Tag Archives: batman v superman: dawn of justice

Underrated: Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition

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With the Snyder Cut of Justice League having just been released, I felt it was an ideal time to rerun this older post. This has nothing to do with me not preparing a column in advance. Nope. Not at all.

This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition.

Let’s not beat around the bush here: the theatrical cut of Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice wasn’t the greatest superhero movie of last year and while it wasn’t the worst comic book movie of the year, it was perhaps one of the most disappointing – for me at least. I had expected so much from the movie, because it was fucking Batman and Superman on the big screen together. And… well we got an average movie. There were parts that were great (Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot), and parts that were pretty good (Henry Cavil), and… some less than savoury parts. I left the theatre feeling quite unsure of how I felt; did the good outweigh the bad, or did it balance it out? What didn’t click for me? Could the movie had been better?

Shortly after seeing the movie I found out that there would be an R rated extended cut of the film released for home media, and I wondered whether that would do anything to set the film right.

As it turns out, it did.

Almost every problem I had with the pacing, plot and direction of the movie was made better by the extended cut. I still wasn’t happy that the entire movie had effectively been told in short form in the trailers, but there wasn’t much I could do about that other than not watching the trailer in the first palace. Since that wasn’t an option…

Look, I get that Warner Brothers probably had concerns about audiences sitting for an extended period of time… I mean the near two and a half hour run time of the theatrical cut was the longest movie in recent memory, and understandably Warner’s were concerned about audiences attention spans. It’s not like we’d ever sit patiently during Lord Of The Rings, or binge watch five hours of Daredevil in one sitting. That’s just not who we are. And to think we’d rather have  a great long movie longer than a slightly shorter average one would never cross their minds. 

It’s okay, though.

Whether it’s thanks to the success of Deadpool, or the critical slamming early on, or both, the Extended cut of the movie is a much better story in every way. The plot holes that resulted from the opening sequence are fixed because of the additional footage showing the soldiers using flame throwers to incinerate bodies to mimic Superman’s heat vision, if you wrote the movie off based on the theatrical cut then you’re missing one of the better superhero movies of last year.

Yeah, I said it.

The Extended edition is a better move than Civil War is, but because the real version of the film was never released in theaters, the movie as a whole got quite an unfair reputation – albeit fairly earned based on the expectations people had for this supposed juggernaut of a film, and what was initially delivered. If you’ve only seen the theatrical cut of the movie, then give the Extended edition a shot. The additional scenes add significantly to the overall experience, delivering a much better experience than anything you’d have expected from the theatrical experience.

Underrated: Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition

Posted on by

With the Snyder Cut of Justice League having just been released, I felt it was an ideal time to rerun this older post. This has nothing to do with me not preparing a column in advance. Nope. Not at all.

This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition.

Let’s not beat around the bush here: the theatrical cut of Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice wasn’t the greatest superhero movie of last year and while it wasn’t the worst comic book movie of the year, it was perhaps one of the most disappointing – for me at least. I had expected so much from the movie, because it was fucking Batman and Superman on the big screen together. And… well we got an average movie. There were parts that were great (Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot), and parts that were pretty good (Henry Cavil), and… some less than savoury parts. I left the theatre feeling quite unsure of how I felt; did the good outweigh the bad, or did it balance it out? What didn’t click for me? Could the movie had been better?

Shortly after seeing the movie I found out that there would be an R rated extended cut of the film released for home media, and I wondered whether that would do anything to set the film right.

As it turns out, it did.

Almost every problem I had with the pacing, plot and direction of the movie was made better by the extended cut. I still wasn’t happy that the entire movie had effectively been told in short form in the trailers, but there wasn’t much I could do about that other than not watching the trailer in the first palace. Since that wasn’t an option…

Look, I get that Warner Brothers probably had concerns about audiences sitting for an extended period of time… I mean the near two and a half hour run time of the theatrical cut was the longest movie in recent memory, and understandably Warner’s were concerned about audiences attention spans. It’s not like we’d ever sit patiently during Lord Of The Rings, or binge watch five hours of Daredevil in one sitting. That’s just not who we are. And to think we’d rather have  a great long movie longer than a slightly shorter average one would never cross their minds. 

It’s okay, though.

Whether it’s thanks to the success of Deadpool, or the critical slamming early on, or both, the Extended cut of the movie is a much better story in every way. The plot holes that resulted from the opening sequence are fixed because of the additional footage showing the soldiers using flame throwers to incinerate bodies to mimic Superman’s heat vision, if you wrote the movie off based on the theatrical cut then you’re missing one of the better superhero movies of last year.

