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Our in-class discussion comparing the success of Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Flash was especially enlightening to me as a big comic book fan. In fact, learning more about comics is why I came to Los Angeles in the first place. Inspired by this conversation, I wanted to further explore why some comic book films severely outdo their competitors. In addition to discussing Spider-Man: No Way Home and The Flash, I will also highlight Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Blue Beetle as other recent examples of comic book films. My findings conclude that the differences in each film’s success lay in several key factors: information cascades, cultural impact, and innovation.
I first became familiar with information cascades in “Chaos in Hollywood” by John Cassidy. The article explains that there is no clear-cut way to predict a film’s success as it depends on how viewers and potential viewers talk about the movie (Cassidy, 1997, para 4). Despite being highly anticipated and initially receiving good reviews, The Flash ultimately tanked at the box office. The flop can largely be attributed to the controversies surrounding its star, Ezra Miller. After Warner Bros. decided to go through with the film’s release, many called for a boycott of both the film and the studio. The public’s outrage is evident in The Flash’s performance at the box office and that of Warner’s subsequent DC Extended Universe film, Blue Beetle. An August 2023 article by Forbes revealed that the newest in the Extended Universe is yet another flop for the studio but chalks this up to “DCEU’s toxic brand and limited marketing” rather than the quality of the film itself (Hughes, 2023, para 3). Current critic and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes also confirm that Blue Beetle received primarily positive ratings from those who cared to see it (Blue Beetle, 2023). In this case, the information cascade for the movie was barely a trickle, and what did get around was likely clouded by the negative press surrounding its predecessor and parent company, demonstrating the power of the information cascade on films.
In contrast, the uber-successful recent pair of Spider-Man films, No Way Home and Across the Spider-Verse, received a positive information cascade mainly due to their cultural impacts, part of which lies in the stronger messaging of these movies. Comparing No Way Home and The Flash in a YouTube video by TV and movie commentator M.C. Thomas, he argues, “No Way Home has a much stronger message about maturity, personal responsibility, owning up to your mistakes, and being the best version of yourself you can be moving forward,” qualities he believes are lacking within The Flash’s story arc (Why Spider-Man: No Way Home Worked and The Flash Didn’t, 4:10-4:19). While I have not seen the film myself, the apparent lack of impactful messaging could point to weak storytelling. Though there is no way to pinpoint what will make a film successful, it is reasonable to assume that the best films reflect the human spirit. The Star Machine suggests that the success of Hollywood’s biggest stars was rooted in their “tangible physical presence,” with fans claiming, “You feel you’re right up there with her” or “He’s just like someone I could know right here in Ohio” (Basinger, 2007, para. 3). The same could apply to successful films, with lifelike characters perhaps projecting them into a sphere of relatability for their audience. By this logic, a Spider-Man that makes mistakes and owns up to them is more tangible and, therefore, more valuable to moviegoers over a Flash that manipulates the universe to their advantage, learning no realistic lessons in return.
Across the Spider-Verse delivers a similarly impactful and relatable message. The wide range of Spider-people evolved from the traditionally white superhero, from the young Black Puerto Rican star Miles Morales to the mech-driving Japanese-American Peni Parker, a pregnant Jess Drew as Spider-Woman, and even Lego Peter Parker, hammers home the original message of the previous film: anyone can be Spider-Man. Quoted in an article by Mitú, Miles Morales’s voice actor, Shameik Moore, cites his character’s journey with his identity as what makes him so important to fans, stating, “[Miles’s] struggle is very relatable, allowing audiences to connect with him and encouraging them to embrace their unique identities” (Civita, 2023, para. 9). Again, the level of a character’s relatability appears to sway audiences. As a Hispanic moviegoer and fan of this series of Spider-Man films, Morales’s stunning line, “Nah, imma do my own thing,” is a battle cry for all the movie fans who have rarely seen themselves on the big screen, inspiring real-life change and emotion through the animated figure. Morales’s journey captures and reflects decades of real-world struggle, which is what makes him so inspiring to us over a seemingly unevolved character like the Flash. As Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad begins, “We come to [the movies] to laugh, to cry, to care,” and maybe that is precisely what makes a film worth watching.
In addition to life lessons and relatability, Across the Spider-Verse outdoes most other films in its use of modern technology. The documentary Boffo! Tinseltown’s Bombs and Blockbusters explains that new CGI technology can actually hinder today’s filmmakers. This new technology is responsible for some of the most breathtaking scenes in modern cinema and also some of Hollywood’s worst fails, such as the infamous 2019 film adaptation of Cats. While today’s technology can get in the way of storytelling, the animation techniques used in Across the Spider-Verse uniquely enhance its narrative in a way other comic book films fail to do. Sizing up the film against The Flash and other big comic book blockbusters, Richard Lawson at Vanity Fair writes that “nearly two decades’ worth of films have opted for the same CGI swirls of light, the same awkward combat scenes in which actors float in a digital sea…Spider-Verse boldly endeavors to make idiosyncratic art instead, risking alienation with its constant shifts in style… In doing so, the film more than sells the idea that the story it’s telling is fresh and vital rather than yet another multidimensional romp” (“The Flash Is the Past; Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Is the Future,” 2023, para 8). This review explains that while the movie relies on modern movie-making techniques, the use of this technology delivers something new, enhancing the overall moviegoing experience. Across the Spider-Verse’s success exemplifies the importance of innovation in modern cinema to keep audiences engaged with the art in a landscape saturated with numerous staged explosions and uncanny CGI faces.
Of course, the factors that I have discussed throughout this essay are not the only ones at play. In movies, a million factors are at play, including personal taste, and had the public decided that Spider-Man was old news, I could have written a very different story. For these particular films, some might chalk up the differences to the feud between the Marvel and DC universes, one always trying to outdo the other. However, the two companies’s most glaring difference is how they do business. Had Warner Bros. conducted themselves differently with Ezra Miller and The Flash, there is a chance Blue Beetle could not been caught up in the negative information cascade, giving way to potential success. Bill Mechanic eloquently explains, “The interests of the studio are really more managerial than creative, and the producer is forced to choose whether to be a part of the studio machinery or to act more like an artisan” (“The Choice between a Good Job and a Good Life,” para. 3). In the case of The Flash, the studio’s interests ultimately won, and it is unknown what the long term consequences of that decisions might be. However, the freedom, risk, and intent behind the recent Spider-Man films show, more than anything, that maybe the key to making any worthy movie is authentic artistry.
Works Cited
“Blue Beetle.” Rotten Tomatoes, 2023, https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blue_beetle. Accessed 28 September 2023.
Civita, Alicia. “A Hero for Everyone: 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Embraces Diversity and Inclusion.” Mitu, 2 June 2023, https://wearemitu.com/wearemitu/entertainment/spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-diversity/. Accessed 28 September 2023.
Hughes, Mark. “‘Blue Beetle’ Eyes $110 Million Final Box Office. Next Stop, DCU?” Forbes, 31 August 2023, https://www.forbes.com/sites/markhughes/2023/08/31/blue-beetle-eyes-110-million-final-box-office-next-stop-dcu/?sh=466551302cff. Accessed 28 September 2023.
Lawson, Richard. “'The Flash' Is the Past; 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse' Is the Future.” Vanity Fair, 20 June 2023, https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/06/flash-spider-man-across-the-spider-verse-marvel-dc. Accessed 28 September 2023.
Thomas, M.C. “Why Spider-Man: No Way Home Worked and The Flash Didn't.” YouTube, 25 June 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_EpEdNnlRkws/about. Accessed 28 September 2023.