DC Really Isn't That Far Behind MARVEL On The Silver Screen

DC Really Isn't That Far Behind MARVEL On The Silver Screen

Critical reviews bad; Box Office not so much.

Editorial Opinion
By sting29j - Sep 08, 2013 04:09 PM EST
Filed Under: Justice League
Source: sting29j

The MCU has truly been amazing and cant wait to see what's next except for Ant-Man. I am a fan of both companies but more of a DC guy, but will give credit where's credit is due. Marvel realized what they had and didn't hesitate to take advantage of the gold mine they were sitting. The fact DC has Warner Bros. backing them and Marvel has Disney, then it only makes sense to take advantage of what you have. Marvel has truly done that with their Phase 1,2,3, ect. plan which so far has been implemented well.

So with the facts in and ever since 2005 DC really isn't that far behind Marvel at all. $5,012,757,314 is the numbers so far from Phase 1 & 2 from Marvel. DC since 2005 at the box has produced $3,919,482,261. So those numbers tell me that they really haven't done as bad as people have made it out to be. I know that the quality of some of the films were truly not up to par or what they could have been.

DC like Marvel is truly sitting on a gold mine and have the characters to garner success just like Marvel. Marvel has not wasted any time and truly capitalized on their resources, something DC for whatever reason has not really done until the huge success of Marvels Avengers. So with all the head scratching from the fans of DC comes hope.

Christopher Nolan gave the DCCU the shot in the arm it needed with The Dark Knight trilogy. Man of Steel followed which was a great movie, and revived the Superman franchise. So now we finally see a plan coming together with announcement that the Man of Steel sequel will be a cross-over film bring Superman and Batman together for the first time on the silver screen.

So finally with the wheels in motion it was announced that The Flash will be coming in 2016 followed by Justice League in 2017 and I wouldn't be surprised if Wonder Woman made a cameo in the Man of Steel sequel or gets her own movie. So if Warner Bros. sticks to the plan then it will enjoy the success that Disney has experienced since they purchased Marvel.

So lets see Marvel has had two billion dollar films and DC has had two billion dollar films. Marvel has multiple franchises it can rely on from X-men, Thor, Capt. America, Spiderman, Wolverine, and Avengers. While DC has Superman and Batman which for decades have been more than enough for Marvel but obviously that has changed. So in the whole scheme of things DC can make up a lot of ground with the Man of Steel sequel, The Flash, Wonder Woman, and Justice League. So the DCCU is behind the MCU by quite a bit but not as bad as it was made out to be.

Marvel for the most part has the advantage in quantity not so much quality. I will admit Green Lantern and Superman Returns quality was a disappointment and liked both films, but a disappointment none the less. So lets look at the big picture which is that Marvel is doing a great job with what they have with promise of more good things to come except when it comes to Ant-Man. As far as DC is concerned they are in a great place right now with their upcoming projects and if we finally get a Justice League movie then it will truly change the game. In closing DC and Marvel will give the fans entertainment for years to come which means we all win, and maybe just maybe the two will come together and give us DC vs Marvel.

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CorndogBurglar
CorndogBurglar - 9/8/2013, 4:44 PM
As far as money, sure. But DC is WAY behind Marvel when it comes to putting characters on screen that aren't Batman or Superman.

I dont think anyone cares about how much money they are making. I think most people are more concerned with movies getting made.

The shitty thing is that DC has so many good characters, yet they just refuse to put them on screen. We'll see if that is still the case after MoS 2 though.
Bearjew
Bearjew - 9/8/2013, 4:49 PM
I guess that's true except that they COULD have been way ahead of Marvel cinematically if they had made better decisions. A Justice League movie could have already been made, if Green Lantern had been good we might have gotten a sequel by now. WB would have had at least three good 'trilogy worthy' franchises under their belt and already ahead of marvel economically. But had they sparked another franchise such as a Flash, Wonder Woman or even a smaller part of a DCCU that would have less connection with it than the others, a Guardians of the Galaxy so to speak. Maybe a Lobo movie or Shazam. I personally want Guillermo Del Toro to leave Pacific Rim 2 to another director and fully commit to 'Dark Universe' a mystic team of DC's best supernatural heroes could bring a whole other side to the DCCU. Regardless, you're right DC hasn't done poorly at the box office, but if you think the shit with Superman Returns and Green Lantern hasn't hurt their credibility you should take another look at the numbers for Man of Steel, which could have topped the Avengers. I think Justice League will however supersede the Avengers movie in box office revenue, based on Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Flash's popularity and the mainstream audience's awareness of these characters. In this way I think DC has done well and will continue to do well, but they could have done better. They could have done way better. Thank you for reading my editorial.
BrowniesExplode
BrowniesExplode - 9/8/2013, 4:50 PM
Good points but dc has to set up a cinematic foundation first. I mean yeah man of steel is done but what about wonder woman, the flash or martian manhunter. I believe warner bros. has no faith or whoever believe this can't work well it can. The only thing i can say about marvel is that i wish they let disney buy them. Because after the avengers thats what they are relying on ie the phienas and ferb meets marvel had the hulk catching iron man in it. I also feel marvel studios films wont be dark and gritty no more just family fims and comedies ie iron man 3.
Bearjew
Bearjew - 9/8/2013, 4:51 PM
Also why was Green Lantern's friend Indian when he was Japanese in the comics? Kind of a dis I suppose, though I don't think Japan had many complaints after seeing the film.
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 9/8/2013, 5:01 PM
DC films released this decade:
Man Of Steel
Green Lantern
The Dark Knight Rises

