The term “comic-book movie” is convenient shorthand for the films on that list, but perhaps its time has passed. It suggests there is a bright line separating DC and Marvel films from most of the rest of what you will see between now and 2020. In fact, these 34 films are on a continuum with five Star Wars movies (a trilogy and two stand-alones), three Avatar sequels, three (more) Terminator films, three (more) Lego movies, and a trilogy of movies based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a book by J.K. Rowling that is 42 pages long. Here is a list of sequels and franchise installments — 70 of them at current count, although the actual number will, of course, be much higher, probably more than 150 if the 2015 lineup is any indication — that are set to open over the next six years.
I don't see many movies and the ones I do see often aren't the ones I would choose. Most the time it feels like they didn't make a movie to tell a story but instead worked up a story because they had a movie to make. I can tolerate a shitty story that makes no sense if it's told in ninety minutes, but so many movies seems to push two hours or more. My wife likes superhero movies and while some aren't bad I won't ever re-watch one. I'd rather go to a kid movie with my daughter than watch a superhero flick. I hate enough of what I see in films that when it's decided what movie we will go to, the people who really like movies get to choose and the cycle of me not liking movies perpetuates itself. I'd rather see birdman than the Avengers movie. Sucks that I'll probably see more of the 70 franchise installments than I will movies that were made because someone had a story to tell which was compelling enough for people to take the risk and endure the hardship of getting it made.