Could the DC Extended Universe Become More Popular than the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Hello, fellow moviegoers!
    Superhero films have very obviously become the most popular film genre in the past decade. Films like The Avengers, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Guardians of the Galaxy, have all received great reviews and even better Box Office returns. There is one common factor among all of these films. They are all Marvel properties. But I ask the question, could DC’s films surpass Marvel’s in terms of popularity?

   Marvel has been running the town when it comes to the comic-book genre. Until this year, the record for the largest opening weekend of all time was held by The Avengers, deservedly so. While DC Comics has had great movies such as Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, it’s easy to see that they have fallen behind in the blockbuster movie race. Their attempt at a new franchise failed with 2011’s Green Lantern, so they tried again in 2013 with Man of Steel. This new Superman movie was met with a mostly mixed reaction, personally, I loved the film but can understand people’s gripes with it. DC decided that it would have to work and their DC Extended Universe (DCEU) continues off of Man of Steel next year, seven years after Nick Fury showed up at the end of Iron Man. Marvel’s competitor is releasing what are arguably the two most anticipated films of next year, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad in an attempt to get a foothold in their own universe.
   Both of these films have people jumping with excitement. But nobody is forgetting that Marvel has some great 2016 movies coming out as well. Captain America: Civil War, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Doctor Strange, are all set for release next year.
   People are excited for both Marvel and DC’s movies for separate reasons. The general movie going audience is excited for Batman v Superman and Suicide Squad because they're something new. It’s something we haven’t seen before. It's a new tone with different characters and heck, it involves Batman. It’s Marvel studios first real competition. We're excited for Civil War and Doctor Strange because we’ve come to expect excellence from Marvel Studios. While some of their films have missed the mark (*cough *cough Iron Man 2), a majority of them have met and exceeded all expectations.
   But on to the question. Could DC really become more popular than Marvel? I believe the answer to that is an undoubted yes. There are several reasons for this. The first is DC’s characters. Don’t get me wrong, I love Marvel, but, in the long run, DC Comics has the most popular characters. If you go anywhere on Earth and show a random person the classic Superman “S”, chances are they’re going to know what it is. The same can be said about the Bat symbol. While Marvel has great characters, I don’t think any of them carry that level of recognizability, except for maybe Spiderman. Also, DC has Wonder Woman, by far the most popular superheroine of all time, and they intend to use her to their advantage as her solo 2017 film is currently being filmed. With all the gender equality movements across the nation, it’s hard to see why they haven’t capitalized on that already.
   DC’s entire cinematic universe is riding on 2016. If Batman vs Superman and Suicide Squad come out and they’re good, not even great, they’ve caught up to Marvel Studios in one year. They have the opportunity to do that. If these movies both suck, the entire DCEU comes crashing down, and I’m not sure DC can afford to take that hit. It would most assuredly put a giant road block in DC’s way and the only way around it is another reboot which audiences really don’t want.
   So yes, DC can make a comeback in this cinematic game of chess. They have the opportunity for a check-mate next year and they’re going for it. Now it’s only a matter of time to see if it’ll pay off big time, or it'll raze their whole universe to the ground. 
​   Of course, DC's potential success or failure is going to effect the genre as a whole. Competition brings out the best in people, and if Marvel has no competition the quality of their films will start to decline. No doubt about it. Eventually people won't want to see them anymore. If DC knocks it out of the park, then Marvel will have to step up their game. Better quality films will be made and it's a win for everybody.

   So what do you think of the new DC Extended Universe? Are you excited for it? Let me know by commenting on this post! Also, if you enjoyed this editorial share it on Facebook and Twitter! It really helps. Don’t forget, I post every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, so be sure to check back then for more movie reviews and editorials!