Heavyweight superheroes Batman and Spider-Man squared off at the Chinese box office on August 27 for the highly anticipated releases of their latest cinematic forays, with the web-slinger crawling ahead of the Caped Crusader. The Sony reboot of the Spider-Man franchise starring Andrew Garfield edged director Christopher Nolan's final film in the Batman trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, by taking 34.3 million yuan ($5.4 million) compared to Batman's 28.5 million yuan.
A publicity officer surnamed Li from Stellar International Cineplex in Haidian district told Metro Beijing they were expecting a "climax" of cinemagoers over the next few weeks, poised to be the busiest time for Chinese cinemas since Transformers: Dark of the Moon premiered on July 21. "After a month of screening domestic films, the end of August has resulted in huge crowds flooding in to watch the two superhero films," he said.
Despite its lackluster opening, Li hinted The Dark Knight Rises would bounce back against Spider-Man even though the latter has an advantage of also being screened at IMAX cinemas in 3D. "We're expecting our combined box office revenue for both films to hit over 250,000 yuan," Li added, saying that younger audiences seemed to prefer Spider-Man while adults swooned to The Dark Knight Rises.
The number of foreign films allowed to be screened in China annually is 34, up from 20 last year. The China Film Group (CFG) acts as a guardian of the domestic film market, deciding which foreign films make the quota. The CFG's four-week ban on foreign films - a measure aimed at boosting summer revenue for Chinese films - ended in mid-August, paving the way for Batman and Spider-Man to make their premieres on the same day, much to Hollywood's anguish.
China has 2,500 3D movie screens but only 48 IMAX theaters, which could explain why Spider-Man outmuscled Batman on both blockbusters' opening day. Gotham City's hero was shown on over 100 fewer movie screens, accounting for 30,181 cinemagoers compared to Spider-Man's 36,882.
Differences in the stories of both superhero films are stark. Spider-Man, though filled with its share of emotional drama, is geared towards a younger audience as the main characters are in high school.
By comparison, The Dark Knight Rises is adult-oriented and dramatic. Viewers who haven't seen the first two films might feel lost, as the story references past characters and events from the earlier films.
Xiao Yueling, a self-confessed fan of the Marvel and DC Comics' superheroes, saw both films over a two-day period. "I thought The Dark Knight Rises is more appealing because it's more of a blockbuster than Spider-Man. The only appealing element of Spider-Man was its 3D effects. I like to focus on the plot more, so I thought Batman was better," the Hangzhou native told Metro Beijing.
Da Fu, a female college student in Beijing, saw Spider-Man on Thursday and was clearly swept away with Garfield's performance - and looks. "I think he's so handsome. His performance and characterization was perfect," she gushed. "There is no doubt the 3D effects are appealing because some of the shots use the first-person angle to express emotions. The plot is good and is closer to the original Spider-Man portrayed in the comic series."
Another Beijing college student, Sheng Ling, was hardly blown away by The Dark Knight Rises. "I saw Batman on Wednesday, but haven't seen Spider-Man," the 19-year-old said. "The visual effects weren't bad, and I thought the plot was good even though I didn't care too much for the story."
Li noted the two blockbusters would run for at least three weeks at most cinemas, but cautioned both superheroes might need to brace for a science fiction rival. "Ridley Scott's Prometheus will open on September 2, which will affect the box office revenue of the two superhero films," he said.