Like any form of entertainment, movies go through cycles where different genres take center stage. These days, we're pretty deep into the superhero genre ruling the box office, thanks mainly to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but sooner or later, the adventures of the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and the other heroes will lose their place as the king of the castle as audiences move on to another style of storytelling.
That doesn't mean that superhero movies will vanish from theaters one day, just that they won't be as prominent as they are now. Some genres may rise and fall, but they never really disappear from the collective consciousness, while others seem to vanish for years at a time before coming back, if they ever really come back at all.
10 Come And Go: The western Put Its Guns Away
There are people who like to complain about the number of superhero movies that come out every year, but Marvel and DC have nothing on the western. From 1930 to 1954, some 2700 westerns hit theaters, which averages out to 112 westerns a year, far more than the 5 or 6 superhero films a year we get nowadays.
Westerns continued to be a popular genre into the 1970s, but a shifting audience led to the virtual extinction of the story style. These days, westerns still get made, but it is often years between major new movies in the genre.
9 Always Around: period pieces Are Always Popular
From the high collars and uncomfortable girdles of the Victorian age to the baggy jeans of the 1990s, moviegoers love to see people dressed up in clothes that are no longer fashionable, and that's why the period piece continues to succeed at the box office. In fact, period pieces continue to be a beloved genre, even in anime.
And it isn't just Victorian London that period pieces like to play in, although it is certainly the time of human history that seems to be most represented in the genre. With at least 10 period pieces coming out this year, including The Last Duel with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and Louis Wain with Doctor Strange himself, Benedict Cumberbatch, there's no reason to think the genre will disappear anytime soon.
8 Come And Go: The Noir Came Like A Shot In The Gut, But Didn't Last Long
Rooted in German Expressionist cinematography, film noir was a big genre in the 1940s and 1950s, but as black and white films gave way to color, their time was cut short in theaters. Film noir depends on the stark black shadows created in black and white to help sell the gritty and unnatural feel to the films. But as audiences began to expect movies to be in color, film noir couldn't make the jump. Cool and tough detectives just aren't as iconic when you can see their blue eyes.
7 Always Around: As Long As We Dream Of The Future, Sci-Fi Will Endure
In 1902, Georges Méliès introduced the world to the sci-fi movie genre with A Trip to the Moon. Since then, Sci-Fi has continued to be a major genre. For a long time, sci-fi was looked down on as B-movie schlock for kids, with films like Metropolis and Things to Come considered outliers instead of what could be done.
It was Star Wars that changed all of it. When George Lucas's film was released to rave reviews and a huge box office in 1977, the world began to see sci-fi as more than "kid stuff". Today, films like Annihilation, Ex Machina, and Arrival use sci-fi to tell human tales.
6 Come and Go: The Slasher Got Slashed
Influenced by the Italian Giallo films, the slasher had its golden age from 1978 to 1984, and while the genre has appeared to die out a few times, like the classic villains in the movies, it always rises from the grave to scare audiences again. The last major boom in slasher films was the late 1990s and early 2000s when Scream led to a revival of the genre and studios remembers that slashers could be made for cheap and were a pretty safe bet to make a profit.
The genre faded away again when audiences turned their attention to more paranormal horror films like The Conjuring and Insidious. Still, it looks like the slasher may be coming back, with 2018's Halloween kicking off a new era.
5 Always Around: Romantic Comedies Give Audiences Laughs And Love
From His Girl Friday to To All the Boys, romantic comedies continue to be a major movie genre. While they may not be as prominent as they were in the 1980s and 1990s when audiences rushed to see Nora Ephron's latest film with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, or how Julia Roberts would finally find true love with Richard Gere in Pretty Woman, the genre continues to bring in viewers. These days, romantic comedies may not be as easy to find in a theater, but they are all over streaming services, with films like Pal Springs and Happiest Season keeping people laughing.
4 Come and Go: The Slob Comedy Doesn't Always Win, But They Always Comes Back
While it didn't get its name until 1980's Caddyshack, the Harold Ramis film that stars Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, and Rodney Dangerfield wasn't the first movie in the slobs vs. snobs genre. The Marx Brothers may be the most famous version of this type of comedy from the golden age of cinema, and they cover the basics of it best - a person or group of less fortunate but smart people goes head to head with elite society, showing the wealthy and educated class for the fools they are. The slobs vs. snobs genre hit its height in the 1980s, and while the genre still exists with movies like Old School, Spy, and Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar, it has never returned to its best years.
3 Always Around: Sports Movies Keep Scoring
There's no shortage of inspirational sports movies. From Pride of the Yankees to Fighting With My Family, there are always a few sports stories hitting theaters every year. These movies, even when they misrepresent the sport, speak to audiences by telling stories about underdogs overcoming great obstacles to gain the recognition they deserve. These films, especially ones like Rocky or Miracle, are sure to get some tears out of just about everyone.
And then there are the sports films that are more about a personal need or struggle, like Field of Dreams or The Way Back, where the sport takes a back seat to the internal struggle. Whatever the case, audiences always love a good sports film.
2 Come And Go: Sword And Sandals Never Find Their Footing These Days
There was a point in time when big-budget sword and sandal movies were the superhero films of their day. These were movies that focused on strong, powerful heroes who faced off against great evils with little more than a short sword and a tunic. Films like Ben-Hur, Spartacus, and the more fantastical Jason and the Argonauts kept theatergoers entertained for decades.
And while studios try to bring the sword and sandal genre back every few years, films like Hercules with Dwayne Johnson or The Eagle with Channing Tatum rarely seem to interest audiences these days. The occasional sword and sandal movie will break through, though. Zack Snyder's 300 started a small resurgence of the genre this century, but none of the films that followed it found box office success.
1 Always Around: Thrillers Always Creep Out Audiences
A good thriller is intense, terrifying, and just a little schlocky. These are stories where everyday people suddenly find themselves dealing with horrific killers or wrapped up in wild conspiracies. Built on the foundation of movies like Psycho, Bad Day at Black Rock, and The Big Heat lead directly to modern thrillers like Gone Girl, The Gift, and Split.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the thriller reinvented itself as a much more sexual genre, with Single White Female, Sliver, and most notably, Fatal Attraction, but that fad died out quickly. Still, thrillers are a mainstay at the theater, and that doesn't look like it will be changing anytime soon.