In the past decade or so (to be more precisely, 15 years), the superhero genre has been the one that captured the attention of most of the moviegoers. Starting with the first Bryan Singer film and finishing with this year's Ant-Man (we're not counting the Fantastic Four reboot in here), the audiences have enjoyed the spectacle offered by Marvel and DC, the main competitors on the market.

And the numbers say that the superhero genre has increased in popularity "“ there are no less than 30 superhero movies from 2016 to 2020 alone, without counting the projects which weren't officially announced.

So what does that mean?

The superhero genre "“ is it bad for the industry?

Just like with many other trends, the superhero genre has been bashed by many. Most recently, this year, Dan Gilroy (who directed the awesome Nightcrawler) said that these types of blockbusters suffocate the independent or the small budget films.

And it can be said that it is so "“ how can any film compete with, say, Avengers: Age of Ultron, a movie which had (reportedly and, most likely, without the marketing fees) a budget of $250 million? These types of blockbusters capture the attention of the audiences in any way possible, thus suffocating the smaller or independent films.

In a way or another, the director said that those making superhero films have found a niche in which creativity is trumped by special effects and mindless action.

Of course, James Gunn responded, saying that he has made all types of films "“ from B-movies to independent and to blockbuster ones.

But do you know who spoke about the superhero genre most recently? The celebrated director Steven Spielberg "“ check out on the next page!