Discovering the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was a pleasant surprise for me. After swearing off superhero movies, I finally gave in and watched Avengers: Infinity War. While the consumer in me found peace, the filmmaker in me was a bit worried. What do these 22 mega-blockbusters mean for the industry? Are they pulling the medium to greater heights or pushing out everyone else in their wake? As an indie filmmaker, what does that mean for the rest of us? These are the questions we need to ask ourselves as we adjust to this bold new future of “content.” The biggest shift in the industry is that these mega-blockbuster film premieres have become less about the film itself and much more of a cultural event. While this is good for drumming up buzz on social media, it also quickly dilutes the value of the actual film in question. Another known exploit of this new super blockbuster culture has been the death of the middle-budget feature film. However, if there is any silver lining to the MCU, it’s the recent success of indie-filmmakers-turned-MCU-helming directors. This ultimately creates a filmmaking future that might offer up some big paychecks, but continues to create a vacuum that just might, in fact, be the end of “cinema,” as we know it.
