Why Hollywood Loves Making Movies Based Off of Comic Books

Over the last ten years, we have seen more and more comic books turned into movies than ever before. Hollywood loves comic books because of certain advantages that it gains from basing movies off of the colorful pages. These are some of the advantages of why Hollywood makes so many movies based on comic books.

Comic Book Characters Have a Core Following

Hollywood likes to base movies off of comic books because many of the characters come with a core following that few other types of characters have. Hollywood knows that many of the comic book movies that are in production right now are going to become blockbusters simply because of the fact that the characters have been so marketable to the core audience.

Easy Marketing

Hollywood loves comic book movies because a lot of the marketing has happened a long time before. The core audience has grown up with these characters, and have been waiting for a decent movie adaptation for years. Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, and The Green Hornet are destined to be blockbusters because the characters have been marketed for decades. Once Hollywood steps in, the target audience already knows who these characters are.

Storyboards Already Created

Hollywood also loves making movies based on comic books because the storyboards for the movie have already been created. The pictures in the comic books show a Hollywood director what a scene or clip should look like. Comic book movies save the production studio a lot of time and money.

Easy Sequels

Due to the overall popularity of many comic book characters and comic book movies, Hollywood loves making movies based on comic books because it is easy to come up with ideas for sequels. In cases like Spider-Man, Batman, Superman, and Iron Man, the characters have been around for decades and have played parts in a variety of plots. Comic books become an endless supply of movie sequel possibilities.

Easy Cross Marketing

Even though comic book characters have been marketed for years, it is very easy to continue a program of cross marketing with them when Hollywood uses them for a movie. Many comic book characters transfer easily to the realms of t-shirts, toys, Christmas ornaments, and other areas. Hollywood loves making movies off of comic books since these doors are already open to them. When a large percentage of money comes to the studios through marketing promos, why wouldn't Hollywood love comic book movies?

Graphic Novels

Now in the case of the graphic novel adaptation, many of these rules still apply. Where they lack in one area, though, they can usually make up in another. For example, graphic novels usually do not have the following of mainstream comic books, but they often have more detailed pictures that a director can use a storyboard. Also, graphic novels usually hold a grittier side than comic books which make them more adaptable for the current viewing audience.

The love affair between Hollywood and the comic book industry continues to grow every year. As long as comic book fandom stays constant (which will happen for many years), Hollywood will continue to make movies based on comic books. Hollywood loves movies based on comic books because comic books have depth, have already done a lot of work for the industry, and comes with a core audience unlike any in the world. We should continue to see comic book movies for many years to come.