A Call of Duty movie would bear no resemblance to an Animal Crossing movie, and either stands a fair chance of getting made. Video games feature no such genre monopoly, and popular games run the gamut from fantasy epics to military shooters to cozy small-town misadventures. For example, there are now three Ant-Man movies, but none based on the Hernandez brothers’ Love and Rockets comics, which have been running since 1982. The comics medium is home to all varieties of genres, but the American comics market is dominated by two companies, Marvel and DC, who trade primarily in superheroes, making “comic book movie” and “superhero movie” practically interchangeable terms. This time around, however, they’ll be trying to appeal to an existing audience that is not only larger, but more diverse in its interests.
Titles ranging from Borderlands to Space Channel 5 are currently in development for the big screen, allowing Hollywood studios to do what they do best: cash in on established brands and allow organized fan communities to do half of their marketing for them. Even if they’re rarely critical darlings, they’re no longer inherently risky at the box office.
Last year’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 grossed over $400 million worldwide. Movie, it’s clear that there’s no longer a stigma against video game adaptations on film and television. With the massive success of HBO’s The Last of Us and the marketing blitz around the upcoming animated The Super Mario Bros.
0 kommentar(er)
