POLL: Can A Supernatural/Magical Superhero Movie Do Well At The Box Office?

POLL: Can A Supernatural/Magical Superhero Movie Do Well At The Box Office? POLL: Can A Supernatural/Magical Superhero Movie Do Well At The Box Office?

Doctor Strange, Doctor Fate, Brother Voodoo, Zatanna, Constantine and more. In honor of the theme of tonight's "Beat Galactus" trivia challenge in the chatroom, we want to ask that very question...

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By ComicBookMovie - Feb 21, 2013 11:02 AM EST
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shiverman20
shiverman20 - 2/21/2013, 11:24 AM
With the Marvel Studios stamp, any movie will have an audience for the foreseeable future. Justice League Dark will have to work a lot harder though but I'd love that to be great
spidey23435
spidey23435 - 2/21/2013, 11:33 AM
If they do a Doctor Strange similar to the animated version I think it could do very well.
ToTheManInTheColdSweat
ToTheManInTheColdSweat - 2/21/2013, 11:35 AM
who the hell is dr strange
BarackObama
BarackObama - 2/21/2013, 11:39 AM
@ToTheManInTheColdSweat

He's a sorcerer in Marvel. Pretty cool character, although they've kinda messed him up the last few years by nerfing him, then putting him on the Avengers without any real goal.
ralfinader
ralfinader - 2/21/2013, 11:44 AM
pretty limited poll here. I would say yes they can, but not use either Hellboy or Ghost rider (or Constantine) as examples of such. Any movie can do good if it is marketed properly and isn't a steaming pile of shit. I would point out Harry Potter or even Ghostbusters as a better example.
JatevinM
JatevinM - 2/21/2013, 11:48 AM
Yes it can and will sell. There are always movies released about magical characters who use magic to accomplish heroic feats. I've said it before and I will say it again David Yates needs to be the one that directs this movie. Though he may change source material a bit he respects source material. Having "From the Director of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in the marketing would give this movie a huge audience boost.
EdgyOutsider
EdgyOutsider - 2/21/2013, 11:49 AM
@Levi: Hellboy 3 isn't necessary. Especially how Hellboy: The Golden Army ended.
superpooper
superpooper - 2/21/2013, 11:50 AM
Yes
Tallglass54
Tallglass54 - 2/21/2013, 12:00 PM
I feel like they could for fan boys. I think the biggest problem will be the general public. The general public doesn't seem to care to use its imagination very much. Where Iron Man can be explained (yes I know not actually possible but its technology and people seem to be willing to accept that notion a lot more than magic) watching a man on screen speak archaic words and then something happens will be harder for the general public to accept.
ComicBookMovie
ComicBookMovie - 2/21/2013, 12:01 PM
Ralfinader,
I wouldn't put Harry Potter (not really a "superhero") or Ghostbusters (comedy) in the comic book movie realm. While Constantine is another example of a "non-blockbuster". And if you notice, there is a heavy demonic/dark tilt to the ones that qualify as super/anti-hero movies. Doctor Strange will definitely be a new thing for movie going audiences. It will be interesting to see if it can draw a large enough audience to be considered a "blockbuster".
JatevinM
JatevinM - 2/21/2013, 12:03 PM
Tallglass54@ It wont be hard to accept they had 10 years of Harry Potter doing it.
Moakynubs
Moakynubs - 2/21/2013, 12:10 PM
They can make Doctor Strange work. They've hinted at a lot of the more mystical stuff in Thor.
marvel72
marvel72 - 2/21/2013, 12:12 PM
we'll soon find out,fingers crossed dr.strange turns out great.

i think it will,its something different.
JDUKE25
JDUKE25 - 2/21/2013, 12:15 PM
Yeah, Harry Potter did well. No reason this shouldn't. It has a fan base as well. Maybe not as prominent as Harry Potter, but being attached to Avengers will boost it up a lot.
TheBeard
TheBeard - 2/21/2013, 12:20 PM
they will make it work
ralfinader
ralfinader - 2/21/2013, 12:23 PM
@CBM - good point. I only meant it to establish that the majority of movies featuring magic have a hero and a villian, and are set up in a similar pattern as a superhero flick. I'll lump Thor in there then...even though the magic is explained away as science we don't understand, as a success. And I think the Doc Strange movie will depend heavily on marketing, he is not a household name.
Tainted87
Tainted87 - 2/21/2013, 12:27 PM
Poll is kind of fixed....

Anyway, Zatanna would be great.
arashini
arashini - 2/21/2013, 12:28 PM
Thor did really well.

