Comic Book Films: Who will reign supreme in 2012?

Comic Book Films: Who will reign supreme in 2012?

2012 seems to be the year of the major comic movie events. The collaboration of the Avengers, the final installment of the Nolan Batman universe and the reboot of Marvel's biggest franchise, Spider-man.

Editorial Opinion
By Squaremaster316 - Oct 30, 2011 04:10 PM EST
Filed Under: Other

All 3 of these films have the potential to be the biggest film of the summer (Hobbit notwithstanding), but what are the factors that benefit each film, and what detracts from them. I'll leave out the inherent quality of each film and internal advertising as they're pretty much universal for all films.


Avengers


Advantages:

Crossover appeal. Although each film has already established mini crossovers between each other in the previous films, this will be the first time they are on screen together, ala Freddy vs Jason. While most who have seen Thor/Cap/Hulk have also seen IM, some bleed over should occur.

Consistently solid films. Although I personally don't find the films to be as great as others (Singer's X-Men films are my Marvel standard), the general populace has been impressed with the films overall thus far and Iron Man has been a proven box office draw, so it should have good word of mouth to carry over.

3D. But primarily overseas. 3D may not help domestically but it is a big draw internationally.

Whedon. Though he's pretty much a god amongst comic geeks. Though his name will have about as much impact on the film's numbers as Kevin Smith's would. Still, every bit helps.


Drawbacks:

Popularity. As big as these characters are, they are simply no match individually for Bats/Spidey in the realms of pop culture, so unless the 3D and bleedover makes a MASSIVE boost on the IM2 total, the film will fall behind. Also, Loki still has yet to prove that he's a truly marketable villain.

New Hulk. The film also has to introduce yet another Bruce/Hulk to the team. Without Norton, it feels significantly less like a crossover and more like an intro ala Hawkeye, and with no other members of the supporting cast showing up, it makes the 2008 Hulk film pretty much pointless. So it seems more like merging the strength of 3 films rather than 4.


The Dark Knight Rises


Advantages:

Popularity. Batman is among the top 3 most popular superheroes ever with Supes and Spidey, people will go see a movie based on his name alone.

The Dark Knight. The last 2D Billion dollar grosser and the highest grossing, most critically acclaimed comic book film ever in pop culture as a lead in helps a great deal, not to mention that the film's ending provided us with a great cliffhanger

Catwoman factor. While some might check in to see how different Bane is from the last incarnation, it's Anne's portrayal of Selina Kyle that will garner the most curiosity.

Trilogy. Usually trilogies equal big numbers for the final film of a franchise.

Nolan. Inception increased his net worth significantly, so his name will have the biggest draw out of the 3 directors.


Drawbacks:

Villain. Bane is notorious in the comics as the guy who "Broke the Bat", but like Loki, he's not the most notorious Batman villain to the general public. Hardy, and possibly Anne, will have to turn it up to try and make a big impact as they're both wildcards. Outdoing Ledger isn't necessary, but they do have to be somewhat memorable.

No 3D. While this may actually be beneficial domestically, it won't help overseas.


Amazing Spiderman


Advantages:

Spiderman. See Batman above.

3D. See Avengers above.

Reboot. As seen with other franchises, reboots usually bring a fresh take to a stale series and can bring in new fans.


Drawbacks:

Marc Webb. This will be his only film outside of "500 Days of Summer". While that was a great film, he is still too green in the industry and Spidey is of a totally different genre.

Origin story. Retelling the origin 10 years after the last one might turn off fans from the Raimi franchise as it will have the "Been there, done that" feel to it.

Raimi loyalists. Although SP3 disappointed, many felt that a sequel could have rectified the problems, so some old fans might not be willing to accept a new Spiderman, especially so soon.

Gwen Stacy. The biggest wildcard out of the 3 films, far more than Bane or Catwoman. While the Joker may be perceived by the general public as "Batman's greatest and most popular" foe, Mary Jane is perceived as Peter's "One and Only" love. Gwen is virtually unknown to the public outside of a glorified cameo in SP3; hell, the infamous scene where she falls off the bridge in the comics has been rewritten several times in film and television with Mary Jane in her place. Also, as much as I hate to say it, the Peter/Mary Jane relationship had massive drawing appeal in the last trilogy, so Mary Jane loyalists may have a hard time accepting her as a love of Peter's life.


So that's it, see you in 2012

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MrReese
MrReese - 10/30/2011, 5:00 PM
TDKR FTW!!
marvel72
marvel72 - 10/30/2011, 5:03 PM
i would like it to be.......

1ST THE AVENGERS

2ND THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

3rd the dark knight rises

4th ghost rider 2



but it'll probably be.......

