It's no secret that DC has fallen behind in the film industry in the last 15 years, and although it used to pump out more Superman films of old and what not, the last 15 years are enough to place it a distant second far behind Marvel. But how far behind is it really?
Well, I done the busy work for you all and crunched the numbers up to put them all in one place, keeping things nice and tidy. Lets see how much ground DC has to cover to reach its competition.
Starting from the year 2000 to now (July 2014), just under 15 years, we can easily see the difference between the two leading franchises of comics.
Film count in the last 15 years (almost)
DC- The count of live-action films for DC comics is as follows (chronologically)-
DC- The count of live-action films for DC comics is as follows (chronologically)-
With Catwoman (2004) being the first since Batman & Robin (1997) DC already starts the new millennium being a little behind.
Then it goes on to Batman Begins (2005)
Superman Returns (2006)
The Dark Knight (2008)
Watchmen (2009)
Jonah Hex (2009)
Green Lantern (2011)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
and Man of Steel (2013).
And that is it. A total of 9 films. For arguments sake, one could perhaps count the DC imprint live-action films, which include Road to Perdition, Constantine, V for Vendetta, Stardust, RED and another 5 titles more or less. Since these are divisions within DC comics I will not count such films to keep things simpler. The same goes for Marvel which also has around 7 films from Marvel imprints.
Marvel- Now lets head over to Marvel and their film count (this is going to be a long list).
Marvel- Now lets head over to Marvel and their film count (this is going to be a long list).
X-Men (2000)
Blade 2, Spider-Man (2002)
Daredevil, X2, Hulk (2003)
The Punisher, Spider-Man 2, Blade Trinity (2004)
At which point, by the first DC film (Catwoman) Marvel has already released 9 titles along with the first title from DC, being already in count as much as all DC films included after this point. But the list goes on. (Keep in mind some titles, with limited theatrical release or straight to DVD, are not included in both DC and Marvel counts, like Man-Thing, etc.)
Elektra, Fantastic 4 (2005)
X-Men The Last Stand (2006)
Ghost Rider, Spider-Man 3, Fantastic 4- Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Punisher Warzone (2008)
X-Men Origins Wolverine (2009)
Iron Man 2 (2010)
Thor, X-Men 1st Class, Captain America (2011)
Ghost Rider 2, The Avengers, Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Iron Man 3, The Wolverine, Thor 2 (2013)
Captain America 2, Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men Days of Future Past, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
A total count of 33 films in the last 15 years. One can argue that amount is not always proportional to quality, and whilst the quality of a film can be a subjective matter the success of it is not. When it comes down to numbers after a film count the next thing to put things into perspective is a total turnover in profit for each franchise. Worry not, you wont need to search one bit. Once again, I have included it all right here to allow us to make a total profits count and see if DC is truly behind, by how much it is.
Budgets, Box Office Numbers, Profits
For this list I will include only the titles mentioned and not imprints again, in the same chronological order. The numbers following each title are 1) Budget spent on that film 2) Box Office numbers, and 3) the budget subtracted from the box-office numbers (profit). All you'll ever need is right here below.
*Some small rounding up and down takes place but quite minor, the general count is correct and checked. Information taken and compiled together mostly from Wikipedia
*all numbers are as of 2000 to July 2014
Verdict
Obviously, like anyone needed a list like this to know this to be true, but DC has fallen behind on the big screen when compared to Marvel. And it's good to know by how much just to put things a little into perspective.
Marvel might have come into the game of live action films much later but it clearly pushed ahead with much bigger ambitions, spending a budget around 4 times bigger than that of DC comics. The results? 5 times the profits as well. And when we are talking about millions on millions and billions of dollars here, 5 times the profits of DC is 5 x 2.6 billion dollars... That is a lot.
The actual quality of the films is a different topic and perhaps a review and article on each film separately, yet the overall picture shows that both companies in the long run are actually doing quite well and seem to be following a healthy practice. Both have more than doubled the money they have put into their films.
I would like to see more from DC and hope they open up to more projects, it is only for the better of their company in the long run anyway, although I will have to say that Marvel does have quite an appealing range of franchises to push forward on the big screen and for some perhaps even more appealing. I mean, it has a Hulk, and an Iron-Man, and the X-Men in their own universe, and DC has some heroes that I wouldn't quite say compare to these few mentioned (Aqua Man, for example?). Either way, both are healthily providing us with material, and although DC seems to be behind it does strike to some higher qualities from time to time I would say (like the Dark Knight trilogy which sorry, but it is simply the best comic trilogy thus far from both DC and Marvel if we are being honest). With DC dominating (it seems) TV shows, it isn't completely out of the picture neither is it experiencing some sort of major difficulty. It has after all turned over more cash in profit than expenses, and that is always what it comes down to.
