When did Batman surpass every other DC hero in popularity? And Why did he?

[bat39]

Even with good reviews, I don't see that one breaking the billion mark. And I do think that batman's star is on the decline nowadays - like most of DC in the general audience I suspect.

It's circumstancial but some comments on YT don't convince me that there is a real interest for that movie. Especially during a pandemic, and especially when it's basically a retread of the Nolan trilogy.

If you compare Far from Home trailer released last month it's at 65 M views on Sony's channel - The Batman's trailer from october is at 36M. It's a good number, but it indicates a world of difference between the interests of the two movies, and it'll show in the box-office.

I don't think No Way Home (which I assume is what you mean, not Far From Home) is remotely a fair comparision. NWH had way more interest because of the nostalgia factor - right from the start it was evident that some big name from the franchise's past were returning. NWH is a movie that literally brings together three generations of Spider-Man on screen, and their fans.

Not sure where this idea of Batman's star being on the decline is coming from...

[Korath]

I don't think No Way Home (which I assume is what you mean, not Far From Home) is remotely a fair comparision. NWH had way more interest because of the nostalgia factor - right from the start it was evident that some big name from the franchise's past were returning. NWH is a movie that literally brings together three generations of Spider-Man on screen, and their fans.

Not sure where this idea of Batman's star being on the decline is coming from...

yes, but sadly today Nostalgia is a huge factor in success.

I agree that NWH (indeed, I mixed the names) is a special case (MCU movie + Nostalgia + Spider-Man) but that's precisely why it's the only movies to have made a billion (or will soon) since Covid started. But that's precisely why I don't see The Batman breaking that abr. Maybe I'm wrong, and hopefully I'll be, if only because I'd want the other movies I care far more about (the DCEU ones basically) to get some of that mojo if it does, but it seems dubious.

[The Darknight Detective]

Even with good reviews, I don't see that one breaking the billion mark. And I do think that batman's star is on the decline nowadays - like most of DC in the general audience I suspect.

But if it does reach at least a billion like The Joker did not that long ago, then you would have to conclude Batman is indeed still as popular?

[Korath]

yeah, and i'd be really happy about it !

[manwhohaseverything]

I can make the same argument for Superman punching a meteor or any idea you think is great.



The first thing we see him doing is saving people from an oil fire. He doesn't even meet thd film's villains until the second act.

The question is.does he?For me it's a no.

That was a great sequence.You know what i would have loved instead of the entire man of steel movie.Clark working as the oil worker(His origin as the little guy).Spotting problems.Oil rig catching fire.Clark failing to Stop the destruction.Clark saving the his fellow men and going down in flames but somehow surviving.No flight,no savior shtick.Superman with strength,leaping ability and hightened senses.Very much suseptable to damage and getting hurt.The thing that movie would tackle will be worker safety .

[80sForever]

But if it does reach at least a billion like The Joker did not that long ago, then you would have to conclude Batman is indeed still as popular?

One issue between comparing them is we don't know when NWH will be available for streaming and the pirated versions are bad quality, so fans have every motivation to buy movie tickets, while The Batman will be on HBO Max 45 days after it is released in the theaters. So there may be a small percentage of holdovers. However if it winds up beating NHW anyway, it shows how even more popular Batman is.

I was pleasantly surprised The Joker made so much money even with a R-rating. It looks like both NWH and The Batman are both PG-13.

[The Kid]

One issue between comparing them is we don't know when NWH will be available for streaming and the pirated versions are bad quality, so fans have every motivation to buy movie tickets, while The Batman will be on HBO Max 45 days after it is released in the theaters. So there may be a small percentage of holdovers. However if it winds up beating NHW anyway, it shows how even more popular Batman is.

I was pleasantly surprised The Joker made so much money even with a R-rating. It looks like both NWH and The Batman are both PG-13.

It def won’t beat NWH but it should still do well. NWH basically had Avengers appeal based on the crossover element and you can see that in the views the trailers all had. It’s tough to make a billion dollars in the pandemic and I’m not surprised NWH was the first since it was the first true event since Endgame.

FWIW, I think The Batman will do well but because of recent Batman films and the pandemic, it won’t break a billion. I’m thinking around 850 million

[Korath]

It def won’t beat NWH but it should still do well. NWH basically had Avengers appeal based on the crossover element and you can see that in the views the trailers all had. It’s tough to make a billion dollars in the pandemic and I’m not surprised NWH was the first since it was the first true event since Endgame.

FWIW, I think The Batman will do well but because of recent Batman films and the pandemic, it won’t break a billion. I’m thinking around 850 million

Which is already a huge success, for a movie, really.

Especially compared to the latest DC movies who were faaaaaaaaaaar below it.

[Lightning Rider]

It seems to me that a lot of super-hero movies don't spend much time on establishing the hero's personalty and motivations--building them up as a compelling character in their own right--before introducing the big bad and spending most of the movie on that antagonist and that plot.

