The most IMPORTANT comic book related film?

[joe_collector]

Definitely Blade, as comic book films were DEAD back then, and it started the whole recent trend, by not only showing they could sell big, but also by increasing the budgets of forthcoming movies like X-Men.

[joe_collector]

Superman '78 was decent, but Batman '89 was the trend setter for the current crop of superhero movies. That movie showed the studios there was money (big money) to be made. Not only did that movie rake in the dough, but the amount of merchandise tied to that movie was also huge.

 

Batman was definitely a trend-setter for MOVIES in general, and really started the whole mass-marketing of summer blockbusters, albeit way over the line. The whole Guber-Peters meteoric rise and fall was due to Batman, and which reached excessive levels of stupidity with Last Action Hero and Hook.

 

But it really had little to do with comic book movies.

[markseifert]

I like your list and maybe I missed it but Men in Black

 

Yep, good catch -- 1997. Huge movie at the time, and spawned a franchise.

 

When you look at it, 1994-1997 were pretty packed years.

[the authority]

I saw him in an interview and it seemed as if he was talking about what was going to happen to him during the filming of the movie. Very, very ironic.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fufYgrgIXg

 

The Crow was the film that showed me that not all comics were Batman, Spiderman, Superman...(i was 7 at this point)

 

the sequels though

 

That is the one. Nice find.

[the authority]

I'm sure people won't agree with this, but I really think the first Spider-Man brought us into the landscape we are in now. That movie made big money at the time and got people talking. Most casual fans don't know that Spider-Man is a Sony property and they just think all Marvel films will be good.

 

I listened to Kevin Smith talk about how big a deal Batman was for him. I think that movie had a pretty big following when it first came out.

 

The first Batman movie was HUGE. First film in history to make 100M in it's first 10 days.

 

It made 11X budget expenses, and caused a rush to comic stores that is not the common reaction from comic book-based movies. People were buying Batman branded goods just to be part of the craze.

 

So Superman showed us we could fly. Batman showed us we could do it in style, with cash falling out of our pockets.

 

Jack Nicholson walking away with $60 MM in profits from the movie because he cut into the merchandising sales shows how big this movie truly was.

 

By the way, that merchandising profit share that Jack Nicholson negotiated. That is still the biggest on record for an actor in a superhero movie. Only the Iron Man deal for RDJ comes close.

 

Converted to 2014 dollars, that is over $114.712 MM that Nicholson took in alone for his share. That is how much money was coming in from people purchasing anything Batman branded.

 

I didn't give one whit about Batman pre-1989.

However during 1989 and for a few years later, I bought

 

Batman comics

Batman Hardcovers and TPBs

Batman t-shirts

Batman die cast vehicles

Batman buttons

Batman trading cards

Batman, Batman, Batman

 

It was freakin' HUGE!

 

Haha ! I remember waiting in the line. It was pretty darn big. I'm going to say just this side of Star Wars as far as people camping out.

[jimjum12]

I'm sure people won't agree with this, but I really think the first Spider-Man brought us into the landscape we are in now. That movie made big money at the time and got people talking. Most casual fans don't know that Spider-Man is a Sony property and they just think all Marvel films will be good.

 

I listened to Kevin Smith talk about how big a deal Batman was for him. I think that movie had a pretty big following when it first came out.

 

The first Batman movie was HUGE. First film in history to make 100M in it's first 10 days.

 

+ 1 ....... it pulled in people you never thought would care about that sort of thing. That 100 million also represented a HECK of alot more tickets than 100 mil does today. The back issue comic market really started taking off shortly thereafter. GOD BLESS...

 

-jimbo(afriend of jesus) (thumbs u

[Maccai3]

I saw him in an interview and it seemed as if he was talking about what was going to happen to him during the filming of the movie. Very, very ironic.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fufYgrgIXg

 

The Crow was the film that showed me that not all comics were Batman, Spiderman, Superman...(i was 7 at this point)

 

the sequels though

 

That is the one. Nice find.

 

the quote is on his gravestone too

 

apparently the irony was not lost on his family

[delekkerste]

Definitely Blade, as comic book films were DEAD back then, and it started the whole recent trend, by not only showing they could sell big, but also by increasing the budgets of forthcoming movies like X-Men.

 

+1

 

An Unsung Hero: How Blade Helped Save the Comic Book Movie

[MR SigS]

I don't know- In terms of importance, I feel that saying X-Men is more so is kinda like saying Halle Berry's Oscar award was more important than Hattie McDaniel's award (though Berry took credit for "opening the doors").

 

Just my

[seanfingh]

The first Batman movie was HUGE. First film in history to make 100M in it's first 10 days.

 

Batman '89 was THE game-changing comic film that's come out during my lifetime. No question.

 

Though when this subject comes up, like a lot of things of this nature it's clear that you had to be there to understand the impact.

 

In a group of comic geek friends that year just before it opened, one of my buddies said, "you know what's interesting... my sister just bought a Batman t-shirt and she's never been interested in a comic before in her life. I think this is going to be pretty big."

 

And he was right. Civilians were getting interested. And just as importantly, it was a movie that understood comics and took them seriously.

 

'89 was one of those magic moments in the history of the industry. Watchmen had just finished up. Sandman was getting started. DC and Marvel were ramping up. Image and Valiant were just around the corner. And Batman. There is no doubt that Batman '89 helped trigger the early-90s comic boom.

 

As much fun as I've had in comics since then, '89-90 or so was something very special. Tangible anticipation that comics culture was about to grow into something different.

 

There's a string of very significant stuff in the past 15 years or so, of course, but I'd consider them more as stepping stones. Technologically (Spider-Man 1 and X2 blew my mind at the time), evidence of the studios "getting it" (Nolan), and business-wise (the Marvel Studios concept).

 

Superman the Movie is always a bit underrated in these discussions, but Batman '89 moved the needle culturally in a way that Supes didn't.

 

 

Great post. It sums up being a 19 year old during the Summer of the Bat.

[Stevemmg]

As importance goes, has to be Superman (Reeves) for me. That was the first movie to take a comic book character seriously ever. Camp was all that was on the public's mind from the '60's Batman show and movie.

 

And.... I did believe a man could fly........

[General Zod]

The '89 Batman. Superman '78 was important, but that movie's success was considered more a part of the science fiction craze of the time(Star Wars, Close Encounters) than it was an embrace of comic book films.

 

Summed up what I was going to say here. I was a kid when Superman came out and there was nothing like it before then. It was a big summer blockbuster right out of the gate. I think people underrate the impact it had upon America. It had THREE sequels! And Burton's Batman made a lot of collectors feel like things were finally going "mainstream". I mean, Jack Nicholson was a huge get for any comic book franchise at the time.

[Dr. Balls]

I recall the first X-Men movie (2000) having a huge viral impact. From a marketing standpoint, it did some amazing stuff (they had a cool microsite for the movie, and some other interactive features, along with a viral "is your child a mutant" campaign) and really took some cues from creating mini-trailers from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace as well as original "behind the scenes" content to keep movie-goers interested in the months leading up to the premiere.

 

For me, that was a very important film because it elevated how comic book films are marketed to the masses - not just comic fans. It also showcased a lot of CGI that comic fans thought would never be possible.

 

Blade is another unsung hero of comic movies. It really holds up well and the CGI for that film was WAY ahead of it's time in terms of meshing with film. But, I'd say it's more "great" than "important".

 

But definitely X-Men.

[NewEnglandGothic]

Four sequels if you count Superman Returns* (It had the same tone, just not spirit).

 

*I'm still grateful for Superman Returns because of all the hype it created that finally released the original 50's series and serials on DVD, with killer bonuses.