漫威正在逐渐失去其超能力 | 经济学人文化

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2024-01-19 02:01

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Culture | Superhero films

文化 | 超级英雄电影

英文部分选自经济学人20230113期文化板块

Culture | Superhero films

文化 | 超级英雄电影

Marvel seems to be losing its powers

漫威正在逐渐失去其超能力

The world’s mightiest movie franchise looks increasingly fragile

世界上最强大的电影系列正江河日下

In “The Avengers”(2012) Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), a spy, described heroes as “an old-fashioned notion”. Certainly the film’s characters, including Captain America and Iron Man, were not novel, first appearing in comic books published in the mid-20th century. But if the idea was old, the excitement around superheroes had been renewed. “The Avengers” became the first Marvel movie to make more than $1bn at the global box office.

《复仇者联盟》（2012）中，间谍尼克·弗瑞（塞缪尔·杰克逊饰）称“英雄”为“过时的概念”。的确，美国队长、钢铁侠等角色并不新奇，他们初次登场是在20世纪中叶出版的漫画中。如果说“英雄”是个老旧的概念，那超级英雄爆火的原因只能归结为人们重新燃起的热情。《复仇者联盟》是首部全球票房超过10亿美元的漫威电影。

When Fury’s words were used in the trailer for “The Marvels” (2023, pictured), however, they took on a different tone. Heroes may seem antiquated, he argued, but “the world can still use them”. If it was an attempt to convince the viewer, it did not work. Released in November, “The Marvels”, the 33rd instalment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), made around $200m at the box office. It became the poorest-performingMCU film to date, and will probably lose money.

《惊奇队长2》（2023年，如图）的预告片中，弗瑞同样对“英雄”作出了评价，但这次他的口吻有所不同。他认为，超级英雄看着似乎过时了，但“仍能为世界所用”。如果这番话是想要说服观众，那显然没有奏效。漫威电影宇宙（MCU）第33部作品《惊奇队长2》于11月上映，全球票房仅2亿美元左右，是迄今为止最惨淡的漫威电影，并有可能亏钱。

Nor was “The Marvels” a one-off disappointment. “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” also underperformed. According to CinemaScore, an audience-rating benchmark, of the past eight MCU films, five have scored B+ or worse (see chart). Fans complain of dull characters, sloppy writing and amateurish special effects. Marvel productions on the small screen have not fared much better. Recent MCU television series on Disney+, including “Secret Invasion”, about Fury’s character, have been poorly reviewed and, estimates suggest, little watched. It does not bode well for the shows due to be released in the coming months.

《惊奇队长2》并非唯一一部令人失望的漫威电影。《蚁人与黄蜂女：量子狂潮》也表现不佳。过去8部MCU电影中，5部在CinemaScore上评分不高于B+（见图表）。影迷们抱怨角色乏味，剧本粗糙，特效拙劣。漫威电视剧也和电影半斤八两。迪士尼+上最近播出的MCU电视剧（包括以尼克·弗瑞为主角的《秘密入侵》）都评价不佳，收视率预计也会很惨淡。这对漫威未来几个月即将播出的电视剧来说并不是个好兆头。

The decline is surprising: for a long time, the Marvel brand seemed invincible. Disneybought the comic-book company in 2009 and it became a prized asset. The 23 movies released between 2008 and 2019 grossed almost $23bn in total, making Marvel the largest film franchise in history. Marvel kept standards high even as it increased production. The company released 2.75 films, on average, in 2016-19, up from 1.2 in 2008-13. Of those 23 movies, only one ranked lower than A- on CinemaScore. Three films received an A+, awarded to fewer than 100 of over 4,000 films measured since 1979. “Black Panther” (2018) even became the first comic-book adaptation to be nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.

