Deadpool's Success and The Hollywood Curse

One of the most anticipated movies of 2016 was the February 12th release of Deadpool. While it seems as though it would just end up falling in with the constant onslaught of Superhero movies we're subjected to today, Deadpool had one unique thing going for it, that R rating. 

Clearly, this was a huge gamble by 20th Century Fox, and the numbers don't lie. This movie was a huge success domestically as well as internationally. It was a refreshing take on what seemed like the same cookie cutter set up most super hero movies had been doing recently. Many things contributed to this success, such as Ryan Reynolds, in one what may have been the best superhero casting since Robert Downey Jr. as Iron-Man. It also played extremely close to the character of Deadpool from the comic book pages. After watching the film it felt as if it came right out of the comics, the proper research was done and the film reflected that.

Now what does any of this have to do with a Hollywood curse? Well it seems when something goes right for one film, everyone else will feel the need to replicate it until it's been done too many times before. Immediately after Deadpools explosive opening weekend, it was announced that the anticipated final Wolverine movie featuring Hugh Jackman, would be rated R. Fox has since said they were always intending for an R rating, something that seems a bit too difficult to believe. Before Deadpool, an R rating for a superhero movie seemed like cinema-suicide. How will you be able to market this without the family entertainment angle? Now that the Hollywood executives have seen that an R rated movie can indeed succeed within the genre, they're going to want more.

On top of the Wolverine announcment, it was also just announced that the also, equally anticipated film, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, which is due out later this month, would be given an R-rated Ultimate Edition on blu-ray. Coincidence? I think not. Deadpool has shown that there is indeed an audience for this type of film and everyone is going to want a cut now. This also brings up the question of "how far is too far?". Look at Batman and Superman, as a comic book fan yes, these characters have some potential for some truly dark stories, especially Batman. But is this what we need on the big screen? I don't think so. Kids idolize Superman and Batman, and if we continue to make these films darker and darker, when will they be able to enjoy them like the rest of us?

With the way Hollywood operates, I think after Deadpool's success we are going to see a plethora of new R-Rated superhero films. For better or worse that's just the way the business works. It does somewhat irritate me because one of the things that made Deadpool so fun and fantastic was that it had no limits to go by, it went in looking for an R rating and they had a lot of fun with the freedom they were given. This is going to have diminishing returns with the more films that try to follow that same formula. For the time being though, go heat up some chimi-changas and if you (somehow) haven't already seen it, go check out Deadpool while it's still in theaters, I can guarantee you will have a blast!