Superman Returns to us, Superman is the greatest superhero, but does the public think the same?

[Docker2.0]

Superman isn't the most popular hero, that title goes to Batman or Spiderman, either one. Superman maybe the most known but not the most popular. Ask any none comic fan and their response will be Spidey or Bats. Supes name and the s on his chest is cool but if the next movie comes out and is similar to this, it probably won't make $100 million. As bad as the 90's Bats films were they always made over $100 million domestically.

 

[explode7]

^They need to kill the kid at the beginning and develop each character more in depth and give superman some more lines and maybe then I will go see it.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

^They need to kill the kid at the beginning and develop each character more in depth and give superman some more lines and maybe then I will go see it.

Yeah that would make for a fun movie.

 

[ultimatefan]

Superman is still beloved by the public IMO. Look at the popularity of Smallville. If anything, I think SR didn't live up to the public's expectations . From talking to various people , I got the impression alot where left confused and disappointed. I would lay that solely at the door of Bryan Singer.

I think he had more of a fascination with the Donner film then with the Mythology of the character as a whole. Even though SR has some good aspects such as Routh ,and the effects , it didn't capture the public's imagination the same way Spiderman and Batman Begins did.

There's also the Smallville factor. To alot of people Tom Welling is Superman basically. I think as long as that show is on the air , people are gonna compare or expect the film to be related somehow. Maybe once the show is off the air in a year or two it can give the audience time to accept a new Superman .

Only the show takes enough liberties with the comics canon to make SR look like a carbon copy. If you think people are watching it cuz it´s Superman, think again.

 

[ultimatefan]

It was almost as popular. Adjusted to inflation STM made 378 million.

Back in the seventies, there weren´t really any really good live-action versions of well-known superheroes, with maybe the exception of the pilot for The Incredible Hulk. And there weren´t many of what we now call blockbusters. It was uncharted territory.

 

[Alonsovich]

Back in the seventies, there weren´t really any really good live-action versions of well-known superheroes, with maybe the exception of the pilot for The Incredible Hulk. And there weren´t many of what we now call blockbusters. It was uncharted territory.

True. But STM was still hugely popular. In Batman 89's time there weren't many other superhero movies and it was still hugely popular.

 

[Pickle-El]

Superman isn't the most popular hero, that title goes to Batman or Spiderman, either one. Superman maybe the most known but not the most popular. Ask any none comic fan and their response will be Spidey or Bats. Supes name and the s on his chest is cool but if the next movie comes out and is similar to this, it probably won't make $100 million. As bad as the 90's Bats films were they always made over $100 million domestically.

Now that's the most logical thing I've read today....thanks for setting us all straight.

 

[Docker2.0]

Now that's the most logical thing I've read today....thanks for setting us all straight.

ummm.....................ok.

 

[WormyT]

The fact is simple, the movie was average and was not what the public wanted. One would say maybe it did bad in the USA and somehow one can explain the bad numbers with stupidity, but doing worse overseas was just the nail on the coffin.

You summed it up beautifully.
Notice how the people who love SR always say "It isn't a failure, it's just your opinion". Thats all they can ever say because the writing was all over the wall 2 days ofter it opened. And the the people at WB have already admited disapointment. It's an average movie. We wanted a boombastic sci fi return of the Man of Steel.
Before we even mention the lackluster box office lets not forget the gazzilians of dollars spent on marketing and all those magazines in Virgin megastore not to mention posters, buses, billboards.
This isn't like Iron Giant or another classic movie that did terrible at the box office because of zero marketing. this movie was marketed until we went to bed and people were not that compelled to see it. Especially after most peoples reviews were "Eh..it was alright"
ALright?!
Superman should be magnificent!!!

 

[ultimatefan]

True. But STM was still hugely popular. In Batman 89's time there weren't many other superhero movies and it was still hugely popular.

True, but Batman faced what back then was a lot of competition, including Indiana Jones, Lethal Weapon 2 - I believe Back To The Future 2 is from the same year, correct me if I´m wrong - and a James Bond movie.

If released today, unfortunately, STM would probably be considered too slow for modern audiences and Supes, too wholesome.

 

[Frodo]

Only the show takes enough liberties with the comics canon to make SR look like a carbon copy. If you think people are watching it cuz it´s Superman, think again.