Yeah, I said it.

The Extended edition is a better move than Civil War is, but because the real version of the film was never released in theaters, the movie as a whole got quite an unfair reputation – albeit fairly earned based on the expectations people had for this supposed juggernaut of a film, and what was initially delivered. If you’ve only seen the theatrical cut of the movie, then give the Extended edition a shot. The additional scenes add significantly to the overall experience, delivering a much better experience than anything you’d have expected from the theatrical experience.

LEGO is Getting a Knightmare Batman Accessories Set this September

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This September you’ll be able to recreate the scene from Batman v Superman in LEGO with the Knightmare Batman Accessories Set. The set will be available September 1.

Let the battle commence against the Parademons. This cool toy for kids features Batman’s turret with 2 stud shooters and 3 minifigures with assorted weapons, including the new-for-September-2018 Knightmare Batman minifigure and his rifle with an attachable LEGO tile of The Joker’s face.

  • Includes a new-for-September-2018 Knightmare Batman and 2 Parademon minifigures with detachable wings.
  • Batman’s turret features 2 stud shooters.
  • Weapons include Batman’s rifle (with an attachable decorated LEGO tile of The Joker’s face) and the Parademons’ 2 stud shooters.
  • Turret measures over 1” (3cm) high and 1” (5cm) wide.

Unboxing: One:12 Collective Dawn of Justice: Superman

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From Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice comes Superman. The portrait sculpt has been expertly modeled to craft an exceptional screen-accurate likeness of acclaimed actor Henry Cavill. Built on a newly designed One:12 Collective body featuring over 38 points of articulation Superman is outfitted in an amazingly detailed and accurate costume. To match the on-screen creation of award winning designer Michael Wilkinson, the One:12 Collective Superman’s outfit has been specially created using state of the art techniques. The result is a stunning recreation of the films costume.

We open up the box and show off the figure! You can pick yours up:
Amazon or ToyWiz

This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site.

Underrated: Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition

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With Justice League having just been released, I felt it was an ideal time to rerun this older post. This has nothing to do with me going on vacation without preparing a column in advance. Nope.

This is a column that focuses on something or some things from the comic book sphere of influence that may not get the credit and recognition it deserves. Whether that’s a list of comic book movies, ongoing comics, or a set of stories featuring a certain character. The columns may take the form of a bullet pointed list, or a slightly longer thinkpiece – there’s really no formula for this other than whether the things being covered are Underrated in some way. This week: Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice Ultimate Edition.

 

Batman v Superman Dawn of JusticeLet’s not beat around the bush here: the theatrical cut of Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice wasn’t the greatest superhero movie of last year and while it wasn’t the worst comic book movie of the year, it was perhaps one of the most disappointing – for me at least. I had expected so much from the movie, because it was fucking Batman and Superman on the big screen together. And… well we got an average movie. There were parts that were great (Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot), and parts that were pretty good (Henry Cavil), and… some less than savoury parts. I left the theatre feeling quite unsure of how I felt; did the good outweigh the bad, or did it balance it out? What didn’t click for me? Could the movie had been better?

Shortly after seeing the movie I found out that there would be an R rated extended cut of the film released for home media, and I wondered whether that would do anything to set the film right.

As it turns out, it did.

Almost every problem I had with the pacing, plot and direction of the movie was made better by the extended cut. I still wasn’t happy that the entire movie had effectively been told in short form in the trailers, but there wasn’t much I could do about that other than not watching the trailer in the first palace. Since that wasn’t an option…

Look, I get that Warner Brothers probably had concerns about audiences sitting for an extended period of time… I mean the near two and a half hour run time of the theatrical cut was the longest movie in recent memory, and understandably Warner’s were concerned about audiences attention spans. It’s not like we’d ever sit patiently during Lord Of The Rings, or binge watch five hours of Daredevil in one sitting. That’s just not who we are. And to think we’d rather have  a great long movie longer than a slightly shorter average one would never cross their minds. 

It’s okay, though.

Whether it’s thanks to the success of Deadpool, or the critical slamming early on, or both, the Extended cut of the movie is a much better story in every way. The plot holes that resulted from the opening sequence are fixed because of the additional footage showing the soldiers using flame throwers to incinerate bodies to mimic Superman’s heat vision, if you wrote the movie off based on the theatrical cut then you’re missing one of the better superhero movies of last year.

