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“Avengers: Endgame” is expected to be one of the biggest movies ever, joining four other films from the Marvel universe in the top 10 highest-grossing films of all time.
But why have superheroes taken over the big screens?
Dr. Robert Biezenski is a sociologist at the University of Regina, and he taught the school’s very first Sociology of Superheroes class this past semester.
Biezenski is a big comic book fan.
“I’ve been reading them since I was a kid. I feel like I’ve been preparing for this course my whole life, basically,” he joked.
Dr Robert Biezenski taught the University of Regina’s first Sociology of Superheroes class in the winter semester. Apr. 24 2019 (Lisa Schick/980 CJME)
His favourite is Deadpool at the moment. That character is within the Marvel Universe, but not one of the Avengers on the big screen.
Superheroes on screen weren’t always the big-budget cash cows they are now. Biezenski said early efforts weren’t taken seriously because superpowers couldn’t be shown very well.
“Although the special-effects people tried hard, it looked silly in the end, you know,” he said. “I mean you can see the strings Superman is dangling by.”
He said everything changed because of CGI, as shown in the first “X-Men” movie in 2000. He said the superpowers being more real allowed the movies and TV to move from comedy to drama, and from kids stuff to fare for adults.
“Because of that, the audience for superheroes expanded from millions that read comics to billions that watch the movies,” explained Biezenski.
The top three highest-grossing Marvel superhero movies alone have brought in more than $2 billion at the domestic box office. Millions of people are willing to drop good money on seeing these movies in theatres. But why do superheroes resonate so much with people?
Biezenski thinks it’s because superhero stories show the best of us; we can’t be super strong, but we can try to be super good.
“People know that it’s not realistic; they know that you can’t fly just because you want to,” he said. “But you can set an example of morality, you can be a good person.”
This new movie may be called “Endgame,” but it won’t be the end of things for Marvel. A dozen Marvel movies — named and as-yet-unnamed — are still to be released in the coming years. Biezenski said that’s the nature of superheroes, as reboots happen all the time
“It all just comes to an end and they just go back to the beginning, make some small but significant changes to the characters and go in a totally new direction,” he said.
Biezenski said he’ll go see this latest superhero offering, but unlike thousands and maybe millions of super fans around the world, he’ll wait a week or two first.
Avengers fans flock to Regina theatre for opening night
“Avengers: Endgame” hit theatres Thursday evening with dozens of fans flocking to the Cineplex in Regina’s Southland Mall to take in opening night.
For many Marvel fans, like Jessica Wright, it’s all about tradition.
The Thomas family poses for a picture before watching Avengers: Endgame at the Cineplex in Regina’s Southland Mall on April 25, 2019. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)
“I’ve been to every movie on opening day, because I don’t like when other people see it before me,” she said with a chuckle.
For others, it all comes down to avoiding plot details.
“Honestly, I don’t want to see any spoilers elsewhere,” Terry Lucky said.
For the Thomas family, coming to see the movie together is about making a lasting memory.
“I want my kids to remember coming to this — it’s the movie of the century, it’s making history,” Jamie Thomas said.
“Avengers: Endgame” is expected to break several box-office records, having already brought in more than $120 million in advance ticket sales.
— With files from 980 CJME’s Jessie Anton and The Canadian Press