Superhero films ignite rivalry among Marvel and DC comic fans
Whether it's the thrill of seeing the comic book superhero The Thing shout 'It's clobbering time!' before throwing a punch or watching Superman and his faithful pup Krypto save the day, fans are heading to movie theatres to support their favourite films.
'Well, clearly I'm a Marvel fan,' Danielle Stroski, who was dressed as the shapeshifter character named Mystique from Marvel's X-Men comics, at the San Diego Comic-Con.
'But I have a little white dog at home, so I love me some 'Superman' as well. And I know the little white dog is stealing the show for 'Superman,' so it's going to be close. But I got to go Marvel,' she added.
The 42-year-old from California predicted Fantastic Four would outperform Superman at the box office.
DC fan Lito Loza, dressed as Superboy, voiced his support for Superman. 'I've already seen Superman three times, and I'm very, very happy with what James Gunn did with it. It makes me feel hopeful,' he said, referring to the director.
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The filmmakers, meanwhile, encourage fans to support both movies.
'I'm a huge Superman fan. I'm a huge James Gunn fan. I'm thrilled that both of us are coming out this month,' director Matt Shakman of Fantastic Four: First Steps told Reuters at the London premiere.
'I think we share a lot of similar optimism in our tone and our feeling in the worlds that we're building. And there's room for Superman, there's room for Fantastic Four. I'm thrilled. Go see both,' he added.
Superman director Gunn, who directed the Marvel movie Guardians of the Galaxy, said in an interview in Los Angeles that he grew up reading both Marvel and DC comic books, appreciating their distinct tones.
In theatres on Jul 11, Superman introduced David Corenswet as the Man of Steel. The movie grossed around US$173 million globally and US$264 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.
Warner Bros has heavily invested in Superman, aiming to launch a new era at DC Studios under Gunn, named co-CEO, alongside producer Peter Safran. Upcoming projects include a Supergirl film slated for June 2026, a film based on the character Swamp Thing as well as TV shows for HBO Max.
Disney said Fantastic Four, which stars Pedro Pascal, opened with US$24.4 million in ticket sales in the US and Canada on night of Jul 24 while Daniel Loria, senior vice-president at Boxoffice predicts that Fantastic Four: First Steps will open domestically at US$115 million to US$135 million.
While sales are currently around US$115 million to US$125 million, he said there was an increase in ticket purchases over the last week that will likely bring sales to the US$115 million to US$135 million range. REUTERS
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