Hollywood Road

On the evening of the premiere, as part of the Shanghai International Film Festival, the midnight screening of "Superman: Man of Steel" was held at Xintiandi Cinema in its largest hall, attracting less than three hundred viewers—far fewer than expected.

This can be seen as a microcosm of "Superman: Man of Steel" in the entire Chinese film market, where the film's occupancy and box office numbers did not meet the expectations of Warner Bros. and China Film Group.

"Previous superhero movies, with their clear themes of punishing evil and promoting good, could easily be digested as popcorn flicks. But this time, 'Superman: Man of Steel' emerges with director Murphy Stanton not sparing the audience's brain cells. In addition to its visual impact, the film focuses on Superman's origins and his understanding of his own identity, exploring the human side of this classic superhero like never before. Are you ready to have your soul tormented?"

Despite a concerted promotional campaign by Warner China in collaboration with China Film Group starting the next day, the reception for "Superman: Man of Steel" was lukewarm.

From its first day in the Chinese market, "Superman: Man of Steel" showed signs of cultural mismatch. Compared to other pure visual popcorn films, it was not to the taste of mainstream audiences of this era.

As this was the last stop on the international promotion tour, Murphy stayed a few extra days in the Yangtze River Delta region with Gal Gadot, until the first week's box office returns from China were released. Only then did they board a plane back to Los Angeles.

"Superman: Man of Steel" garnered 36.57 million RMB in its first week in China. With only a month's screening period, the film's final box office was unlikely to break the 100 million RMB mark.

Previously, Murphy's films had never been screened in Chinese theaters. It was unrealistic to expect films like "Hard Candy," "Saw," "Planet Terror," "Deadpool," and "Gone Girl" to appear in local cinemas, let alone "A Song of Kill and Love."

Simply put, as a director, he lacked appeal, and the themes of his films were too heavy. Superman, typically seen as a savior, was depicted as quite miserable in the film, so the cultural mismatch was understandable.

While the box office performance was mediocre, Warner Bros. did not ease up on promotion. "Man of Steel" was the start of an entire series, and no one could expect it to be a blockbuster hit in every market, although the film received excellent reviews.

On Douban Movies, "Man of Steel" currently had a score of 9.3, and other movie websites also rated it above 9.0. The film was overwhelmingly praised by media and critics in the region.

The Beijing News stated: "Hollywood's promising young director Murphy Stanton spent $200 million to create 'Superman: Man of Steel,' a film with dense and grand battle and explosion scenes that truly demands to be seen on the big screen. Men can obsess over its massive, earth-shaking action, while women can swoon over Superman's tight costume revealing sexy chest hair."

Critic "Peach Lin Gao" commented: "Looking back at superhero movies over the past few years, 'Superman: Man of Steel' stands out. Its focus is not on bombastic action but on the character's internal struggles. Superman's confusion and growth, along with a subdued color tone, lacks the usual comedic elements and gags typical of such entertainment films, aiming instead to tell a serious superhero story."

Mtime's review suggested: "'Superman: Man of Steel' is a script that Chinese screenwriters should seriously study. Its three-act structure and minimalist story—a man without a home searches for his roots and ultimately finds that the place he has always lived is where he belongs—are what genre films should embody: simplicity and universality."

However, the media and critics' acclaim did not ignite widespread excitement among Chinese audiences as expected.

After arriving in Los Angeles, the box office performance of "Superman: Man of Steel" in mainland China continued to be tepid. According to data from Warner China, the film's nationwide screening schedule was significantly reduced, directly affecting its box office.

As a classic American comic superhero, "Superman" is almost a household name in China, but the market had only started to take off a few years ago, and "Man of Steel" encountered aesthetic awkwardness as Murphy had anticipated.

Compared to other superheroes, "Superman" is unique, representing traditional American cultural values at nearly seventy years old: he is essentially a perfect being, rarely kills, and possesses almost earth-shattering superpowers, even capable of reversing time by flying at the speed of light—an almost god-like figure.

In "Man of Steel," a confused, inwardly burdened Superman, rejected by many, failed to

 meet the current Chinese audience's expectations of a superhero. To most Chinese viewers, Superman seemed old-fashioned and even somewhat outdated, no longer as appealing as he once was.