It does take liberties but I think that audiences do consider it a retelling of Superman , albeit one aspect of the myth. If the show was called Emerlville and the main character was named Chris Jones , I don't think people would be watching. Then again Rosewell delt with some of the same themes.

 

[ultimatefan]

It does take liberties but I think that audiences do consider it a retelling of Superman , albeit one aspect of the myth. If the show was called Emerlville and the main character was named Chris Jones , I don't think people would be watching. Then again Rosewell delt with some of the same themes.

It has the name and some similar themes, but Smallville deep down is another teen soapie with a genre element like others that came before it, like Buffy or Roswell. The premise is more Dawson´s Creek meets The X-Files than Superman comics.

One thing I find funny is people complain that SR gets back too much to Donner, and the truth is, Smallville also quotes Donner any chance they get. In fact a lot of the premise of the show was based on the STM bit that portrays Clark as an outsider in high school.

 

[Alonsovich]

True, but Batman faced what back then was a lot of competition, including Indiana Jones, Lethal Weapon 2 - I believe Back To The Future 2 is from the same year, correct me if I´m wrong - and a James Bond movie.

True, still not a real factor for STM being a success. See below...

If released today, unfortunately, STM would probably be considered too slow for modern audiences and Supes, too wholesome.

STM was released in December, not in summer. Modern audiences can take slow movies... casually those movies are always released in the Chrismas time. LOTR anyone?

 

[ultimatefan]

True, still not a real factor for STM being a success. See below...



STM was released in December, not in summer. Modern audiences can take slow movies... casually those movies are always released in the Chrismas time. LOTR anyone?

Despite the three-hour length, I wouldn´t call LOTR that slow, the first one is very much a chase movie. If you compare paces, Batman Begins and Hulk are considerably faster than STM, and yet some considered both too slow for blockbusters.

 

[explode7]

Yeah that would make for a fun movie.

yes it will sacarstic lady

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

One of the biggest problems with Superman Returns was Smallville. That shows should have ended, at least, one year before SR begun filming.

Many people look at Smallville has the real thing, so, basically, they don´t care about SR and look at it as some version of the real character, which is the one they see weekly.

 

[explode7]

Exactly!!! Thats the way I see it and besides Smallville is more entertaining than SR any episode of the week.

 

[Pickle-El]

Agree to disagree.....I didn't hear a single of the Smallville legion coming out of SR complaining they should have 'made Smallville the movie' as patrons left.

 

[explode7]

Of course they wont admit it they are ashamed by SR they are speechless.

 

[Isildur´s Heir]

Agree to disagree.....I didn't hear a single of the Smallville legion coming out of SR complaining they should have 'made Smallville the movie' as patrons left.

I didn´t said that they should have made Smallville the movie, i´m saying that they should have ended the show before begun filming.

 

[explode7]

^It would have made it better for a restart as well.

 

[sf2]

Superman isn't the most popular hero, that title goes to Batman or Spiderman, either one. Superman maybe the most known but not the most popular. Ask any none comic fan and their response will be Spidey or Bats. Supes name and the s on his chest is cool but if the next movie comes out and is similar to this, it probably won't make $100 million. As bad as the 90's Bats films were they always made over $100 million domestically.

sad but true.

 

[ultimatefan]

Exactly!!! Thats the way I see it and besides Smallville is more entertaining than SR any episode of the week.

I been finding Smallville duller than watching paint dry... One more hour of Clark and Lana´s neverending on again/off again shtick and I´ll shoot the screen. My main reason to watch that show these days is Erica Durance, DAYUM that chick is hot...

 

[explode7]

^IT may be dull at times but at least it isn't duller than SR.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

One of the biggest problems with Superman Returns was Smallville. That shows should have ended, at least, one year before SR begun filming.

Many people look at Smallville has the real thing, so, basically, they don´t care about SR and look at it as some version of the real character, which is the one they see weekly.

Thats actually a VERY good point, i remember when Hulk came out in '03 many people disliked it because they saw the true interpretation of the Hulk character as the one from the T.V series. So when they saw the Hulk doing all of the things he could do from the COMICS on the big screen, they couldnt accept it. Also when they saw a different type of Bruce Banner, instead of the David Banner from the series, they didnt like him.