漫威的衰落令人意外，因为长期以来，漫威品牌似乎所向披靡。2009年，漫威被迪士尼收购，身价暴涨。2008年至2019年，漫威发行23部电影，总票房近230亿美元，这让漫威一跃成为史上最大的电影系列。即使产量增加，漫威依旧保持高水准。2008年至2013年，漫威平均每年发行1.2部电影，2016年至2019年，提高至2.75部。在这23部电影中，只有一部在CinemaScore上评分低于A-，三部获得A+。自1979年以来，CinemaScore上4000多部电影中，只有不到100部获得A+评分。《黑豹》（2018年）甚至成为第一部获得奥斯卡最佳影片提名的漫改电影。

Marvel pioneered an innovative “cinematic universe” model, in which plotlines and characters were shared across films. As Marvel’s universe grew, its competitors tried, and failed, to emulate its success.DC Comics—which owns Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman—set up, and recently scrapped, its “Extended Universe”. Warner Bros has turned the Harry Potter franchise into a “Wizarding World”. Universal twice tried to launch a “Dark Universe” of monsters such as Dracula and the Mummy, but both attempts failed after a single release. Efforts to build out Robin Hood and His Merry Men (Lionsgate), Power Rangers (also Lionsgate) and King Arthur and his round table (Warner Bros) all faltered.

漫威开创了一种新颖的“电影宇宙”模式，各部电影共享情节主线和人物角色。随着漫威的宇宙渐趋浩瀚，其他影片公司也纷纷效仿，想复刻漫威的成果，但都以失败告终。最近，拥有蝙蝠侠、超人、神奇女侠的DC漫画公司放弃了其建立的“扩展宇宙”（Extended Universe）；华纳兄弟将哈利波特系列打造成“魔法世界”（Wizarding World）；环球影业曾两度推出怪物（比如德古拉和木乃伊）“黑暗宇宙”（Dark Universe），但两次尝试均在首部影片上映后失败；狮门公司试图围绕《罗宾汉和他的快乐伙伴》（Robin Hood and His Merry Men）与《超凡战队》（Power Rangers）建立宇宙，华纳兄弟想要建立《亚瑟王和他的圆桌骑士》（King Arthur and his round table）的宇宙，都未能成功。

By the early 2020s theMCU seemed set for further dominance. In 2019 Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, which held the rights to characters including the X-Men and the Fantastic Four. The launch of Disney+ that year made it easier for fans to keep up with the ever-expanding MCU and enabled the franchise to tell new stories in a serialised format. But instead of developing its position in pop culture, Marvel has struggled creatively and financially.

直至21世纪20年代初，漫威电影宇宙似乎已经准备好继续主宰市场。2019年，迪士尼收购了拥有X战警和神奇四侠等角色版权的二十世纪福克斯电影公司。同年推出的迪士尼+平台让影迷更容易跟上漫威宇宙拓展的节奏，新故事也能以连续剧的形式向观众呈现。然而，漫威未能再创流行文化辉煌，在创意与财务方面步履维艰。

Disney insiders suggest several causes for the slump. One is to do with personnel. Several trusted writers and directors have moved on. Many of the actors playing the most popular superheroes left theMCU after “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, and Chadwick Boseman, the star of “Black Panther”, died in 2020. Last month Disney fired Jonathan Majors after he was found guilty of assaulting and harassing his then-girlfriend. The actor played the villain at the heart of the “Multiverse Saga”, the story which would connect the films released between 2021 and 2027.

知情人士透露，有几大原因导致漫威衰退。一是人员变动。好几个靠谱的编剧和导演离开了漫威；2019年《复仇者联盟4：终局之战》（Avengers: Endgame）上映后，许多饰演人气最高的超级英雄的演员都离开了MCU；2020年，“黑豹”（Black Panther）的扮演者查德维克·博斯曼（Chadwick Boseman）去世；上个月，乔纳森·梅杰斯（Jonathan Majors）因袭击和骚扰女友的罪名成立，也被漫威开除。梅杰斯在“多元宇宙传奇”（Multiverse Saga）中扮演核心反派角色，而这一篇章将贯穿2021年至2027年的漫威影片。

Yet part of the problem is of Marvel’s own making. Since 2021 theMCU has released an average of 3.3 films and 3.7 television series every year—a rate that seems to strain audiences, internal creative teams and special-effects departments. For prospective viewers hoping to watch a new title, 33 films and 11 seasons of television is simply too much homework. The focus on the “multiverse”, which draws on films predating the existing cinematic universe, aggravates this issue.

