All-purpose, running Geek thread (formerly Battlestar Galactica thread)

Only one way to save Superman as a viable movie property:
Mr. Mxyzptlk

 

You didn't state it as a difference of opinion. You didn't just say you don't like it, you dismissed it as juvenile. Perhaps it was not your intent, but you characterize adults enjoying comic books in an insulting manner.

As JRoyal pointed out, there are some comics/graphic novels that are outstanding literature in their own right. Many of us read both comic books and more traditional forms of literature. I've been working my way through a number of Shakespeare's plays lately. I've read more than my share of the classics and continue to do so, but that isn't all I read.

I continue to see people make the same mistake, lumping all comic books together and lumping all movies and television shows based on comic books together. To take two popular television shows as an example, if you don't get that there is a world of difference between The Flash and Daredevil, that is on you, not us.

 

Make no mistake, these movies will stop being made the second after they are not profitable.
That time has not arrived.
Our children are the target audience.
Comic book movies will outlive us all.

 

There is so much interesting source material to draw from that I just don't see it happening any time soon. It's not like we are seeing good comic book movies tank. It is just like any other type of movie or television show. You have good stuff that does extremely well. You have mediocre stuff that sometimes succeeds. And you have crap that fails.

 

You didn't just say you don't understand the attraction. You called it juvenile. Big difference. Saying you don't like them is fine. Calling them juvenile is condescending.

 

The makers of Deadpool disagree that our children are the target audience. And they have a few hundred millions reasons to back up heir view.

 

And I didn't say I could name 10 better. Said 10 as great as anything you've read. There are graphic novels like Maus that are considered by many literary critics to be among the best works of the last 50 years in any format. These are definitely not "juvenile."

 

In order for Deadpool to be A-list he's going to have to be able to stand on his own two feet without other characters.
I don't think the 10-year-old Fart would have been interested in the character, but eh.

 

"Deadpool" has made enough that domestically it would have ranked in the top 6 movies last year and top 8 worldwide, with an R rating and clearly meaning to leave kids out. And I don't get the "stand on his own two feet" comment since I'm pretty sure no one was paying to see Colossus, unless that's your implication. None of the other characters were big enough of names to be draws.

Yes, some comic book movies stay PG-13 so they don't exclude children as potential moviegoers (mainly for the merchandising aspects), but that doesn't make kids their target audience. If kids were who their main audience, we'd be seeing much different movies than Winter Soldier and Days of Future Past, both which made a ton of money.

 

By this criteria, Ant-Man didn't stand on his own. He had Hank Pym as one of the key characters and a fight scene with Falcon. That is a founding member of the Avengers and the current Captain America in the comics. You could argue that both are higher profile than Colossus.

Don't get me wrong. I think Colossus was very well used, though certainly a one-dimensional version of the character. But the success of that movie was all about Deadpool.

 

Nobody ever said Ant-Man was an A-lister.
I won't take my kids to Deadpool and don't care how much it makes.
When I talk about kids generally I am talking about teenagers.

 

So you think teenagers are why Deadpool has made more than $700 million worldwide, or why Captain America: The Winter Soldier made $714 million? Movies don't hit that kind of money without drawing in the 18-49 crowd unless they're a true kids movie like Frozen or Ice Age (which makes freakish money overseas). Bottom line: You're wrong about the target audience whether you're talking about teenagers or 10-year-olds.