Yeah, I said it.

The Extended edition is a better move than Civil War is, but because the real version of the film was never released in theaters, the movie as a whole got quite an unfair reputation – albeit fairly earned based on the expectations people had for this supposed juggernaut of a film, and what was initially delivered. If you’ve only seen the theatrical cut of the movie, then give the Extended edition a shot. The additional scenes add significantly to the overall experience, delivering a much better experience than anything you’d have expected from the theatrical experience.

Where the Data Ranks 2016’s Comic Book Films. Over $5 billion in 2016.

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I had declared a few weeks ago that 2016’s comic adaptations had wrapped up, but was proven wrong. I’m officially declaring them done after a few weeks of no new dollars in.

2016’s comic adaptations earned over $5 billion worldwide, a record beating the previous record of $4.9 billion set in 2014. Nine films were released in 2016 earning on average $558.5 million. When the two limited release films are removed, the remaining seven earned $717.5 million.

In 2016 on average, DC films earned the most domestically and combined have earned the most domestically. Marvel films earn more on average and total internationally and by enough worldwide as well. What’s really interesting is due to the budgets for Fox’s “X” films the difference between gross and budget on the average is not that different from DC.

Here’s where this year’s movie crop stands as far as the actual numbers. Numbers are presented with and without The Killing Joke and Officer Downe which did not have an international run or wide release, so was not included in that average to start:

Total Domestic Gross: $1.901 billion ($1.897 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total International Gross: $3.126 billion
Worldwide Gross: $5.026 billion ($5.022 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total Reported Budgets: $1.215 billion ($1.211 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total “Profit”: $3.812 billion ($3.812 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)

Average Domestic Gross: $271.0 million ($211.2 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average International Gross: $446.5 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $717.5 million ($558.5 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average Budget: $173 million ($151.8 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average Profit: $544.5 million ($476.5 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)

Lets look at how things have shifted since 1989, the year Batman came out. None of the below is adjusted for inflation or ticket prices.

Things have clearly changed over the 27 years. While 2016 didn’t have a record number of comic adaptations released (that was 2014), it did set a record of worldwide gross and difference between gross and budget. 2016 also saw a record domestic gross of $1.9 billion (beating 2014’s $1.7 billion), but it only had the second highest international gross of $3.1 billion. 2014 holds the record of $3.2 billion. 2016 also saw budgets of roughly $1.2 billion (two films’ estimated budgets are not available). That was the fourth-highest total, the record being 2014’s $1.5 billion for 13 films (2016 had 8).

But, how did the average film do?

Things are a bit mixed when you look at the average earning in 2016 (in this case all nine films released). On average the films earned $211.2 million domestically, the second highest amount ever. The record was set in 2012 with $263 million. That year saw 6 films released. Internationally, 2016 saw a record set with $446.5 million on average earned. The second highest amount was 2012 with $429.5 million. Worldwide, 2016 saw the second highest average amount earned with $558.5 million. The record was set in 2012 with $692.4 million. While budget in 2016 were high with the films costing $151.8 million on average, that’s only the third highest amount. The record was set in 2006 wiht $178 million and 2012 saw the average being $172 million. 2016 was also only the second most profitable on average for films. In 2016 the average film earned $476.5 million and the record was set in 2012 with $520.4 million.

2017 is already off to an interesting start and we’ll begin our focus on the year beginning next week.

Where the Data Ranks 2016’s Comic Book Films

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After a declaration that 2016’s films had stopped earning money, Doctor Strange surprised me and brought in some more. This week there has been no additional earnings, so it’s likely things have wrapped up. We’ll give it one more week before making things final.

In 2016 seven films have been released based on comic books (counting Batman: The Killing Joke). This feature will focus on the 2016 releases until all the dollars are in, then I’ve got something special planned as we shift focus to 2017.

While we’ve looked at how individual movies have done compared to the average, here’s it by property. Marvel, DC, and Fox have all released two films.

On average, DC films earn the most domestically and combined have earned the most domestically. Marvel films earn more on average and total internationally and by enough worldwide as well. What’s really interesting is due to the budgets for Fox’s “X” films the difference between gross and budget on the average is not that different from DC.

