Has TDK Opened the Door for Watchmen?

[lou2099]

People are now expecting more from a Superhero movie. We have now seen a Superhero movie, a huge summer blockbuster, be treated like a real film. Spider-Man who? Iron-what? I think Watchmen, aided greatly by what is probably a pitch perfect trailer, has now the possibility to succeed to a degree I would of never thought possible. The Dark Knight is that reason.Anyone else agree?

Spider-Man is an established, iconic character, and even though the last movie was below standards, it still raked in the dough.. Iron Man was made as well as, if not better than The Dark Knight, because Iron Man not nearly as well known, yet still made $300 million domestically. It's premature to say that The Dark Knight or Watchmen will erase those from the moviegoing public memory.

 

[Cinemaman]

An R rating, critical reviews and a whole marketing campaign won't get across the idea that this is a serious movie about Superheroes?

Also - the success of the trailer depended on TDK. If it had any other vessel but TDK, the audience wouldn't of been as big, or as tailor made for the movie. Most anyone who enjoys TDK should enjoy Watchmen - the same can't be said for Harry Potter.

Plus, many people saw the trailer prior to TDK, and this means that they will be aware of the film and tell their friends. So while TDK keeps making a lot of money, people notice the trailer, because it is too unique to not get attention.

 

[Cinemaman]

Well there are plenty R rated movies in the next month.

Step Brothers
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder
Mirrors

But those are comedies or horror movies.

For movies that the Watchmen teaser and eventually actual trailer should be attached to:

Eagle Eye

Body of Lies (R rated Ridley Scott film shown with TDK)
RocknRolla (Gerard Butler R rated film)

Quantum of Solace (new trailer should debut)
Australia
Harry Potter 6

Punisher:War Zone (reboot)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (new trailer with a few changes)
The Spirit (new trailer with a few changes)

The International

I hope it's attached to Harry Potter, as this is another WB huge blockbuster that will make a lot of money.

 

[bunk]

Because the mainstream was not ready to accept a R rated Superhero story before TDK, IMO. I think TDK was able to use the Batman name and create a market for mature Superhero movies - something not really seen before.

So if TDK didn't exist, people wouldn't go and see Watchmen for fear it would be... what? Did WB only commit to Watchmen because they knew Nolan's movies were "priming" the audience?

 

[chesslover]

One could make a claim for X-Men paving the way too.

 

[gap5ewl]

One could make a claim for X-Men paving the way too.

Yeah I would agree with you there. I think the first two X-Men were really the ones that paved the way for more mature/realistic/cerebral comic book movies. I don't think the new Batman franchise would have turned out the way it did had it not been for the sucess of Singers films.

 

[Shifty]

I hope it's attached to Harry Potter, as this is another WB huge blockbuster that will make a lot of money.

It should. There would still be 3.5 months to release and of course a lot of 18+ theatre goers seeing the film. They should also have a redband trailer with Punisher:War Zone or The Spirit and any other Rated R film that launches between December and February.

 

[bunk]

A redband trailer would be really cool.

Also your avvy is great.

 

[Shmoil]

I completely agree with the original post. While the Spider-Man and X-Men movies make lots of money and were fine, they were still full of one-liners and camp. Not as much as there used to be, but it was still there. There were, what, two one-liners in TDK? And no camp, as far as I can tell. It changed a Batman movie from being a superhero movie to being an epic crime drama. Which is what Batman is. There have yet to be good, serious Spider-Man and X-Men movies. As for 300, well, I thought it was cool but it was shallower than a bathtub. A good adaptation I guess, if the source material is really that shallow.

My point is that had Watchmen just come out, maybe critics would see it for it's genius (IF the movie turns out well), but a lot of the audience would say "What? A superhero movie trying to critique society and it's own genre? What? No, that doesn't happen. Superheroes aren't like this...." But now that a popular character has been done seriously for the first time, and used to critique itself (in a way), it does open the door for a bigger critique of the genre. So yes, TKD opened the door Watchmen.

And a redband trailer would be awesome.

