Arrow. Gotham. The Flash. Constantine. What comes to mind when you read these titles? Probably something along the lines of “kick-ass DC shows.” And you are right…so far.
Gotham and The Flash are the most recent to hit the small screen. Premiering on September 22 and October 7 of this year respectively, both shows garnered mixed reviews from fans. Gotham had 8.2 million viewers for its debut and The Flash gained a significantly less number of viewers coming in at 4.8 million. Constantine is expected to premiere on October 24 so we cannot say how fans will receive it.
However, before the DC fanboys’ egos grow any larger, let me show you some numbers:
$207, 438, 708
$160,887,295
Summer 2012 brought Marvel and DC head to head at the box office with the releases of Marvel’s The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. “What does this have to do with those numbers?” you ask. According to Pro Box Office, The Avengers’ opening weekend gross was over $207 million where as Dark Knight Rises barely grossed over $160 million. Need more evidence of Marvel’s box office domination? Check out the top ten spots on the Comic Book Adaptation list on Comic Book Resources: Marvel beats DC 7:3.
“But, Amy!” you protest, “DC has both TV and movie presence. Obviously it is the top comic mogul.”
To that I say, “no.” While DC has four shows and a considerable movie presence, Marvel is not only dominating in the box office but is also planning on stepping up their game on the small screen. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D is most notably Marvel’s strongest television presence. Fans received the news of Marvel’s newest television venture, Agent Carter, very well. And when Marvel Head of Television Jeph Loeb gave the audience a sneak peak of the show to the NYCC audience in the Main Stage during Friday’s Agents of Shield panel, the crowd went wild.
But that’s not all folks!
Many will recall when Marvel announced its plans to produce a four part miniseries and one major crossover event exclusively on Netflix. The four characters featured will be Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist and all this will culminate in The Defenders. During Saturday’s Daredevil panel, Loebe and the cast of Daredevil dispelled casting rumors and premiered four clips from the show. Steven S. DeKnight, executive producer and showrunner, said the main influence behind the Daredevil series was Frank Miller and John Romita, Jr.’s seminal Daredevil: Man Without Fear series. During the Q&A, Loeb was asked if there was any possibility for there to be an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D/ Daredevil cross over. To which he replied, “It is all connected.”