Of note:

  • Doctor Strange looks to have ended its run completely (we’ll give it another week). The film has earned $677.7 million worldwide. That puts the film at 18th of all time for comic films and right in the middle of the pack for 2016’s releases. It’s a bit mixed when it comes to Marvel films as it was below the average domestic, international, and worldwide totals, but that’s largely due to 4 films skewing things and making it a high hurdle. Compared to other “debut” films for characters, this one did about as expected.
  • Captain America: Civil War looks to be the top grossing film worldwide for 2016 though Rogue One is challenging that. The film earned $1.153 billion worldwide, about $98 million more than the next film. There’s still a chance that Rogue One catches up, but it’s unlikely to happen with $98 million to go and that film’s run winding down. Rogue One did pass the film when it comes to domestic earnings and is the top domestic film of the year. Civil War is third for the year, the best performing comic film.
  • Officer Downe continues to look like it hasn’t earned any more money. When it comes to the below stats, the film is being treated like Batman: The Killing Joke. The film is mostly a video on demand release, so it likely won’t see a wide release.
  • The Chair is currently not included in these stats. While the film is based on a comic, its release was done so through a service where receipts aren’t tracked in traditional ways.
  • DC’s films average $315.5 million a film domestically compared to Marvel’s $302.5 million. Internationally, Marvel earns $477.2 million and DC earns $446.8 million.

Here’s where this year’s movie crop stands as far as the actual numbers. Numbers are presented with and without The Killing Joke and Officer Downe which did not have an international run or wide release, so was not included in that average to start:

Total Domestic Gross: $1.901 billion ($1.897 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total International Gross: $3.126 billion
Worldwide Gross: $5.026 billion ($5.022 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total Reported Budgets: $1.215 billion ($1.211 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total “Profit”: $3.812 billion ($3.812 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)

Average Domestic Gross: $271.0 million ($211.2 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average International Gross: $446.5 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $717.5 million ($558.5 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average Budget: $173 million ($151.8 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average Profit: $544.5 million ($476.5 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)

Now that we have those numbers down we can get a better idea as to how films have actually done this year. Below are various rankings of where films stand so far and if the films are above average (green), below average (red), or above the overall average but below the adjusted average (yellow):

One:12 Knightmare Batman Pre-Orders Begin Monday

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Born in the fevered dreams of Bruce Wayne, Knightmare Batman inhabits a world gone wrong. Gotham has been replaced by a post-apocalyptic desert patrolled by a military loyal to the Last Son Of Krypton. Knightmare Batman joins the One:12 collective with a comprehensively detailed outfit that perfectly recreates the cinematic look of the character.

The Knightmare Batman One:12 Collective  figure features:

  • Three (3) head portraits
    –      Standard portrait
    –      Alternate portrait
    –      Unmasked Bruce Wayne portrait
  • One:12 Collective body with  over 30 points of articulation
  • Hand painted authentic detailing
  • Over 16cm tall
  • Five (5) interchangeable hands including
    – One (1) pair of fists (L & R)
    – One (1) posing hand  (R)
    – One (1) gun-holding hand (R)
    – One (1) holding hand (L)

Costume:

  • Removable goggles
  • Leather-look duster coat with integrated wire for dynamic posing
  • Fabric shemagh scarf
  • Sculpted bandana-wrapped gloves on each hand
  • Intricately tailored cloth outfit with battle damaged insignia
  • Utility belt with pouches
  • Thigh holster
  • Desert trousers with knee-pad detail
  • Sculpted boots

Accessories:

  • One (1) handgun
  • One (1) machinegun with removable ammo clip and joker card detail
  • One (1) One:12 Collective display base with logo
  • One (1) One:12 Collective adjustable display post

Each One:12 Collective Knightmare Batman figure is packaged in a deluxe, collector friendly box, designed with collectors in mind there are no twist ties for easy in and out of package display.

Pre-order begins on Monday 5/08 at 10am Eastern Standard Time.

Where the Data Ranks 2016’s Comic Book Films

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Last week I had declared that the 2016 comic adaptation releases looked to have stopped earning money, but that was premature. Doctor Strange went and messed that up earning $100,000 since last week. So, back to what we’ve been doing and will do this until all the numbers are in. After that we’ll really dive in and look at how 2016 compares to previous years and then after that dive into 2017’s releases.

In 2016 seven films have been released based on comic books (counting Batman: The Killing Joke). This feature will focus on the 2016 releases until all the dollars are in, then I’ve got something special planned as we shift focus to 2017.

