Unmasking the Demographics of Superhero Movie Fans
Contrary to popular belief, superhero fatigue has not yet made a real dent in Hollywood’s most popular genre as seven of the 10 most in-demand movies in the US dating back to Jan. 1, 2022 revolve around capes and cowls, according to Parrot Analytics. This includes DC’s The Batman (#3) and Marvel’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (#7).
The former is the fourth big screen iteration of the character in this century alone (with the return of Michael Keaton’s version on the horizon) while the latter is a sequel to arguably Marvel’s most successful standalone feature that was unfortunately forced to contend with the tragic passing of star Chadwick Boseman. Both help to serve as a microcosm for the types of audiences blockbuster comic book movies continue to serve.
A more primary role for Letitia Wright’s Shuri helped Wakanda Forever achieve a more even gender split among the group (44% female, 56% male), yet Eternals was the only superhero movie among the aforementioned seven titles whose audience skewed more female. This remains a whitespace opportunity for studios to continue expanding superhero movie appeal to different demos.
The Batman most resonated with Gen Z (13-22) while Wakanda Forever struck a chord with millennials (30-39). Gen Z and Gen X+ are among the most valuable movie-going audiences, so cultivating interest amongst these age groups is key to reaching fans outside of the die-hard foundation. Movies like Captain Marvel (46.1% female) and Joker (18% Gen X+) open up avenues to new audiences to help keep interest in the genre fresh.
Both The Batman and Wakanda Forever were remarkably successful and both provide insight into the current status and future potential of the superhero genre.