My hopes remain that DC ups their game a little, they have nothing to lose by doing this after all, along with the hopes that they take on to a more frequent amount of films without actually rushing them. Slow and steady is always good, but too slow leaves us wandering why we couldn't have had more films from DC. I mean, the more the merrier after all, any comic book fan should appreciate films from both companies and its a plus for us in the end.
The near future shows that Marvel is still going strong at it, with Avengers 2, Ant-Man and a Fantastic 4 reboot in production and the announcement for now of a third Captain America, X-Men Apocalypse, Sinister Six, Wolverine Sequel, Fantastic 4 reboot sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and a third Amazing Spider-Man, whilst DC has Batman vs Superman and Shazam (Captain Marvel) in production... And that is it. We can obviously expect a Justice League too at some point, and the TV series Arrow which kicks ass and the new announcement of Flash are things to keep looking forward to as well, though DC should start thinking at this point of upping their game just a little in the big screen side of things. We don't want them losing focus completely from their successful TV trend, but a little more from their behalf should make for a lot more fun for us comic lovers.
Fingers crossed, and good luck to more success from both companies in the future. I know that I for one am starting to get more and more excited for DC films after the thought of a Justice League film on the distant horizons to come, and can't wait for some X-Men Apocalypse action either. Keep them coming boys, we comic-fans need our frequent dose of good live action comic fun, and you are doing a good job about it so far.
A total count of 33 films in the last 15 years. One can argue that amount is not always proportional to quality, and whilst the quality of a film can be a subjective matter the success of it is not. When it comes down to numbers after a film count the next thing to put things into perspective is a total turnover in profit for each franchise. Worry not, you wont need to search one bit. Once again, I have included it all right here to allow us to make a total profits count and see if DC is truly behind, by how much it is.
Budgets, Box Office Numbers, Profits
For this list I will include only the titles mentioned and not imprints again, in the same chronological order. The numbers following each title are 1) Budget spent on that film 2) Box Office numbers, and 3) the budget subtracted from the box-office numbers (profit). All you'll ever need is right here below.
*Some small rounding up and down takes place but quite minor, the general count is correct and checked. Information taken and compiled together mostly from Wikipedia
*all numbers are as of 2000 to July 2014
DC
Catwoman - 100 million, 82 million, -18 million
Batman Begins - 150 million, 374 million, +224 million
Catwoman - 100 million, 82 million, -18 million
Batman Begins - 150 million, 374 million, +224 million
Superman Returns - 204 million, 391 million, +187 million
The Dark Knight - 185 million, 1.005 billion, +820 million
Watchmen - 130 million, 185 million, +55 million
Jonah Hex - 47 million, 11 million, -36 million
Green Lantern - 200 million, 220 million, +20 million
The Dark Knight Rises - 230 million, 1.1 billion, +870 million
Man of Steel - 225 million, 668 million, +443 million
The totals for DC come down to the following
Total Budget for DC films- 1.471 billion
Total Box Office Earnings for DC films- 4.036 billion
Total Profit for DC films- 2.565 billion
MARVEL
The totals for DC come down to the following
Total Budget for DC films- 1.471 billion
Total Box Office Earnings for DC films- 4.036 billion
Total Profit for DC films- 2.565 billion
MARVEL
X-Men - 75 million, 296 million, +221 million
Blade 2 - 50 million, 155 million, +105 million
Spider-Man - 140 million, 822 million, +682 million
Spider-Man - 140 million, 822 million, +682 million
Daredevil - 78 million, 179 million, +101 million
X2 - 110 million, 408 million, +298 million
Hulk - 137 million, 245 million, +108 million
X2 - 110 million, 408 million, +298 million
Hulk - 137 million, 245 million, +108 million
The Punisher - 33 million, 55 million, +22 million
Spider-Man 2 - 200 million, 784 million, +584 million
Blade Trinity - 65 million, 129 million, +64 million
Spider-Man 2 - 200 million, 784 million, +584 million
Blade Trinity - 65 million, 129 million, +64 million
Elektra - 43 million, 57 million, +14 million
Fantastic 4 - 100 million, 331 million, +231 million
Fantastic 4 - 100 million, 331 million, +231 million
X-Men - The Last Stand - 210 million, 459 million, +249 million
Ghost Rider - 110 million, 229 million, +119 million
Spider-Man 3 - 258 million, 891 million, +633 million
Fantastic 4- Silver Surfer - 130 million, 289 million, +159 million
Spider-Man 3 - 258 million, 891 million, +633 million
Fantastic 4- Silver Surfer - 130 million, 289 million, +159 million
Iron Man - 140 million, 585 million, +445 million
The Incredible Hulk - 150 million, 263 million, +113 million
Punisher Warzone - 35 million, 10 million, -25 million
The Incredible Hulk - 150 million, 263 million, +113 million
Punisher Warzone - 35 million, 10 million, -25 million
X-Men Origins Wolverine - 150 million, 373 million, +223 million
Iron Man 2 - 200 million, 624 million, +424 million
Thor - 150 million, 449 million, +299 million
X-Men 1st Class - 140 million, 354 million, +214 million
