Based on the fact that any erotic thriller regardless of its quality will end up becoming one of the most-watched titles on any streaming service whenever it gets added to the library, cinematic titillation remains as popular as it’s ever been. However, that’s not quite as true on the big screen, and it’s no surprise to discover that Disney and Marvel have been named as the culprits.
Of course, it’s entirely true that Kevin Feige’s cinematic universe and the Mouse House’s churn of live-action and animated projects are sexless to a fault, but isn’t that kind of the point? After all, nobody goes to see live-action remakes of hand-drawn classics, Pixar’s latest whimsical adventure, or a comic book adaptation to see people bump uglies, and it was hilarious that Eternals made such a fuss over having the MCU’s first-ever love scene, only for it to be as dry as its backdrop.
There are a multitude of reasons why friskiness is no longer at the top of the agenda when it comes to filmmaking, but in a resurfaced interview with TIME that’s gone viral all over again, university professor Shawna Kidman pointed the finger squarely and Mickey and his minions.
“In the mid-2010s, getting into the Chinese market became essential for any big-budget movie to succeed. And with Chinese censors, it’s not always clear what they will allow and what they won’t, so having a sex scene even without nudity, it’s a risk. I kind of blame Marvel and Disney. If you saw a movie in the ’80s or ’90s or 2000s, you were most likely seeing it because it was star-driven. Movie stars don’t open movies anymore. Superhero characters do.”
That’s a bit of a generalization, because even though it’s accurate IP opens movies above name recognition these days, people are free to make movies as horny as their hearts desire. The downside is that they won’t be awarded blockbuster-sized budgets or make a killing at the box office, unless Marvel surprises everyone by going full-blown softcore in the future, which we seriously doubt.
Published: Jun 24, 2023 11:03 am