It's entirely possible that 'Man of Steel' is both a great film and one that will go on to reap huge amounts at the worldwide box office (I pray to the comic book gods that this is so). But for the sake of this argument, let's theorize that 'Man of Steel' can only achieve one or the other. Right now, it looks to be a divisive reinterpretation of the character among professional film critics while poised for massive box office gains this weekend. If such is the case, the door to other intellectual properties from 'DC Comics' will burst wide open as the film already hints at other heroes and villains and a new report surfacing just this morning about renewed interest in 'Wonder Woman' and 'Aquaman' films. But what if the majority of film critics are right, and 'Man of Steel' is an unimpressive, overly violent misfire? Over the years, audiences have seen many 'terrible' films that went on to earn a ton of money at the box office. The movie(s) that comes to mind most readily, would be the Michael Bay 'Transformers' franchise, films that are panned by the majority but keep earning tons at the box office. Would you forgive such an effort from WB if it meant more DC character appearing on screen?
The other side to our argument, is a 'Man of Steel' film that redefines the character in a refreshing and thoughtful manner but fails to strike a chord with moviegoer wallets. To some extent, that's the category that Superman Returns falls within. A $200 million dollar film that grossed $400 million worldwide that, at one time, had its own sequel greenlit but ultimately fell by the wayside among growing studio concerns that it missed its $500 million dollar benchmark. If such a fate were to befall 'Man of Steel' Warner Bros. is very likely to look at different material to fill its 'Harry Potter' void. That, or we're only going to receive Batman films for the next two decades or so.
RELATED CONTENT:
MAN OF STEEL Producer's Interesting Reaction To Supergirl Rumors
More From David S. Goyer On JUSTICE LEAGUE, Batman And Cyborg?
Henry Cavill Reveals Superman's Age In MAN OF STEEL
Running Time: 2 hrs 23 min
Release Date: 14 June 2013 (USA)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Starring: Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner,Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni, Richard Schiff, Harry Lennix
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Written by: Christopher Nolan (story), David S. Goyer (screenplay)
"Man of Steel follows the Last Son of Krypton on his epic journey to become mankind's shinning beacon of hope for a brighter future. With the beliefs and values instilled by his adoptive parents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent, a young Clark (Henry Cavill) sets out to find his place in the world. But when the nefarious General Zodd (Michael Shannon) arrives on Earth, Clark will have to choose between being a normal human or Kal-el,son of Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and humanity's greatest protector and champion. Filmed in IMAX and shot in Vancouver, Chicago and Plano, Illinois, Man of Steel will be released on June 14, 2013 by Warner Bros. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) with a screenplay by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) the Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception) produced feature film will surely be the summer blockbuster of 2013."