Marvel films released this decade
Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
Iron Man 2-3
Avengers
The Wolverine
TASM

DC films to be released within the decade:
Batman/Superman
Justice League

Marvel films to be released within the decade:
Thor: The Dark World
Guardians Of The Galaxy
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
Ant-Man
X-Men: Days Of Future Past
X-Force
Fantastic Four Reboot
TASM 2

"Numbers do not win a battle!"
"No... But I bet they help."

Marvel will soon be more than double DC. Even when you take out the stuff that isn't Marvel Studios. I probably look like a troll but face it, DC aren't far behind now, but wait 'til 2020 then post this again with the new figures.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/8/2013, 5:03 PM
It all comes down to greed, risk, and development.

WARNER BROS (not DC) has control of the movies, ok.
They're sitting on all of these character properties like a fat kid at a candy store. Except they only wanna try Three Musketeers, and maybe York.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 9/8/2013, 5:05 PM
Praetorian, I'm scratching my head at your last statement, and it's not the dandruff.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 9/8/2013, 5:06 PM
If DC announces Wonder Woman, that's all they need.

Just do Wonder Woman. Marvel lacks real female superheroes.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 9/8/2013, 5:07 PM
I thought GL's friend in the film was like his brother. Maybe not.
LEVITIKUZ
LEVITIKUZ - 9/8/2013, 5:22 PM
I see someone got on their knees and begged Big G to come back.
WYLEEJAY
WYLEEJAY - 9/8/2013, 5:29 PM
Does anybody else think that the Man of Steel sequel should introduce Wonder Woman too? Cause I think having Ares manipulate a war between the U.S. and Thymiscara in order to drive Superman and Batman into defeating Wonder Woman for him, and them figuring out his plot and joining forces against him, would be a great way to get all three in a film.

Hear me out now. Ares would be a perfect villain for all three. Physical challenge for Supes. He's a great tactician. So would be a great mental challenge for Bats. And he's always been involved with Wonder Woman. So there's your personal challenge. Would this work?
TheManFromMars
TheManFromMars - 9/8/2013, 5:32 PM
Thomas Kalmaku was Japanese? I thought he was Inuit.
Minato
Minato - 9/8/2013, 5:53 PM
You are only counting MCU films to which marvel has limited properties. Try counting Spiderman and X-Men movies. DCCU has all of their properties and some that they have recently acquired. Add in Hex and Watchmen. Marvel is making about double what DC is making.
unknownfacts
unknownfacts - 9/8/2013, 5:55 PM
Funny thing about WB sitting on said gold mine is that it only counts towards the silver screen.People forget that WB went the animated route instead of the big screen.They produce shows like Legion of Super Heroes,Justice League,and Young Justice without a movie tie in.WB using said gold mine they just have other priorities when it comes to films.
Minato
Minato - 9/8/2013, 6:22 PM
Since 2005 Box office Gross
Marvel 3,930,916,425
DC 2,225,292,975
Minato
Minato - 9/8/2013, 6:43 PM
The movies I factored into my #s
DC-TDK, TDKR, Batman Begins, Man of Steel, Superman Returns, Green Lantern, Red, Red 2, V for Vendetta, Watchmen, Jonah Hex, Constantine, The Losers

Marvel- Avengers, Ironman 3, Ironman 2, Captain America, Thor, X-Men the last stand, X-Men first class, The Wolverine, Wolverine Origins, The Incredible Hulk, Fantastic Four, Fantastic Four the rise of Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider Spirit of Vengeance, Electra, Punisher War Zone, Spiderman 3, The Amazing Spiderman
SnapperCarr
SnapperCarr - 9/8/2013, 7:07 PM
DC is way behind Marvel and eventually will be even farther.

