Audience Research:

Expectations of a Superhero Film Danielle Rothero

Primary Research Interviewee 1

Interviewee 2

Interviewee 3

Expectations of a superhero film

- Drama - Action - Too

Predictable - Villains

- Happy Endings

- Good Storyline

- Good Actors - Clichéd

storyline

- A Cheesy Storyline

- Good Fight Scenes

- Costumes - Superpowers

Key: Red – Negative Green - Positive

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 “.

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”.