. Still, Dead Reckoning lagged behind box office expectations for the mammoth action flick.
The Flash had a lot of things working against it, but it was largely billed as a film that centered around the return of Michael Keaton in the role of Batman. That was great for me, and I loved it, but how many younger viewers cared? A lot of people see the debate of the best Batman as between Robert Pattinson and Christian Bale. To them, Michael Keaton, George Clooney, and Val Kilmer are all from those “really old ones.”
Related: An Oppenheimer Producer Told Margot Robbie to Move Barbie’s Release Date
Oversaturation of Nostalgia
A little nostalgia is great when it’s done in moderation. A movie like Top Gun: Maverick demonstrates that there is a definite appetite for revisiting older franchises – if it’s done with intent and advances the story. Maverick told a meaningful story while also upping the ante on the action that defined the first movie almost 40 years earlier. It was an audience-pleasing film with big action and no superheroes.
But for every Top Gun: Maverick, there are plenty of films like Indiana Jones, The Flash, Jurassic Park, and many others. Nostalgic films aren’t an event anymore. They’re a pillar of the lineup. Need further evidence? 2024 features Alien, Lord of the Rings, Ghostbusters, Beetlejuice, Bad Boys 4, Twister, Gladiator 2, and The Fall Guy.
Not Every Movie Bombed
The late July combination of Oppenheimer and Barbie bucked the trend, both having varying degrees of success at the box office. I took a day off of work and did the whole Barbenheimer experience – Oppenheimer at 10:00 AM and Barbie at 2:30 PM. I noticed two things on top of how good both films were. First, I was the youngest person in the theater for Oppenheimer and close to the oldest for Barbie. Second, both movies were dramatically different in tone and intent than many others from the summer.
Oppenheimer was just focused on telling a good story. It wasn’t interested in pandering or burdened with having to offer up fan service at any point. Also of importance is that it is based on actual historical events and has source material to draw from. Finally, Christopher Nolan is one of the few directors who will bring an audience to theaters just because their name is attached. Oppenheimer was all but guaranteed to be a success.
Barbie, however, had to navigate multiple generations of fandom. It, like Indiana Jones and other summer films, also had to combat narratives from people who watch too much cable news. Despite this, it still exceeded expectations in a massive way. Barbie succeeded because its priority was the audience of today. However, it still paid respect to those who had known the brand for decades. The wonderful Rhea Perlman scene paid real, genuine respect to fans of all generations.
What Needs to Change?
There’s no clear answer other than to stop making nostalgia the norm. I still want to revisit these characters and stories. I think many of us do. But we need new stories and heroes for today, and we’re not getting enough of them. The word has changed an awful lot in the last 30-40 years. Our heroes should, too.