Moreover, the popularity of "Superman" in mainland China was not consistent.

In 1987, "Superman II" was screened on the big screen. At that time, Chinese audiences had limited exposure to Hollywood sci-fi blockbusters and were fond of admiring heroic figures of grandeur, allowing the film to win both box office and critical acclaim at the time.

It was not until 2005 that "Superman Returns" hit the big screen, marking an 18-year gap in theater screenings, resulting in a generational divide among Superman fans in mainland China...

As time approached the end of June 2007, after six weeks of screenings, "Man of Steel" crossed the $400 million threshold in North America, securing its position as this year's box office champion.

Internationally, "Man of Steel" also surged forward, with total earnings swiftly surpassing $450 million, bringing the global box office to a staggering $878.9 million.

And with several countries and regions yet to screen the film, its total box office was steadily heading toward the $1 billion mark.

Undoubtedly, Warner Bros. and DC Comics emerged as the super winners of this summer season, and Murphy, entering the summer box office for the first time, was also a big winner.

The film was in high demand, and its merchandise sold well, though Murphy's profit-sharing agreement did not cover these aspects, and he wasn't particularly concerned.

Fame often brings trouble, a saying that aptly describes Hollywood's top stars and also applies to a blockbuster film.

With the success of "Man of Steel," those looking to profit from the film were not limited to Warner Bros., DC Comics, and director Murphy. Some seemingly unrelated parties also wanted a share of the pie.

At the end of June, based in the San Fernando Valley, the American Vivid Entertainment Group officially announced that it would release "Man of Steel XXX" on July 1!

San Fernando Valley filmmakers had long targeted Hollywood, always releasing XXX versions of blockbuster films.

Warner Bros. and DC Comics immediately took the American Vivid Entertainment Group to court. The lawsuit lasted less than a month and ended in an out-of-court settlement. According to information Murphy received, the entertainment group did not pay a significant price.

According to Bill Rosas, the judge responsible for the lawsuit repeatedly stated that XXX films are a form of expression protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Although the adult version of "Man of Steel" could not match the original film's terrifying revenue, it was likely to become this year's highest-rented and top-selling adult film.

With a production cost of over $500,000, "Man of Steel XXX" was not only one of the most expensive adult films but also perhaps a rejuvenating hero for the adult industry.

A senior editor at Adult Video News, Kornes, believed that for years, the adult film industry had been in a winter slump due to piracy, illegal downloads, and amateur videos, causing the industry's annual revenue to drop from $12 billion years ago to about $7 billion today.

Now, with their eyes on Superman, Spider-Man, and Iron Man, as these superheroes "sacrifice themselves," perhaps they could save the adult industry.

This situation was like someone always claiming that a certain film violated their copyright and creativity from years ago—it was an unavoidable hassle for blockbuster Hollywood films.

Speaking of which, other films directed by Murphy also had XXX versions, such as "Deadpool," "Planet Terror," and "Gone Girl." The rights to the first two films were not in Stanton Studio's hands and did not require his attention, while "Gone Girl" had been licensed to a company in the San Fernando Valley for a not-so-high fee long ago.

He did not expect to earn much from this.

Entering July, Murphy returned to the Warner Bros. studio, working with Jodie Griffiths to prepare the DVD version of "Man of Steel." The two were primarily responsible for editing several intriguing behind-the-scenes clips.

In one week, Murphy completed two featurette videos, one for the regular DVD package and one for the deluxe Blu-ray DVD package.

The featurettes documented various challenges faced during filming to achieve perfect shooting effects and visual impact. Actors like Chris Evans and Gal Gadot underwent intensive physical training, and the scenes featuring the battle between Doomsday and Superman were also subject to rigorous shooting and technical demands.

These featurette segments would also be included in the two 74-minute behind-the-scenes featurettes accompanying the disc, allowing audiences to further delve into the making of this summer's blockbuster superhero movie.

With this work completed, Murphy's remaining tasks were to wait for "Man of Steel" to cross the $1 billion global box office mark, for the DVD release to be a big hit, and for notifications from real estate agents about property

 viewings.

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