DC Comic Movies

19 August 2008

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While Marvel seems to be having success at the box office in recent years 2008 belongs to DC Comic movies as The Dark Knight, the second Batman film from Christopher Nolan, has dominated the box office smashing record after record.

DC Comics, founded as National Allied Publications began publishing comics in 1934 and became the largest distributors of comics from the late sixties.

Superman made his debut in 1938 and was followed a year later by the first look at the caped crusader Batman. The character first appeared in the Detective Comic in 1938 but due to the character's popularity he was soon given his own title.

The forties was the golden age for DC Comics as the iconic Wonder Woman made it onto the shelves and along with Batman and Superman Wonder Woman was one of the comic's most successful titles.

But these characters have always been an interest and moving them out of the comic book setting seemed to have always been the aim as serials for Batman, Superman and Adventures of Captain Marvel made it onto screens between the forties and fifties.

Just under twenty years after Batman was introduced as a comic book character the caped crusader made it onto the big screen in the first full length adaptation Batman, also known as Batman: The Movie.

But the most successful DC comic movies of the sixties and seventies was Superman, Christopher Reeves' most famous role.

He played the man of steel four times between 1978 - 1987 and the first film Superman was a commercial success grossing $300 million at the global box office before spawning two sequels.

But Superman's success was eclipsed in 1989 as maverick director Tim Burton brought Batman to the big screen with Michael Keaton in the lead role as well as a legendary turn from Jack Nicholson.

The film grossed over $400 million and was, until this summer, the biggest grossing movie based in a DC Comic character.

Keaton and Burton returned on 1992 for Batman Returns keeping the dark version of the characters and Gotham city that was established in the original movie.

When director Joel Schumacher took over the reigns on the third movie Batman Forever it was all change.

With a new director came a new vision and gone was Burton's dark version of Batman replaced instead by a more colourful version of the popular hero.

But after the disaster of Batman and Robin the franchise wasn't touched for almost a decade.

Batman finally made it back into cinemas in 2005 with Batman Begins Christian Bale took over the role and director Christopher Nolan returned to Burton's dark roots by exploring Bruce Wayne's childhood and early life in a bid for the audience to connect and care for the leading character.

The film was well received by the critics and it became the second highest grossing film in the franchise when it took $370 million at the global box office.

And this summer The Dark Knight has smashed a series of box office records and is now the second biggest grossing in America behind Titanic as well as being the biggest grossing film of the year.

However despite this success there have been some box office disappointments led by 2004's Catwoman. Starring Oscar winner Halle Berry the film was panned by the critics and Berry won a Razzie for her awful performance.

Like Marvel DC Comics have seen the popularity of superhero movies and seven movies are in the pipeline. Next year The Spirit and Watchmen are penciled in for January and March releases next year.

And other movies that have been announced include Superman: Man of Steel, The Flash, Green Lantern and Wonder Woman.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw

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