For more than a half a century, comic book heroes have captivated audiences. The first moving comic book characters cropped up in 1941 on the small screen. Back then, “The Adventures of Captain Marvel” – as corny as it may have been – started the trend of Hollywood comic book movies.
The 1978 original Superman set the standard for superhero movies to follow. Not all have lived up to the expectations, to say the least. The Punisher, Dare Devil and The Hulk were all wonderful experiences – that is if you never saw them. With this genre, movie studios miss as much as they hit, and when they are on, like the successful X-Men, Batman and Spider-Man franchises, they can be great.
But unfortunately, the new “Superman Returns” film is disappointing in just about every way, especially given how much potential it had. Clark Kent, Lex and Lois only raked in $53 million domestic gross. That’s for a five-day holiday weekend release – that turn out is puny at best. On its opening weekend, Spiderman grossed a record-setting $114.8 million domestic release. It’s sad one of the most iconic super heroes of all time can’t even beat Toby McGuire.
So what makes a hit a hit? Spiderman has about the same following as Superman. Both have equal potential. I guess it boils down to the marketability of the hero. You also have to account for the nagging child factor – the same reason Spiderman is the sixth highest grossing movie of all time is the same reason Shrek 2 is the third highest grossing movie of all time.
For Superman, the outlook isn’t good, even though some movies can recover from a disappointing opening weekend. Some movies actually do better in the second week of wide release. Superman better hang on; the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie opens Friday, and the hype around this movie is bigger than the hype was around who will be the next American Idol. Good luck Mr. Kent.
The future isn’t going to change because of one less-than-stellar super hero movie though. Plans are underway for a plethora of comic book adaptations such as a “Wolverine” spin-off, Spiderman 3, The Hulk 2, Captain America and Aquaman. Will they be able to hold audiences as well as their predecessors have? Will actors and directors shy away from the genre altogether? Probably not. We will have super hero sequels as long as sequels exist. And what does that mean? Go ask the director of Rocky VI.
‘Superman Returns’ is sad addition to Superman saga
Daily Emerald
July 5, 2006
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