Captain America - 140 million, 370 million, +230 million
X-Men 1st Class - 140 million, 354 million, +214 million
Captain America - 140 million, 370 million, +230 million
Ghost Rider 2 - 57 million, 132 million, +75 million
The Avengers - 220 million, 1.519 billion, +1.299 billion
Amazing Spider-Man - 230 million, 758 million, +528 million
The Avengers - 220 million, 1.519 billion, +1.299 billion
Amazing Spider-Man - 230 million, 758 million, +528 million
Iron Man 3 - 200 million, 1.215 billion, +1.015 billion
The Wolverine - 120 million, 415 million, +295 million
Thor 2 - 170 million, 645 million, +475 million
The Wolverine - 120 million, 415 million, +295 million
Thor 2 - 170 million, 645 million, +475 million
Captain America 2 - 170 million, 713 million, +543 million
Amazing Spider-Man 2 - 200 million, 708 million, +508 million
X-Men Days of Future Past - 200 million, 741 million, +541 million
Guardians of the Galaxy - 170 million, 161 million, -9 million
(although, this films hasn't entirely stopped its run globally yet? I think)
The totals for Marvel come down to the following
Total Budget for Marvel films- 4.581 billion
Total Box Office Earnings for Marvel films- 15.364 billion
Total Profit for Marvel films- 10.783 billion
Amazing Spider-Man 2 - 200 million, 708 million, +508 million
X-Men Days of Future Past - 200 million, 741 million, +541 million
Guardians of the Galaxy - 170 million, 161 million, -9 million
(although, this films hasn't entirely stopped its run globally yet? I think)
The totals for Marvel come down to the following
Total Budget for Marvel films- 4.581 billion
Total Box Office Earnings for Marvel films- 15.364 billion
Total Profit for Marvel films- 10.783 billion
Verdict
Obviously, like anyone needed a list like this to know this to be true, but DC has fallen behind on the big screen when compared to Marvel. And it's good to know by how much just to put things a little into perspective.
Marvel might have come into the game of live action films much later but it clearly pushed ahead with much bigger ambitions, spending a budget around 4 times bigger than that of DC comics. The results? 5 times the profits as well. And when we are talking about millions on millions and billions of dollars here, 5 times the profits of DC is 5 x 2.6 billion dollars... That is a lot.
The actual quality of the films is a different topic and perhaps a review and article on each film separately, yet the overall picture shows that both companies in the long run are actually doing quite well and seem to be following a healthy practice. Both have more than doubled the money they have put into their films.
I would like to see more from DC and hope they open up to more projects, it is only for the better of their company in the long run anyway, although I will have to say that Marvel does have quite an appealing range of franchises to push forward on the big screen and for some perhaps even more appealing. I mean, it has a Hulk, and an Iron-Man, and the X-Men in their own universe, and DC has some heroes that I wouldn't quite say compare to these few mentioned (Aqua Man, for example?). Either way, both are healthily providing us with material, and although DC seems to be behind it does strike to some higher qualities from time to time I would say (like the Dark Knight trilogy which sorry, but it is simply the best comic trilogy thus far from both DC and Marvel if we are being honest). With DC dominating (it seems) TV shows, it isn't completely out of the picture neither is it experiencing some sort of major difficulty. It has after all turned over more cash in profit than expenses, and that is always what it comes down to.
My hopes remain that DC ups their game a little, they have nothing to lose by doing this after all, along with the hopes that they take on to a more frequent amount of films without actually rushing them. Slow and steady is always good, but too slow leaves us wandering why we couldn't have had more films from DC. I mean, the more the merrier after all, any comic book fan should appreciate films from both companies and its a plus for us in the end.
The near future shows that Marvel is still going strong at it, with Avengers 2, Ant-Man and a Fantastic 4 reboot in production and the announcement for now of a third Captain America, X-Men Apocalypse, Sinister Six, Wolverine Sequel, Fantastic 4 reboot sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and a third Amazing Spider-Man, whilst DC has Batman vs Superman and Shazam (Captain Marvel) in production... And that is it. We can obviously expect a Justice League too at some point, and the TV series Arrow which kicks ass and the new announcement of Flash are things to keep looking forward to as well, though DC should start thinking at this point of upping their game just a little in the big screen side of things. We don't want them losing focus completely from their successful TV trend, but a little more from their behalf should make for a lot more fun for us comic lovers.
Fingers crossed, and good luck to more success from both companies in the future. I know that I for one am starting to get more and more excited for DC films after the thought of a Justice League film on the distant horizons to come, and can't wait for some X-Men Apocalypse action either. Keep them coming boys, we comic-fans need our frequent dose of good live action comic fun, and you are doing a good job about it so far.
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