The Guide #131: Are music biopics the new superhero films?

In this week’s newsletter: Forever searching for box office hits, studios are looking to cash in with the origin stories of bands and struggling musicians

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This year’s surprise hit at the box office has been Bob Marley: One Love. The biopic of the reggae icon has grossed over $170m and counting, meaning it’s only behind Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune: Part Two in 2024 receipts. Next month sees the release of Back to Black, an Amy Winehouse biopic that is expected to perform strongly on the back of a slew of free promo for its questionable likenesses and ghoulish portrayal of the ill-fated singer. Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Grateful Dead, Billy Joel, Boy George, Maria Callas, Linda Ronstadt, Fred Astaire, Carole King, George Michael, Bee Gees, Keith Moon and the Beatles (times four, one for each member) – all have biopics about them due in the coming months.

While Hollywood today is dominated by sequels, remakes and comic book extended universes, 2023 saw the decline of the superhero movie. While the summer slate is still headlined by a couple of comic book titles (notably Deadpool & Wolverine and Joker 2) it does appear that audience demand has peaked and that the superhero movie is finally going “the way of the western” as predicted by Steven Spielberg a decade ago. Forever in search of a new trend capable of buffeting their revenues, studios are increasingly looking towards music biopics to provide reliable income (theatrical chains expect this year’s North American box office to be down 11% on 2023’s strong performance).