1ST THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN

2ND THE AVENGERS

3rd the dark knight rises

4th ghost rider 2
superbatspiderman
superbatspiderman - 10/30/2011, 5:32 PM
The Dark Knight Rises gets my support but I am looking forward to all of them even Ghost Rider.
0bstreperous
0bstreperous - 10/30/2011, 5:38 PM
Emma stone is ugly particularly in respect to the crown in her teath that causes a speech impediment they should have used Alice eve
kylum616
kylum616 - 10/30/2011, 5:43 PM
the avengers will have a biger box ofice gross overseas while TDKR will be biger in the US
marvel72
marvel72 - 10/30/2011, 6:07 PM
@ brazillianbatman

should never underestimate spider-man.......

spider-man $821,708,551 (2nd best)
spider-man 2 $783,766,341 (the best)
spider-man 3 $890,871,626 (not bad for the worse)

the amazing spider-man has alot going for it.....

1.shot in 3d,3d movies make more money i.e avatar & transformers 3.

2.brand new classic spidey villain the lizard.

3.reboot new take on the character.

4.most popular marvel character & one of the most well known characters in the world by non fans.
Checkmate
Checkmate - 10/30/2011, 6:43 PM
The order I'll probably enjoy them in:

1. The Avengers
2. The Amazing Spider-Man
3. The Dark Knight Rises
4. Ghost Rider 2

The order they'll probably be in money:
1. The Dark Knight Rises
2. The Avengers
3. The Amazing Spider-Man
4. Ghost Rider 2

Looking forward to all of them.
RunDTC
RunDTC - 10/30/2011, 7:12 PM
film wise:
1. TDKR
2. Avengers
3. Spider-Man
4. GH 2

money wise:
1. TDKR
2. Spidey
3. Avengers
4. GH 2
JDUKE25
JDUKE25 - 10/30/2011, 7:17 PM
I think it's safe to say that all of these films will pull in the big bucks. I don't care which one pulls in more, I want them all to be good.
jjmeylar
jjmeylar - 10/30/2011, 8:25 PM
I think that "The Avengers" will be on top, with TDKR only a few million bucks behind it......if even THAT far behind. Next it will be Spidey and then GR.
95
95 - 10/30/2011, 9:03 PM
James Cameron's X-MEN is a guaranteed epic!

But Director Cameron has already expressed his desire to only do Spider-Man.
95
95 - 10/30/2011, 9:11 PM
PLEASE DISREGARD MY PREVIOUS COMMENT: WRONG POST.

I'm betting on these...

[b]Box Office Gross[/b]

1) The Dark Knight Rises
2) The Amazing Spider-Man
3) The Avengers

[b]Critical Reception {Rotten Tomatoes %s} [/b]

1) The Dark Knight Rises {93%}
2) The Avengers {87%}
3) The Amazing Spider-Man {83%}
95
95 - 10/30/2011, 9:16 PM
Once again, pay no attention to my James Cameron comment, I posted it on the wrong article.

Box Office Gross

1) The Dark Knight Rises
2) The Amazing Spider-Man
3) The Avengers

Critical Reception {Rotten Tomatoes %s}

1) The Dark Knight Rises {93%}
2) The Avengers {87%}
3) The Amazing Spider-Man {83%}
alucard365
alucard365 - 10/30/2011, 9:27 PM
WB is going market TDKR around Anne Hathaway, just like they did for Heath. The Dark Knight Rises is destined to rule 2012, it got the whole final chapter thing going for them. Just look what happen to Harry Potter.
Batman72012
Batman72012 - 10/30/2011, 9:34 PM
I think one of the biggest draws to these movies are basically teenagers and this is how it goes.As a high-schooler,I've heard my classmates talk about TASM and its not good.They say it's way too soon,peter parker looks too emo,and they should have stuck with tobey because he's basically "our" generation's Spider-Man.I think The Avengers has a very solid buzz because of the crossover and the action.Now,TDKR will definitely be one of the biggest anticipated movies for lots of high-schoolers.One,its the goddamn [frick]in batman,lots of followers of the character and series(myself included),and anne hathaway in a tight suit.So what,lots of guys my age think that's a jizztastic wet dream,including me.SUE ME!!
Supes17
Supes17 - 10/30/2011, 9:54 PM
I think TDKR will take the cake.
If Nolan's Inception managed to make $825 million and earn 8 oscars, then I'm sure the sequel to the most successful CBM will draw in large audiences
Spidey91
Spidey91 - 10/31/2011, 8:23 AM
in terms of money (IMO):

1)TDKR: maybe 800-900. (it's Batman,it's Nolan,it's the end of the trilogy,but NO JOKER).
2)TASM: Spidey always equals big bucks,700-800 is very likely,maybe even more.
3)Avengers: to be honest,I think it will end up in the 600-700 range,maybe a bit more with some luck (based on the previous MCU films,Iron Man 2 being the most successful).
4)GR SOV: looks cool,but it has Nicolas Cage in it :P,maybe 300-400 if the critics don't tear the film apart.

in terms of critical reception,The Avengers,TDKR and TASM have equal chances of end up in the 80%-90% range of approval on Rotten Tomatoes,an assumption based again on the reception of the previous films of each franchise.

