TIFF Long Take - Ep. 17: What Happened to Summer Blockbusters?

Since Jaws was released in 1975, summertime has always been known as "blockbuster season." But with diminishing box office returns, exhausted film franchises pushing out fifth and sixth sequels, and people staying at home in droves for a night of Netflix, the questions arises: Is the Age of the Blockbuster coming to a close?

To get more insight, Rob and Geoff sit down with film writer Adam Nayman (The Ringer, The Globe and Mail) to talk about the origins of the "modern summer blockbuster" (4:50), wonder if the summer films of 1984 will stand the test of time better than 2016 (13:25), and discuss why "franchise fatigue" for tentpoles like Transformers, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Spider-Man might be a big part of the problem (17:45).

They also get into why virtually every superhero movie seems to be immune to financial failure (25:25), and make their picks for a 2017 film that could snap us out of this drought and make blockbusters fun again (31:10).

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