 

[gap5ewl]

I completely agree with the original post. While the Spider-Man and X-Men movies make lots of money and were fine, they were still full of one-liners and camp. Not as much as there used to be, but it was still there. There were, what, two one-liners in TDK? And no camp, as far as I can tell. It changed a Batman movie from being a superhero movie to being an epic crime drama. Which is what Batman is. There have yet to be good, serious Spider-Man and X-Men movies. As for 300, well, I thought it was cool but it was shallower than a bathtub. A good adaptation I guess, if the source material is really that shallow.

My point is that had Watchmen just come out, maybe critics would see it for it's genius (IF the movie turns out well), but a lot of the audience would say "What? A superhero movie trying to critique society and it's own genre? What? No, that doesn't happen. Superheroes aren't like this...." But now that a popular character has been done seriously for the first time, and used to critique itself (in a way), it does open the door for a bigger critique of the genre. So yes, TKD opened the door Watchmen.

And a redband trailer would be awesome.

X1 might have some camp moments. But it, and especially X2, were still pretty serious in their direction. X2 didn't really feel like a comic book film just a good dramatic sci fi movie that made you think about issues of the real world. BB took that even a step further and Dark Knight is probally the most thaught provoking, beyond comic book film I've seen yet. I think Watchmen will be even more different because it's appearence makes it look like a generic comic book film (costumes, anyone?). But the plot and central themes within it are even more mature and far away from a comic book then Dark Knight was.

 

[kid bosco]

im tempted to be that 13th person.. like i said in another thread, i know NOTHING about Watchmen but iam darn sure ready to learn now. that trailer has me convinced.

You and me both!
I'm going to purchase the Graphic Novel asap!

 

[Nepenthes]

I definitely agree with the OP. and yeah the way this is happening was a little unexpected I think we all have to admit. I thought Watchmen would be the movie that would blow the top of the hero genre.....turns out it was (fortunately?) beaten to the punch

I think next March people will be asking "so is this a comic book movie like the Dark Knight?"

here's to hoping that it is

 

[The Overlord]

I completely agree with the original post. While the Spider-Man and X-Men movies make lots of money and were fine, they were still full of one-liners and camp. Not as much as there used to be, but it was still there. There were, what, two one-liners in TDK? And no camp, as far as I can tell. It changed a Batman movie from being a superhero movie to being an epic crime drama. Which is what Batman is. There have yet to be good, serious Spider-Man and X-Men movies. As for 300, well, I thought it was cool but it was shallower than a bathtub. A good adaptation I guess, if the source material is really that shallow.

That's kinda silly, Batman is naturally darker subjexct matter than Spider-Man, Spider-Man is supposed to be light hearted, that's the point of the character!

A dark and ubwer serious version of Spider-man misses the point of the character and would remind fans of the 90s comic series, where Spidey was an annoying A-hole and called himself "The Spider". So making Spider-man like Batman misses the point.

 

[Spade]

The Dark Knight definitely shows that people can enjoy the quality entertainment Watchmen has to give. However, I think it'll still be reliant on word of mouth. While it has the special effects to catch people's attention and the story to potentially wow them, there's still that difference between the success of a single film versus the expectations for a big name franchise. Watchmen may be great literature, but it's still far from being a household name.

However, I remain optimistic. Wanted had people curving bullets as the main eye candy, and it made good money at the box office. Watchmen has an excellent story, both in pace and execution, that can be enjoyed more than once. It might be very profitable if handled correctly.

 

[Dr. Manhatten]

I think to a degree it's opening the door for Watchmen. The responsibility that Batman takes regarding Two-Face's crimes at the end of the movie reminds me of what happens with Veidt at the end of the comic and I think something like that could prep the audience moreso than not. If we get a Watchmen movie that's as good as TDK, then we're gonna be good

 

[Watson]

I definitely agree with the OP. and yeah the way this is happening was a little unexpected I think we all have to admit. I thought Watchmen would be the movie that would blow the top of the hero genre.....turns out it was (fortunately?) beaten to the punch

I think next March people will be asking "so is this a comic book movie like the Dark Knight?"

here's to hoping that it is

Agreed. But I hope that Watchmen ups the ante yet again. TDK, though incredibly rich for what is considered a realtively low brow genre in film, is still a true blue superhero movie in terms of the themes. Watchmen needs to be critical of the whole genre, the same way as the novel was. I think that's important given the whole slew of superhero films that is about to appear. That's why seeing some actual footage as opposed to the quick clips in the trailer will be great since we'll actually get a better feel for the plot.