It'll be a sad day when the world thinks Flash, Atom, Green Arrow, and Darkseid are rip offs of Quicksilver, Antman, Hawkeye and Thanos.
Forthas
Forthas - 9/8/2013, 7:16 PM
I am a DC fan (at least until 2015) and they have been an embarassing failure. I don't know who is making decisions at the company but all I do know is that the could have had five movies in their shared universe in 2015 now they will have two...likely the last two. Marvel will have at least 10. After they screw up the Batman/Superman film I hope they start a petition for Warner Brothers to sell the DC brand so that maybe someone competent could help get it off the ground. I mean how do you make the greatest superhero franchise in the history of CBM's then come up with the "brilliant" idea to reboot Batman. If faced with a similar decsion a first grade classroom would come up with a better strategy than that.
Lhornbk
Lhornbk - 9/8/2013, 10:05 PM
Thank you, @ OmegaDaGod, for pointing that out. It's amazing how many fanboys saw that rumor that WB might announce Flash and Justice League and just assumed it happened. Seriously people, pay attention, and know the difference between a rumor and an official announcement.

@WyleeJay, ummm......no. Maybe you use Ares for Justice League, not for Superman/Batman. And despite all this fanboy wishful thinking, the only way Wonder Woman is in that movie is as a cameo, either towards the end or in an after credits scene. They are making too big a deal about combining Superman/Batman, there's no way they take attention away from that by putting in Wonder Woman. Plus, if she was gonna be in it, they would have announced it already for the publicity.
WYLEEJAY
WYLEEJAY - 9/8/2013, 10:28 PM
@Lhornbk. K. Makes sense. Sounded cool.
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 7:14 AM
Actually, I don't think DC is far behind from having there own shared universe. I mean just look at what Marvel did, they made five films before the Avengers. Now, DC already took one step towards their own shared universe, with Man Of Steel. All they need is three or four more films of build up, before they do The Justice League. Those three films I'm guessing would be, the already confirmed World's Finest film, a Trinity film, and a solo Flash film. I think that after The Justice League film, WB is going to green light Justice League Dark, and it will be connected to the DCU. Also, I think that they are going to stick with the name of Justice League Dark, for the film and the team. Its just good marketing, and after JL Dark, they will green light even more teams, like. JLA lead by Steve Trevor and Martian Manhunter, Justice Society, Sucide Squad, Outsiders, Team 7, Legion Of Superheroes, and Teen Titans.
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 8:11 AM
Oh, another thing they can do is a GL Corps film. They can make it an anthology where they showcase every GL member, or a buddy cop film with John Stewart and Guy Gardner. Also, they can make a New Guardians film, or a Sinestro Corps War film.
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 8:37 AM
@Omarvls @0megaDaGod
Slow and steady wins the race boys, I'll take quality over quantity any day of the week. Also, don't be surprised if Ant-Man bombs at the box office because Marvel is creating a big clusterf%ck, by shoving superhero film after superhero film after superhero film down our throats with out taking a break. Essentially making superhero films redundant, and you'll have no one to thank but the combination of Marvel, Sony, and Fox for that. But mostly Marvel Studios.
StatenMan18
StatenMan18 - 9/9/2013, 8:48 AM
Idk why everyone says marvel is quantity over quality, with the exception of IM3 I think all the marvel studios movies have been great. I think Amman will be awesome to with Edgar wrist making it, of course it's chances of doing bad at the box office is because its coming out the same time as Star Wars, but it'll be sick as hell I think
StatenMan18
StatenMan18 - 9/9/2013, 8:48 AM
Antman*
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 8:49 AM
You have to pace yourself with these things, like one film a year. To build up anticipation for the next superhero film. You can't expect the general audience to be excited for one superhero film after they have already seen two that same year. So naturally, you're going to start to see a lot bombing at the box office.
McNyagano
McNyagano - 9/9/2013, 9:45 AM
@0megaDaGod



@MarkOfTheDemon

"Slow and steady wins the race boys, I'll take quality over quantity any day of the week. Also, don't be surprised if Ant-Man bombs at the box office because Marvel is creating a big clusterf%ck, by shoving superhero film after superhero film after superhero film down our throats with out taking a break. Essentially making superhero films redundant, and you'll have no one to thank but the combination of Marvel, Sony, and Fox for that. But mostly Marvel Studios."
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 9:59 AM
@0megaDaGod
I'm not hating on Marvel, but can you seriously say with a straight face, that the incredible hulk, iron man 2, and iron man 3 are quality films? I mean, Marvel doesn't even trust the hulk with a sequel because of the incredible hulk film. Iron man 2, and 3 sucked and the avengers had a very simplistic mediocre story. As a matter of fact, the avengers was voted the most overrated and overhyped film of 2012. Thor and Captin America were okay. Their best film is iron man 1.
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 10:09 AM
@Omarvls
It won't just hurt WB, but the whole gener as well.
McNyagano
McNyagano - 9/9/2013, 10:09 AM
@MarkOfTheDemon