And yeah, you can pull the "their magic is science" card. But let's all be honest here, it's all the same to the general public.


Hellboy didn't become a blockbuster franchise because it is has compartmentalized itself to serve just the pre-existing fans without concern for the unitiated. Which is why I couldn't really get into it.

And Ghost Rider didn't become a block buster because... well, it sucks.
TerminalVoyd
TerminalVoyd - 2/21/2013, 12:30 PM
There are oddly stacked examples in the poll question. Hellboy could have done better, but for $60 and $80 million movies (the second plopped into the heart of a mobbed summer movie season instead of a much wiser fall release), they did alright (particularly when you take in post theatrical sales On Demand and DVD).

The Ghost Rider films did better than they had any right to (though I don't recall if Spirit of Vengeance actually did as head scratchingly well as Ghost Rider). Constantine did solid box office and all but the third of the Blade series were great earners (and all without major name recognition). And no, none were blockbusters.

It's really about the timing and the talent and the amount of care and focus the studio is prepared to lavish on the project and people involved. It really is the difference between a little known property turning into a surprise franchise like Blade, or the next Dylan Dog.
Supershadowbat
Supershadowbat - 2/21/2013, 12:35 PM
Yes, Dr. Fate or Strange would do great if written right.
Silentman
Silentman - 2/21/2013, 12:37 PM
uh, are we forgetting about thor?
AmazingFantasy
AmazingFantasy - 2/21/2013, 12:41 PM
@Levi Shut the [frick] up about 3 ffs.
shamo
shamo - 2/21/2013, 12:55 PM
1st off, Ghost Rider did alot more then just OK. the 1st one doubled its budget at the box office and the last one nearly tripled it.

i think you're confusing quality of a film with the ammount of revenue it generates.

with that said, of course a Strange movie can work. if Ghost Rider can, while being complete and utter shit, best beleive a Strange or Brother Voodoo can in the hands of Marvel Studios. i won't speak on DC's though supernatural heroes though. they normally tend to flop with characters that arent Bats or Supes.
Shadowmaster35
Shadowmaster35 - 2/21/2013, 12:57 PM
Somebody didn't think the answers through for this poll. Regardless Doc Strange is gonna be boss! And I agree with everyone who thinks it should be something similar to the animated movie. That was a good one.
merlin1701
merlin1701 - 2/21/2013, 1:01 PM
A darker "horror" based movie would be good but would alienate the base audience created from previous installments such as Iron Man and Thor. This universe has been established to appeal to both young and old so it would most probably follow that pattern.

A Dr Strange based movie will work just has to be incorporated into created universe.
Introspection
Introspection - 2/21/2013, 1:59 PM
I would love to see Brother Voodoo
Gmoney84
Gmoney84 - 2/21/2013, 2:08 PM
It's not about Magic and Supernatural aspects. It's about a good story that's translated to film with solid acting. Also, the VFX have to be good...I hate saying that but it's just the age we live in.
AC1
AC1 - 2/21/2013, 2:16 PM
I would've voted yes but then it's look like I was praising Ghost Rider.

But yes, they can absolutely work. Films with magic or the supernatural, such as Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Hellboy have done very well, so in theory these movies could too.

I watched a documentary last night called 'In Search of Steve Ditko', and it focused on his work on Spider-Man, Dr Strange, The Question and Mr A. When they were talking about Dr Strange, they mentioned how surreal the character and stories were, and when they make a Dr Strange movie, they really need to bring that across.
silverdog
silverdog - 2/21/2013, 2:25 PM
of course they can work.. just look at the Highest-grossing films list. the only movie in the top 20 that is not in the fantasy, sci-fi, magical, supernatural, adventure, or superhero genres, is titanic.

just dont expect them to be an immediate mega-success with the first movie (especially if its the first adaptation of the character), but they sure can be successful franchises if done well.
GarthRanzz
GarthRanzz - 2/21/2013, 2:41 PM
Thor isn't magic. It's science. Jeez didn't any of you pay attention to the script? :)
Tallglass54
Tallglass54 - 2/21/2013, 3:02 PM
@Dante how? I'm not trying to put down your opinion I am really wondering what your idea for a Dr. Strange movie would be. I think the movie would be great to see but with thor and the other marvel movies you don't see someone waving his arms and then something happening or something appearing. I think Dr. Strange would be to hard to sale by saying alien science.
ICStoopedPeople
ICStoopedPeople - 2/21/2013, 3:55 PM
I thought Constantine did okay at the box office as well -- although looking at the figures is a bit surprising... considering how much Ghost Rider sucked in comparison.
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