Comics' heroes rake in money for studios Renee A. James
Source: Allentown Morning Call (Original Article)
Comics’ heroes rake
in money for studios
Renee A. James
June 22, 2008
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It’s summer movie time, that time of year when major studios drop all pretense of producing thoughtful, character-driven films — which they seldom do, anyway — and instead bludgeon movie goers with slightly less complicated (special effects aside) fare. Since I go to the dentist more frequently than I go to the movies, I won’t comment on the films themselves; only on the effectiveness of their relentless ad campaigns that produce record box office receipts.
I realize summer cinema means ”fun.” I didn’t realize it meant ”be a kid again” fun. It’s hard for me to understand the appeal of superhero adventures for anyone over the age of 9, but millions of people do. Plenty of bright, educated adults read comic books. But I fell asleep during ”Spiderman 2.”
The popularity of major motion pictures based on comic book heroes shows no signs of waning. As of June 16, ”Iron Man” had grossed almost $300 million. ”Iron Man” could join the ranks of the top-selling domestic films of all time. In its first week, ”The Incredible Hulk” earned more than $55 million.
These numbers prompted a little investigation. Box office receipts like these are no fluke; they’ve become the benchmark for these films. Moviegoers can’t wait for the next action-adventure-sci-fi-fantasy film. Could it be that they are the only kinds of films that succeed? Is there room for drama or romantic comedy or NCIS dvd character studies among best-selling movies?