Iron Man 3 is a quality film.Iron Man 3 was incredibly close to the comics. It was an amalgamation of Extremis and Matt Fraction's follow-up arc where, the Mandarin caused terrorsit acts with extremis bombs and took down Tony using business tactics...Oh wait.....Nobody here reads comics.

Considering how Drew Pearce has gone on record to say that he researched on the various versions of the Mandarin, it should be no surprise that Killian’s depiction comes very close to the recent iterations of the character in the comics. While some are quick to point at Extremis as the source of inspiration for Iron Man 3, avid comic readers will actually recognize that Killian’s plot was very obviously inspired by the comic arc in Iron Man: Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (#15-18). In that particular story arc, it depicts a very modern Mandarin in which he manipulates people (including Maya Hansen) as a CEO businessman in order to gain access to Extremis with plans of “cleansing humanity”, while supporting terrorists in the shadows. Oh wait... Nobody here reads comics.....

Yes, the story about a Superhero facing an existential crisis and a crippling case of post-traumatic stress disorder is totally for kids. I mean let's not also forget how the story has unintentional victims being used as suicide bombers as members of the military industrial complex take advantage of our western societies' anxieties of foreign terrorism while lining their own pockets for themselves.

The tone of IM3 was far darker than any other Marvel film, and most of the superhero films in general, despite the humour. It explored a lot of very complex themes without ever resorting to the type of blatant exposition that beat viewers about the head and shoulders with the writers' intent. At its heart, it was a very well-crafted character piece and a deft dissection of our current media-driven culture disguised in a superhero movie.

Then people go about and start saying shit like "all Marvel movies are formulaic and safe, they're just popcorn movies, they're not deep or complex, they never do anything new." Well folks, they did all that with IM3 and you guys went apeshit. You fanboys never cease to amaze me. I found it to be a very sharply written and fresh with a dinstinct tone that sets it apart from not only the other MCU films, but from any other superhero film, full stop.

PEACE!! I'M OUT!!
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 10:29 AM
@0megaDaGod
Also, did you ever hear me say that Marvel should go as slow as WB? No, I never said that you just put words in my mouth. But I agree, no one should go as slow as WB, thats too slow. But there is also a thing as going so fast that you burn out. That's why I said that a good balance would be one film a year. To build anticipation for the next film, next year.
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 10:46 AM
@McNyagano
That's great and all, but the problem was execution. The film wasn't executed correctly, too many inconsistencies plot holes, and an overkill of comedy that a lot of the times wasn't even funny. I won't even bring up that god awful twist.

@0megaDaGod
Oh and FYI, the last series of films to bring legitimacy to the CBM gener was The Dark Knight trilogy.
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 11:46 AM
@0megaDaGod
First of all, what makes you think I'm biased? I said thor and captin america were okay, and that I thought Marvel's best film was iron man 1. I also agree with you that the green lantern film was garbage, and my favorite Marvel heroes are Wolverine, Punisher, and Gambit. Now does that sound like a biased person to you? Secondly, a film that is impactful to writers and directors doesn't sound legit to you? Also what do you mean by "people who pretend to hate the avengers love it?" So you're telling me no one can hate the avenger? How do you know that? Can you read people's minds! Well I guess you just pretend to hate the green lantern film, but you secretly love it too Huh? And what I meant by slow and steady, was one film a year, I never directly said WB would win the race. Again you're putting words in my mouth.
QuestionDAnswer
QuestionDAnswer - 9/9/2013, 12:07 PM
@0megaDaGod
Also, who cares if TDKR wasn't the best film of the year. Neither was IM1 when it came out. But you still find IM1 legit, don't ya? If you watch IM3 you can see traces of both TDKR, and Batman Begins. Honestly dude, you're the one who sounds biased. Just deal with it!
McNyagano
McNyagano - 9/9/2013, 12:58 PM
@MarkOfTheDemon

"The film wasn't executed correctly, too many inconsistencies plot holes"

What plot holes and inconsistencies?? o_O
NovaCorpsFan
NovaCorpsFan - 9/11/2013, 9:14 AM
That was a lovely argument fellas.
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