部分是因为漫威自作自受。自2021年以来，漫威电影宇宙平均每年发行3.3部电影，3.7部连续剧，这一制作速度似乎让观众产生审美疲劳，让内部创作团队和特效部门都感到不堪重负。对于那些希望看到新作品的潜在观众，33部电影和11部连续剧实在是太多了，超出了他们的承受能力。聚焦“多元宇宙”也加速了漫威的衰退。（多元宇宙式从当前电影宇宙产生前的电影汲取灵感的）

Audiences may yet tire of superheroes much as they tired of Westerns in the late 1960s. But for now, the genre goes on. The third “Guardians of the Galaxy” film grossed $846m, making it the fourth-highest-grossing film of 2023, and received an A rating on CinemaScore. “Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse”, an animated film by Sony, was also among the most popular films last year.

观众可能会厌倦超级英雄电影，就好像厌倦上世纪60年代的西部片一样。但就目前而言，这一题材仍受欢迎。《银河护卫队3》的票房高达8.46亿美元，成为2023年票房排名第四的电影，并在CinemaScore上获得了A评级。索尼出品的动画电影《蜘蛛侠：纵横宇宙》去年也大受欢迎。

Bob Iger, Disney’sCEO, who initiated Marvel’s expansion, has said the franchise can return to its former glory by slowing the pace of production. “I’ve always felt that quantity can be actually a negative when it comes to quality. And I think that’s exactly what happened. We lost some focus.” He, and Marvel’s many fans, will be holding out for the heroes.

迪士尼CEO鲍勃·伊伯格（Bob Iger）是漫威扩张的发起者，他表示，放慢制作脚步，“漫威宇宙”系列就可以再现昔日辉煌。“我一直认为，数量实际上可能对质量产生负面影响。我认为这就是漫威面临的问题。我们的工作没有重点。”他和众多漫威影迷都期待着诸位英雄的回归。

翻译组：

Ryan，译海徜徉的一条咸鱼

Alfredo，男，真实主义歌剧发烧友

Dodo，愿识乾坤大、犹怜草木青的同传Dodo

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Lucian，灵魂在杰作中冒险

Constance，痛终有时，爱必将至
Colin，男，崇拜科比的一枚小翻译

观点|评论|思考

本期感想

Very，男，电气民工，经济学人资浅爱好者

英雄电影，尤其是超级英雄的衰落，其实只是一种美国影响力衰落大背景下的其中一幕罢了。如果是东大的某个超级英雄，在东边自然广受好评（也仅仅是在此地）。但是西边超级英雄电影的衰落，一来人民已经审美疲劳，这种一层不变的英雄印象久了本来就会让人厌烦。尤其是在如今多元化为主的文化世界中，尽管漫威已经很努力地推出各类英雄，甚至非人或者外星人也都名列其中，但超级英雄本身的局限性（主角光环），让人很难引起共鸣，也许只是一时的爽片。第二，西大文化影响力的衰落让其它国家更愿意接受具有本国特色的角色，哪怕内核也是一种超级英雄——狼、狗、猫等等。网飞在这方面就做得更好，网飞会联合当地的电影制作方一起，创造许多具有各国特色的影片。这不仅能讨好当地的观众，也会吸引上述的那些已经对美国文化审美疲劳的观众们。再加之当地电影业在如此先进的运作之下，出爆款的几率也大大增加。

观众并不是会深究或者在乎到底幕后的资本来自何方，自己花出去的钱最终流去哪里，只要是新奇的、能产生共鸣的的片子，都是愿意掏钱的（只要电影还是一般意义上主流的娱乐方式之一）。相对而言，传统电视产业的落后以及网络点播的兴起，也更好地讲清楚了同一个本质。

娱乐，大娱乐，泛娱乐，在这几千年的文明史中都在不断演化，这极大地受到了当时文化的影响，同时这些娱乐方式又影响了文化传播的方式与内容。拥有足够的独立性以及包容性，应该是当地文化长盛不衰的不二秘法。

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