Superheroes go Hollywood
By Patrice Alexander [Thompson High School]
Bang! Pow! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, no, it’s a superhero!
In hit movies, famous comic book characters are the stars. Whether it is Spiderman, Superman, or The Hulk these movies attract audiences of all ages.
While James Bond is a hit among baby-boomers, today’s teens relate more to heroes such as Peter “Spiderman” Parker.“I grew up reading Spiderman comics, and I have childhood memories,” said Jeremy Henderson, program coordinator of volunteer services at the University of Alabama. “In spite of Peter Parker’s nerdy outward appearance, he was still a hero.”
According to Boxofficereport.com, within the past 11 years, movies of superheroes have been bringing not only viewers but money as well. In 1992, Batman Returns grossed a total of $162.8 million. In the following years, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin had a total of $184.0 million and $107.3 million in ticket sales. X-Men grossed a total of $157.3 million.
The recently released movie, The Hulk has a total of $123.6 million. So far, the highest total gross among these characters is Spiderman, with a total of $250.0 million.
Aside from financial gain for the studios, one reason comics are turned into movies is because the characters are already established.
“Comics look like movies,” said Jeremy Butler, professor of telecommunication and film at the University of Alabama. “That makes it easier to transform comics into movies.”
Butler cited three main reasons for comics becoming movies.
“It’s because of name recognition and finances as far as second product items (i.e. action figures, lunch boxes and etc.), that further promote the writer’s favorite character,” Butler said.