The Marvel and DC movie franchises have gone from strength-to-strength with every release bringing in hundreds of millions of dollars. Their following is unparalleled and has transcended generations.
Like any popular comic book creators, Marvel and DC will continue to churn out films until there’s no interest in their many comic book adaptations. But the likelihood of either running out of steam any time soon, is highly unlikely.
Amidst all the rumors of this year’s releases, both Marvel and DC try to keep as tight lipped about their upcoming releases as possible. Yes, they unveil snippets at Comic Con and through their scheduled trailers but for the most part, they keep vital information under wraps.
In 2016, Marvel and DC will be releasing a total of 8 films. These include the already released Deadpool (February 12), Batman V Superman (March 25), Captain America: Civil War (May 6), X-Men: Apocalypse (May 26), Suicide Squad (August 5), Gambit (October 7) and Sinister 6 (November 11).
However, the two aren’t just cashing in on the movies. The merchandise surrounding the superheroes is also coining it in for both comic giants. In 2013, the Hollywood Reported published an article, which showed that Spider-Man merchandise raked in over $1.3 billion worth of revenues with the Avengers bringing in $325 million. Compare that to DC’s Batman at $424 million and Superman $277 million, and this year looks like it’ll be a very profitable one with the upcoming release of Batman V Superman on March 25 and Avenger spin offs.
With the spin offs from the Avengers series due to be a huge hit, too, Marvel have started releasing a slew of commercial gaming titles online such as Iron Man which they hope will bring in sizeable revenues to the company. Additionally, the usual merchandise will also be on sale as which will be expected to bring in hundreds of millions.
While the Marvel and DC phenomenon looks as strong as ever, it’s only a matter of time before we see the next Stan Lee create the next generation of superheroes to feature alongside the likes of Deadpool, Captain America and Iron Man to help save our fictional worlds on the silver screen. But for the time being, sit tight, because we have a busy year ahead.
