Anytime "analysts" don't know the future, they proclaim the medium dead. Superheroes are over and they have no idea what is next so they assume it's the end of their job and the industry.
But Deadpool and Wolverine will clean up at the box office, so there'll be articles declaring superhero movies are back. The real story is that corporate-mandated superhero films that no-one asked for and are just another link in the franchise sausage being churned out are not getting people into cinemas, where they will turn out form something they want to see. The interesting test will be when the Gunniverse starts - if that's a success while Marvel continue to flounder then it may give them the incentive to change course. They are already cutting back on their output and I hope that means telling quality stories the creators want to tell (that may interlink as a second thought), as that's how the MCU started.
The interesting test will be when the Gunniverse starts
Was just thinking the same thing recently ... inadvertently, that "project" seems perfectly timed to steer the industry in a moment of uncertainty. Like 2 "flops" from Gunn and that could be the clear beginning of the end of mainstream comic films. Great successes, and it'll keep going for sure.
I wonder if Dune (at least part 2) is having any bearing on the industry ... because I'd guess it isn't at a broad level because that kind of content and film making is just not economical enough at the "cinematic universe" scale. But then again, are we going to see more classic and epic Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories being pushed out? Is some exec chucking a fit about why they don't own the rights to Asimov's Foundation?
Dune was rumored to be unfilmable with the Lynch movies and SyFy miniseries costing more than they made. No one followed up Dune with a twin film because no one thought it would be good and draw in non-nerds.
With nothing to compete against, Dune was able to be the success. Dune may have set off a minor sci-fi production push but nothing like the Star Wars generated sci-fi hype train of the 70s and 80s.
Also, Foundation is owned by Apple and part of the content for AppleTV. Dune may very well not move the needle for execution producers to spend effort and money on sci-fi properties.