6. Dr Strange is the Guardians of the Galaxy of the year.
A mix of a ridiculously strong cast, and a distinctive style, leads to Dr Strange being the biggest hit of the year, CBM wise ( relative to its budget and positioning, natch; its not going to outgross CW or BvS ). The psychedelic cosmic mysticism resonates with the audience, and pretty soon "By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth" becomes as memetic with the general audience as "I Am Groot". Some critics show bemusement at the number of Shakespearean actors yelling nonsense incantations at each other, but largely are carried along for the ride. Box office 700M+, RT in the high 80s.
This Doesn't Even Count As A Prediction: Every single movie will be a "clear" indicator that Comic Book Fatigue Has Arrived.
Because you know it will happen. Admit it in your heart.
You know, I really hope you're right about Dr Strange, and it has such a strong cast ( stronger I would say, than any other superhero film of 2016 - I'd rate Cumberbatch, Ejiofor and Swinton above Fassbender, Macavoy and Lawrence, not by a lot though).
However, I would be surprised if Dr S does well for 2 reasons
1) Scott Derrickson. Not exactly a top rank director by any means. In comparison Snyder has more familiarity with the superhero genre and massive action films ( having done 300 and Watchmen). In pure RT numbers Snyder comes off quite a bit better, sure he's had a real stinker with Sucker Punch but Derrickson's put out 3 films since 2012, none of which have got above 30% on RT - hell, by that comparison Snyder is Christopher Nolan compared to Derrickson.
While Derrickson has experience with supernatural horror (again, Sinister, his best film only 61% on RT, and Sinister 2 at 13% ). What am I saying here ? Basically that if Marvel had got someone like Del Toro for this one it would have been a guaranteed hit, but they are gambling massively on a guy who looks like a bad bet.
(Kind of like Deadpool, which is a huge gamble on first time director Tim Miller)) Now it's true that James Gunn didn't hit gold until GOTG, but he has less films that are utter garbage behind than Derrickson.
2) As you've said CBM fatigue. Totally with you on that. I think that having Deadpool, B v S, CW, XMA and SS come out before it will strain the bank( both in terms of fans expectations and patience, but also in pure financial terms ). GOTG was released in July, which let it ride the "summer sleeper hit" vibe - whereas Dr S comes out in November, by which time I think the GA will just be hoping that cbms go away for a while (hell, as a fan, I'll be well over them by then).
It's almost like the studio execs don't really understand supply and demand.
I don't think it will be the end, or the beginning of the end - maybe the end of the beginning ( thank you Winston churchill) but what it will result in is a scaling back of the number and scope of super-movies coming out. IMO that's a good thing. As a fan, I'd rather be excited and wait in anticipation for my superhero movies ( remember the days when Star Wars films were 3 years apart ?) rather than start having them blur into one because there are so many of them. Today I lose track of what's coming out, because so many films are coming in quick succession.
Again, supply and demand guys ! it's almost as if someone at WB and Disney knows the world will end in 2025, and is trying to squeeze as many CBM movies in so they can make the most cash and die with the most toys.
But hey, ultimately I hope I'm totally wrong about Dr S, and you're totally right. I would hate to see such a great cast and a great character be wasted !
And also, great predictions! While I disagree with some of what you've said, I think that they're all very reasonable and well thought out , and fun to read.
Cheers.