Of note:

  • Doctor Strange is still chugging along earning another $100,000 since last week. The film has earned $677.7 million worldwide so far and will probably stop somewhere shy of $678. That puts the film at 18th of all time for comic films and right in the middle of the pack for 2016’s releases. It’s a bit mixed when it comes to Marvel films as it was below the average domestic, international, and worldwide totals, but that’s largely due to 4 films skewing things and making it a high hurdle. Compared to other “debut” films for characters, this one did about as expected.
  • Captain America: Civil War looks to be the top grossing film worldwide for 2016 though Rogue One is challenging that. The film earned $1.153 billion worldwide, about $98 million more than the next film. There’s still a chance that Rogue One catches up, but it’s unlikely to happen with $98 million to go and that film’s run winding down. Rogue One did pass the film when it comes to domestic earnings and is the top domestic film of the year. Civil War is third for the year, the best performing comic film.
  • Officer Downe continues to look like it hasn’t earned any more money. When it comes to the below stats, the film is being treated like Batman: The Killing Joke. The film is mostly a video on demand release, so it likely won’t see a wide release.
  • The Chair is currently not included in these stats. While the film is based on a comic, its release was done so through a service where receipts aren’t tracked in traditional ways.
  • DC’s films average $315.5 million a film domestically compared to Marvel’s $302.5 million. Internationally, Marvel earns $477.2 million and DC earns $446.8 million.

Here’s where this year’s movie crop stands as far as the actual numbers. Numbers are presented with and without The Killing Joke and Officer Downe which did not have an international run or wide release, so was not included in that average to start:

Total Domestic Gross: $1.901 billion ($1.897 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total International Gross: $3.126 billion
Worldwide Gross: $5.026 billion ($5.022 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total Reported Budgets: $1.215 billion ($1.211 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Total “Profit”: $3.812 billion ($3.812 billion without Killing Joke and Officer Downe)

Average Domestic Gross: $271.0 million ($211.2 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average International Gross: $446.5 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $717.5 million ($558.5 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average Budget: $173 million ($151.8 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)
Average Profit: $544.5 million ($476.5 million with Killing Joke and Officer Downe)

Now that we have those numbers down we can get a better idea as to how films have actually done this year. Below are various rankings of where films stand so far and if the films are above average (green), below average (red), or above the overall average but below the adjusted average (yellow):

Where the Data Ranks 2016’s Comic Book Films. Brings in Over $5 billion

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It doesn’t look like Doctor Strange has earned any more money since last week’s report so with that, I’m calling the 2016 comic movie run complete. Now, that means we can do a final look at 2016 and how the year compare’s to years past before moving on to 2017 next week!

Winners

  • Captain America: Civil War ruled the year earning $1.15 billion to be the top grossing film of 2016. That’s the highest grossing Captain America film so far.
  • Deadpool was one of the must successful films of the year earning $783 million it had a 13.5 multiplier for its budget. With a budget of just $58 million, the film shows you don’t need to spend a lot of money to find success.

Mixed

  • DC Comics films – For as much shit thrown at Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad, the films earned $873 million and $745 million and beat the average Marvel film at the domestic box office. Those are impressive numbers they just didn’t meet random expectations. Still, mixed reviews clearly didn’t sink these films. Where DC/Warner Bros. needs to work is at the foreign box office where their films lag Marvel’s. Boost earnings there and it’s a whole new ball game.
  • Doctor Strange – The film earned $232.6 million domestically and $444.9 internationally, both are well below Marvel’s averages. But, when you take out the universe’s billion dollar films and look at other debuts, this movie was right where you’d expect.

Losers

  • X-Men: Apocalypse – The film was a dud domestically earning $155 million and 71.42% of its earnings coming from the international box office. It earned $200 million less than X-Men: Days of Future Past. While a lot did come in, this film definitely placed the franchise on shakier ground. When Deadpool crushed this film with 1/3 the budget, it’s time to rethink the X franchise.
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows – The film earned half of what 2014’s film earned and didn’t even cross $100 million domestically. Adjusting for inflation this film was the second worst film when it comes to domestic earnings.

How does 2016 compare to previous years?

2016 saw more than $5 billion dollars in earnings for the 8 comic adaptations that were released, the most money ever earned. That beats 2012 which saw $4.1 billion. But, what’s interesting is that record was driven by domestic earnings which saw a record $1.9 billion. Internationally, the year was the second highest earnings of $3.1 billion. The record was $3.2 billion in 2014.

You can see from below how much the adaptation of comic films has exploded in recent years, not just in the volume, but also how much money is being earned.

We’ll have a deeper examination of the year that was in an upcoming article.

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