I can't speak in terms of fan appeal,The Avengers is my favorite superhero team,Spidey is my favorite MARVEL superhero and Batman is my favorite DC superhero,they all will have my money,that's for sure :P
superotherside
superotherside - 10/31/2011, 8:29 AM
I have no idea... This is what I hope for.

Critically, Money, and Fan Appeal:
1. The Avengers
2. The Dark Knight Rises
3. Ghost Rider
4. The Amazing Spider-man

Why put TASM at the end? Cause I want it not to do well and have Sony give it back to Marvel Studios! Besides if nothing else I hate the film because of the stupid suit, and that we're getting the origin showen yet again! I mean come on we got it shown in all 3 last movies! I think most have it down pretty well... unless SM3 confused them with Sandman killing Uncle Ben... :P
alucard365
alucard365 - 10/31/2011, 9:58 AM
i'm go head and say it, Ghost Rider is not going to make any money ! ! ! ! !
Squaremaster316
Squaremaster316 - 10/31/2011, 11:11 AM
Ghost Rider will most likely appeal to the Fast & Furious crowd.
Redhood2k10
Redhood2k10 - 10/31/2011, 11:15 AM
Very nice read. Anyone who thinks spider out grosses Batman is insane. The GP doesn't even know Spiderman is getting rebooted. And Batman is the top dog of superheroes right now so that alone puts Batman over the top. Avengers does have an appeal to it. I believe if Avengers does good then more team up movies. Imagine the GP once they see Superman and Batman together for the first time.
RunDTC
RunDTC - 10/31/2011, 12:44 PM
@alucard: if WB markets TDKR around Hathaway, they'll make LESS money.
PaulRom
PaulRom - 10/31/2011, 12:57 PM
Financially:

1. The Amazing Spider-Man (3D, very popular character)
2. The Dark Knight Rises (could be hurt by lack of a popular villain other than Catwoman, but following up to the biggest CBM ever...yeah)
3. The Avengers (most will see this for Iron Man alone)
4. Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance (everyone hated the first film, and few like Nic Cage)

Kinda hard to rank the Big 3, but I have a feeling TASM will gross more than Avengers at least.

Critically:

1. TDKR (like Intruder said, Nolan's style appeals to critics; the dude doesn't have any rotten films on RT)
2. Avengers (it looks too good to get anything lower than 85% on RT)
3. TASM (will be higher on the Tomatometer than SM3, but the first two? That'll be tough)
4. GR: SOV (It'll probably be bashed for putting action over story, ala Tranformers. But I'd be shocked if it's lower on the Tomatometer than the first film)
golden123
golden123 - 10/31/2011, 6:40 PM
@Redhod2k10: I think it's a possibility that Spider-Man could out gross Batman. Spider-Man is the second most profitable superhero after Batman, but Spidey has the extra cost of 3D which adds up big time. Spider-Man made the high 700 million at his lowest. The name Nolan alone can bring in 825 million us dollars because that was what Inception was a straight out, original Nolan movie. I think The Dark Knight Rises will definitly hit the 900 marker, and has a greatt chance at being a billion dollar movie. That would be a chance TASM also has. The Avengers probably won't make more than 700,000.
golden123
golden123 - 10/31/2011, 7:06 PM
Critically- I think the rottentomato scores will be similar to this. (All critics)
1)TDKR 91%
2)Avengers 79% I have a feeling the producers might interfere and try to take too much control over Marvel Studios biggest movie ever. Ironman 2 didn't really convince most people that Marvel is capable of making a grand slam team movie. I think the avengers will end up being a good fun movie.
3)TASM 66% I believe this movie looks too much like the original Spider-Man. I think critics will recgonize this thought. Just think about it, both movies were about the origin and begining of Spider-Man. They both feature him in high school with a more classic superhero/love interest relationship than the likes of an Ironman or Nolan Batman movie. They both have one villain. The villain is a Dr. Jackal/Mr. Hyde mad scientist type of enemy, who expiremented on himself and is green and uncontrollable when in his "Mr. Hyde" form. The "Dr. Jackal" alter ego has a personal relationship to both Peter Parker and the love interest. Oscorp plays an important roll in both movies, and finally, there are at least two Deaths in each movie. Uncle Ben and Norman Osbourn died in the first one, and we know there are two different "funeral" scenes in the upcoming movie.
4)GR: SOV 38% This movie will probably suffer for it's immature jokes, Nic Cage's acting, and (it seems) having action over story.
lnTylerWeTrust
lnTylerWeTrust - 11/1/2011, 12:36 AM
I dont know bout' yall but.....AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!!!
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