Marvel has set the bar for the comic book movie adaptation, and now it’s DC’s job to try and clear it. What Marvel’s cinematic universe has gone largely unchallenged to this point, 2016 is set to be the year that DC and Warner Bros. have their coming out party, with both their Justice League setup film, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the super villain team up, Suicide Squad, set for release. In one place it appears that DC is off to a great start as the two films are apparently building quite a buzz online.
According to Variety’s tracking of Digital Audience Ratings (DAR), which is a look at the film’s engagement through numerous social media platforms, both of DC’s upcoming properties are leaving most of their comic book competitors in the dust. The trade writes:
Among the slew of comic book films set for release in 2016, including new "Captain America" and "X-Men" adaptations, early social and digital tracking places "Suicide Squad" and "Batman v Superman" 500% stronger than competitors based on standing at the same point pre-release
While these numbers certainly show that there is interest in DC’s upcoming properties, which is valuable and useful information, there’s not a lot to confirm here beyond that. Suicide Squad is currently ranked number one on the DAR list, with Dawn of Justice sitting in fourth position. The only other comic book film currently in the top five is Deadpool at number three, with the likes of Captain America: Civil War nowhere to be found. There is, maybe, an argument to be made here that a movie that’s coming out next week sitting below one that won’t be out until August, could be either really good news for DC, bad news for Fox, or both. Beyond that, there doesn’t seem to be a lot we can confirm.
Based on the DAR metrics, engagement is the key here, and there’s no differentiation between positive and negative feedback. Somebody who uses a Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hashtag on Twitter, but then says they’re not really excited by the movie because Superman appears to be more brooding and angrier than Batman...which is a thing that somebody might say, just a thought,.... would be counted in the column for that film, even though it implies that person may not actually see the movie. It also doesn’t take into account that Suicide Squad released a new trailer recently, giving people something to talk about online, while most of the other comic book movies have been relatively quiet. Something that will certainly change over time.
What do you think? Is there something that Marvel or Fox should be concerned about? Are you more interested in DC’s offerings this year than Captain America: Civil War or X-Men: Apocalypse? Let us know why below.
You can check out some of the more exciting superhero trailers in the video below.
