I think one thing that hurt the Hulk is that critics love Ang Lee and I think kind of resented his movie getting a seemingly reebooted treatment. I think the resentment some what hurt the reviews, thus leading to people not seeing the movie. I also think Iron Man’s success kind of hurt the Hulk in the review department. I think critics (who are movie people) were wary of giving great reviews to two back to back released super hero movies presented in a very comic bookish shared universe. I think the shared universe thing will play out well in the long run, but I think it will get some critic snobbery in the meantime.

Let me be clear: I don’t know what distribution rights if any were sold on Incredible Hulk, but be careful about blindly adding in the foreign box office when you are trying to add to the box office value to the studio.

I too am waiting for video! ;) Financially and time-wise I can’t afford to see that and all the other films I want to see this summer- but if it came out in those boring winter months I know I would have gone to the theater then.

The idea I was attempting to suggest was that casual movie-going audiences are less inclined to take a chance on something when there are fewer choices. If it’s enjoyable (as Iron Man certainly was), word spreads to audiences that probably weren’t planning on seeing it before.

Hulk’s character is a complicated character for anyone that hasn’t followed the comic books and even for some people that have. He isn’t the hero that everyone can get behind, he isn’t a person that people can relate to, and the Hulk isn’t the “brightest crayon in the box”.

I am not saying that the new Hulk movie isn’t good. I am just saying that the following for the Hulk is smaller than most other comic book characters.

@Gin, I am not sure if this movie would have come out between Jan-May if it would have made that much difference. It still wouldn’t have made the money that Iron-man, Spider-man, or X-men made.

IMHO, Marvel made this movie b/c it was easier (safer) to remake Hulk than to come up with something all new. And the hype from the movie will help the studio in the long run.

Had Incredible Hulk been released in the Fall or earlier in the Spring it would’nt have anything to compete with. Look at Ghost Rider. Quality aside, it made a killing in the domestic box office. Why? Because it was released in the Winter/Spring. Same thing with 300.

If you try to compete with all the other blockbusters released weekly in June-August, you’re not going to make as much money. Only people like me are going to go to the movies every week and see something new. I would guess that the average movie goer sees less than one movie a month.

There are way too many films that people have been waiting a long time for competing with The Incredible Hulk right now.

Iron Man did it right- it came in at the beginning of the sumer movie deluge. I question whether it would have worked out as well if it came in in the midst of all these other films. Don’t get me wrong, the movie is wonderful, but spring is terribly dry for exciting films. It probably drew in a bunch of people who just casually wanted to see a fun film in addition to the people who were super excited about it.

The spring is a pretty dead time for interesting films (I can only think of horror films or terribly-written “comedies” that come out then)- it makes me wonder, would a film series have more success if the first film debuts in the spring and following films make the summer list?

Gah, but Elektra did that… but was it any good? I really disliked Daredevil so I didn’t even bother.

@ Mark I.
“I have similar feelings about a solo Wonder Woman movie…it would positively bomb. But if you made her origin appearance the center of the first Justice League movie, now you’re cooking with fi-yah.”

Very, very good point! I whole-heartedly agree with this statement.

just do captain america and avenger

The Hulk storyline gets odd and convoluted if you evolve the character as in the comics and gets boring fast if you make another “Banner on the run from Ross” film. Maybe a one-and-done with an Avengers appearance is the way to go. (I have similar feelings about asolo Wonder Woman movie…it would positively bomb. But if you made her origin appearance the center of the first Justice League movie, now you’re cooking with fi-yah.)

My biggest gripe is that if the Fantastic 4 ever get integrated into the Marvel movie universe, how ridiculous would Chiklis-in-Thing-suit vs. CGI Hulk look?