Superhero movies tend to be a slam dunk in a cinematic landscape dominated by Marvel and DC. Even experimental movies like Brightburn or The People’s Joker can find a foothold within the comic book crowd, even though they aren’t technically adaptations of comic book heroes. So why isn’t every superheroic movie being fast-tracked to a wide release?
One of the most acclaimed superhero movies from the film festival circuit looked like it would be the latest non-franchise flick to find some mainstream success, but a year later there’s no sign of it ever reaching theaters. Now, the film’s star has an update, and it’s not what fans want to hear.
All signs pointed to The Toxic Avenger finding success. Macon Blair’s remake of Troma’s 1984 cult classic opened at Fantastic Fest in September 2023, and the trailer was available to watch only days later. It’s nothing like your typical superhero film, full of gore and irreverence and enough F-bombs to make Deadpool blush. Despite — or perhaps because of — this, it has a solid 92% on Rotten Tomatoes.
But while the film already has a distributor, Legendary Pictures, there are no signs of it getting a wider theatrical or streaming release. The film’s star, Peter Dinklage, addressed this in a recent conversation with Comicbook.com. “No, I'm not a producer on it. I don't know,” he said when asked about the release date. “I do want it to get out there into the world because it was a really big hit at Fantastic Fest in Austin, and Macon Blair... He's incredible. He's one of my favorite people and favorite artists. So hopefully it will have its day in the toxic sun."
In 2024, it’s even more surprising that day hasn’t come. The biggest movie of the year, Deadpool & Wolverine, is an irreverent R-rated superhero story, and The Boys continues to be a smash hit for Amazon. While the Toxic Avenger is a much more obscure hero, there’s clearly an audience for goofy, gory superhero stories that don’t take themselves too seriously.
Hopefully, Legendary will take advantage of Deadpool 3’s success and tout The Toxic Avenger as its gritter, weirder follow-up. The original movie earned a devoted cult following, and now the remake deserves the same chance.
