by Robin Peterson
Know what a tesseract is? Shed a tear when Rachel Dawes died? Confused with how Loki is still alive after two deaths? Chances are you’ve seen one of the many superhero movies that have been flying into the theatres in recent years. With five movies out this year, all of them blockbuster successes, Marvel Studios and its affiliated franchises are making incredible amounts of money off of the use of our favorite characters.
Although often thought to be a rival of the Marvel Comics, fans of all comic book heros will be delighted to know that many other movies are currently in the works. For example, Warner Bros Entertainment has brought to life many of the DC Comics favorites by producing new movies and even some sequels to enhance the movie franchise.
As of this week, the latest box office totals for “Guardians of the Galaxy,” is $281 million, with $17 million just this weekend, making it the highest earner over the Labor Day holiday. By comparison, recent releases “The Giver,” and “The Expendables 3,” have only grossed together about an average of $67.3 million worldwide.
The other top earner for the Labor Day weekend is “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” which is also loosely based on a popular Marvel Comic book title. Comic book franchises are consistently at the top of box office lists as compared to other big blockbusters. Can these numbers remain constant in the coming years without the fans becoming ultimately bored with the genre?
Studios Warner Brothers and Marvel, have quite strategically announced tentative movie release dates. DC Comics released nine dates for next year and Marvel has released 10 through 2021. With the release of several superhero movies over the next few years, a total of 48 movies are scheduled for theaters.
It is easy for a movie going audience to get bored, or feel overstimulated by a franchise that continues to generate movies at a monumental pace. It will be very hard for the producers, writers, actors and directors, behind these movies to keep a satisfying and generate interest in these movies for years to come.
“I personally still enjoy them even though there are so many,” said junior Liz Kayser, “they send a good message to the viewers”