BATMAN BEGINS might be the best movie as far as establishing Bruce Wayne as a character--yet even that movie is overloaded with villains who eat up the screen time.

I guess it's too much to ask, but sometimes I'd like a movie where Batman or Superman or Green Lantern is the whole focus of the movie and the villains are minor or not at all. If there has to be a big bad, let that come right at the very end of the movie to build up for a sequel.

Such movies might not generate as much anticipation--but they could probably lower the budget a lot and the movie would still be profitable because they didn't waste the budget on special effects and flashy villains.

Yesterday, I watched "Panic in the Sky" (November 30th, 1953) and Superman doesn't even battle a villain. He battles an asteroid. It's a great story--and could easily be an entire movie. Characters don't have to fight villains to be heroic. Heroism comes in many varieties.

I totally agree, and I think Superman is ripe for that kind of movie. In fact you could argue 1978 Superman's success comes from so much focus on Superman and his immediate circle. There doesn't have to be a critical antagonist, though that's easier to make.

[bat39]

yes, but sadly today Nostalgia is a huge factor in success.

I agree that NWH (indeed, I mixed the names) is a special case (MCU movie + Nostalgia + Spider-Man) but that's precisely why it's the only movies to have made a billion (or will soon) since Covid started. But that's precisely why I don't see The Batman breaking that abr. Maybe I'm wrong, and hopefully I'll be, if only because I'd want the other movies I care far more about (the DCEU ones basically) to get some of that mojo if it does, but it seems dubious.

I can understand your belief that The Batman may not perform as extraordinarily well as NWH has (and frankly there's no way of telling right now what the COVID situation will be like once it hits the screens). NWH has the MCU and nostalgia factors going for it heavily.

But to your earlier statement that Batman's star as a franchise is declining...I just don't see how you came to that conclusion.

It's been nearly a full decade since the last solo Batman movie, so the appetite for one is immense.

Affleck's Batman is easily one of the most popular parts of an otherwise divisive DCEU. We've had stuff like the Lego Batman Movie, another massive success, over the past decade. Joker, a movie that's part of the Batman universe even though it mostly rejects being a 'franchise product' was a critical and commercial juggernaut. And hell, DC is virtually relying on Keaton's Batman to sell The Flash, and the upcoming Batgirl film too.

Beyond the movies, so much of DC's comic output revolves around Batman. He's getting a new cartoon in the vein of BTAS. And it seems not a year goes by without some kind of Batman-adjacent TV project, with Gotham Knights being the latest one in development.

Batman's as big as he's always been. The only thing he hasn't had for a long time now is a solo live-action blockbuster film, which is all the more reason why The Batman is poised for great success!

[Alpha]

Lego Batman made 312 million on a budget of 80 million (which isn't even the final cost but whatever). It was a success, but not a huge success. Any way, the point myself and a few others are making isn't that Batman's popularity is in decline, it's that DC is in risk of watering down his brand in live action moviesd, because they've had a string of disappointments with Batman, and then they come out with a reboot whose marketing makes me think " didn't I see this movie years ago?" since it's plot, cinematography, tone and dialogue are all indistinguishable from The Dark Knight and Batman v Superman.

It's very rare for a studio to promote a superhero flick this way. Usually they want to make it obvious that the new movie is different from those that came before either in story or in style. All these things make me think that this movie won't reach 1 Billion in the box office. Which doesn't make it a falure, but would signify the beginnings of a decline in enthusiasm

[The Kid]

Confuzzled posted this video of superheroes by most searched over the course of the last 16 years in another thread



Initial thoughts: Spider-Man really is the king of superheroes when it comes to google, he's usually at #1 unless a new movie came out. Batman is right behind him and easily the top guy at DC. Superman actually still gets searched a lot despite WB not knowing how to handle him in film. MCU has boosted a number of characters the last decade

[Jabare]

I'm surprised Ironman and Flash are so close to Superman.

I guess Wolverine is not as popular as he use to be.

I'm a little shocked about Black Widow. That has to be completely the MCU

[Rightoya]

That said, it ultimately doesn't matter anyway as far as box office goes. Any Batman movie at this point is a safe billion, unless it's really messed up. Which goes back to the original point of the post about Batman's status as the dominant DC hero, and how one of the reasons for it is that there is a broad consensus on what the ideal vision of Batman is among most creators and fans (casual and hardcore) today.

That sounds very optimistic, i would find a billion quite surprising at this point. Especially looking at that only the extremely hyped Aquaman and the very different Joker managed to do that in the last decade of DC movies,, and that was without Covid, even Wonder Woman stayed quite a bit below the Billion if i remember correctly.

[skyvolt2000]

What date does that movie come out? March 4th 2022.

Guess what is happening during that time? Spring Break is starting up. You now have a period of kids and teen and college students out at some point.

In fact the 45th day would be April 14th a Thursday that for some school districts is still Spring Break.

Pending Covid-sniffing a billion is possible.

Going into March what is it's biggest challenger? Downtown Abby? Madagascar 4?