THE FLUCTUATING INTEREST IN SUPER HEROES ON FILMS

Since the start of the twenty first century, superhero films have became more mainstream. They have not only produced unforeseen profit from high ticket and DVD sales but also have received acclaim from critics. This sub genre of fantasy films has deviated away from it’s originally niche market of the stereotypical comic book nerds to reach a wide audience. The comic industry’s biggest publishers, Marvel and DC, now compete in film as well as in their traditional market of comics. DC used to dominate but in the past decade, Marvel have produced more consistent successes.

Above: Superman serial (1948)

In the 1940s, comic books were adapted into black and white serials. These aired in the cinema before the main feature. They were segmented into usually more than ten chapters of roughly fifteen minutes per episode. In an attempt to keep audiences interested in both the story and returning to the cinema, cliffhanger storylines were often introduced at the end of each episode. This prompted the audience to want to know what happened next, enticing them to return. The success of these serials on young audiences prompted the creation of such famous children’s TV shows as Batman and The Adventures of Superman. However, interest in Saturday serials began to decline and in 1953 the comic book industry underwent legal battles against claims that they were glorifying violence. These issues brought an end to the serials.

The unforgettably camp 1966 Batman film starring Adam West in the title role was the only successful superhero film to emerge after the end of serials. It wasn’t for another twelve years until the sub genre begun to accumulate interest again. 1978 saw the return of Superman (played by Christopher Reeve) to the big screen in the first major superhero feature. Two subsequent Superman films were also released however neither was as successful as the original as they earned significantly less at the box office each time. However, the original Superman’s success provoked the release of other superhero films such as Tim Burton’s Batman (earning $411,348,924) and Batman Returns ($266,822,354). Marvel also released some films around this time such as The Punisher (1989) and Captain America (1991) however their earnings were horrendously bad.

Above: X-Men (2000)

The sub genre flourished again in the 2000s. The Wachowski Brothers’ The Matrix (1999) received $463,517,383 making it an unexpected box office smash. This caused a huge inflation in interest in superhero movies. Marvel had their first cinematic success in the form of Bryan Singer’s X-Men released in 2000. Marvel followed this with other successes including Spider-Man (2002), Daredevil (2003) and Iron Man (2009). The past decade, DC haven’t been as prominent as they once were however they did create the enormously successful Christopher Nolan directed Batman Begins trilogy. The second of the films, The Dark Knight, caused great press interest before it’s release, principally for the death of Heath Ledger. This may have contributed in making the film become one of the highest grossing movies of all time. The Dark Knight also gained critical acclaim and became the most nominated super hero movie in the Academy Awards.

This being said, Marvel and DC have had their fair amount of flops as well. DC’s Catwoman (2004) starring Halle Berry was nominated for seven Golden Rasperry nominations, a comedic award show for the worst films of the year. Since it’s release, Berry has gone on to speak honestly about her opinions on Catwoman including calling it a “shit, God-awful movie”. One year later, Marvel released Elektra to very negative reviews and the least grossing movie of a Marvel character since Howard the Duck. Interestingly, both of the films feature a female central protagonist. This could be why DC are delaying a movie based on one of their most popular characters, Wonder Woman.

Above: The Incredibles (2004)

This interest in superhero films caused the creation of new, original heroes for the big screen providing the audience with a break from comic book adaptations. Not a company to miss out on the chance to monopolize on audience interest, Pixar released their own superhero film in the form of The Incredibles (2004). This was hugely popular gaining $631,442,092 at the box office and being nominated for numerous awards.

Arguably the most highly anticipated upcoming superhero film, The Avengers, is set for 2012 release and has already begun filming. This sees the joining of Marvel’s past summer blockbuster hits forming a team comprising of Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and The Hulk. A similar endeavor is rumoured to be aimed for by DC which will include Batman, Superman and The Green Lantern in The Justice League. However nothing official about this has been confirmed.

After such a turbulent past, it’s hard to predict the future of this particular sub genre. Due to their increasing popularity, I’m inclined to believe that super hero films will continue to be celebrated by critics, audiences and fans alike.