Journal of Sociology of Art and Literature

Journal of Sociology of Art and Literature

A study on the reception and consumption of Marvel Cinematic Universe films by some young Iranian girls.

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Department of Social Communication, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
10.22059/jsal.2025.390601.666365
Abstract
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the most widely watched fictional narrative in the history of cinema. Marvel’s superhero movies have a large audience in Iran as well. Understanding these audiences is important due to the fact that, unlike in the past, cinema audiences are no longer considered entirely passive, and audience behavior is now studied in the tradition of audience analysis.
Therefore, this research is designed to study Iranian audiences of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and understand their consumption behavior. In analyzing these audiences, theories such as Stuart Hall’s encoding/decoding model in audience studies, Victoria Alexander’s consumption studies, and the concept of productive consumption have been utilized.
For this purpose, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 young female audiences of Marvel Cinematic Universe selected via the snowball sampling method. Through thematic analysis of their statements, four key themes emerged: reasons for watching the films, ways of consuming the films, the films’ effects on audiences, and audience critiques of the films.
The findings indicate that Iranian audiences generally engage actively with these movies, interpret the films differently based on their personal characteristics and also Iranian cultural context, exhibit various types of decoding —including oppositional decoding— and demonstrate productive consumption behaviors.
Keywords

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Volume 18, Issue 1
(spring & Summer 2026)
September 2026
Pages 99-116

  • Receive Date 16 February 2025
  • Revise Date 28 May 2025
  • Accept Date 06 June 2025
  • Publish Date 23 August 2026