2. Primary Research
Interviewee Interviewee Interviewee
1 2 3
Expectation - Drama - Happy - A Cheesy
s of a - Action Endings Storyline
- Too - Good - Good Fight
superhero Predictable Storyline Scenes
film - Villains - Good Actors - Costumes
- Clichéd - Superpowers
storyline
Key:
Red – Negative
Green - Positive
3. Secondary Research
Do you think that ‘Spiderman’ is a good
example of a superhero film?
Spiderman is a classic superhero icon and is bound to
attract audiences of all genders and ages ranging from
older children to adults.
• Interviewee 1: Yes, it has a good combination of
action and a thrilling storyline. It also stays true to
the original comic and its characters
• Interviewee 2: It is because it is classic and
enjoyable for a family without being too clichéd. It
has an interesting storyline that shows a good
example of a superhero film.
4. Why do you think the X-Men series has
been so successful?
X-Men offers a wider range of superheroes with
different abilities, it doesn‟t just focus on one
person‟s story and their powers.
Interviewee 1: X-men is different to other superhero
films because it has lots of
different characters all with different
powers, making it a lot more
interesting.
Interviewee 2: I think it‟s star-
studded cast means it has appealed
to many people.
5. Why do you think The Dark Knight is the
highest grossing superhero movie?
I think the actors who starred in the film played a
big part in its success, as well as Batman being
another classic superhero.
Interviewee 1: The late Heath Ledger, I think, had a
big impact on the sales of the film, as he was a very
popular actor.
Interviewee 2: Batman is a iconic superhero, even
though he doesn‟t actually possess any powers
6. Would you consider The Incredible Hulk a
superhero film?
Whilst the Hulk does offer the traditional storyline
of how an ordinary person gained superpowers,
the Hulk as a character doesn‟t perform generic
superhero activities.
Interviewee 1: If it was an original idea instead of
the idea being taken from a superhero comic, then I
wouldn‟t consider it a superhero film.
Interviewee 2: I think it is more an action film than
a superhero film, as the Hulk mainly goes around
smashing things up.
7. Do you think the production studio affects
a superhero movie’s success?
Not necessarily, however whilst WB have the
highest grossing superhero movie ever, Sony have
had 4 blockbuster superhero movies all I the top
10.
Interviewee 1: Not really, I think it comes down to
what the film is about and the actors who star in it.
Interviewee 2: I think if a production studio has
more money than another studio, then the film has a
stronger chance of being more successful.
8. Why are ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, ‘The Avengers’
and ‘The Amazing Spiderman’ expected to gain
large audiences?
• „The Dark Knight‟ already has the title of being the highest grossing
superhero films of all time, as well as being a popular superhero
character so it already has an advantage of gaining a large audience
“Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises is coming into the
summer with a HUGE advantage, being the sequel to a $533
million grossing movie”.
• „The Amazing Spiderman‟ is also expected to do well, as it has
continually gained large audiences for each of its films and being
placed three times in the top 10 best selling Superhero films of all
time, “Sam Raimi's three movies that have grossed a billion
between them”.
• „The Avengers‟ is the first of the three movies released in the
Summer and has a star-studded cast such as Robert Downey Jr. and
Scarlett Johannason and is set up to become a very popular films “it
can explode out of the gate and get everyone excited about the
summer “.
9. How important are star actors/star
directors in helping superhero films to be
successful?
Star actors and directors all have reputations with
an audience. If their reputation is of a high-
legendary status, such as Robert Downey Jr. and
Stephen Spielberg, then the film they are currently
starring in would be expected to receive a large
audience, “The movies feature some of
Hollywood's biggest names”. As a result, the film
becomes a blockbuster, earning millions of pounds
and even boosting sales of the original comics
“films are expected to have varying effects on the
sales of the comic books”.
