What's behind the popularity of Hollywood's superhero films?May 6(AZINS) Hollywood superhero films, like Batman, Superman, The Avengers and Fantastic Four, are money spinners around the world. And in India, they do well even when subtitled or dubbed in local languages. Bollywood too has tried to make in-roads into the superhero genre with the Krrish series and Shah Rukh Khan’s Ra.One.

But why do Hollywood superhero films score way higher than our own? Take a look at Fantastic Four for instance. This movie directed by Josh Trank had a production budget of US$ 122 million. The amount of money allocated for visual effects for a film like this is far higher than the budget of an Indian superhero film. While Indian films are slowly trying to match Hollywood in terms of visual effects, the truth is Hollywood is still far ahead of the rest of the world. The stunning seamless visuals draw in the viewer and it creates the ultimate movie-viewing experience for the audience.

Today, there are a set of successful franchises of superhero films that Hollywood has created. In the US, there is a whole industry which revolves around superhero films thanks to the thriving fan-base. This fan-base has been built upon comic books and comic-con conventions which take place round the year. India is also slowly getting into the comic-con route with conventions now being held across numerous cities.

In the US, the superhero films are based on the comic books that have spanned generations and it’s from them that references are drawn and extrapolated to make the film. Actor Michael B Jordan who played Johnny Storm in Fantastic Four said he’s a big fan of Iron Man and The X-Men. His co-star Miles Teller, who played Reed Richards in the film, has stated that his father’s favourite comic was Fantastic Four when he was a kid!

In India, however, the superhero genre doesn’t exist in our desi comics per se. But children now have more exposure to the superhero comics and Hollywood films and most of them definitely have a favourite character. Who doesn’t love to have a superpower? Like Kate Mara who played Sue Storm in the film says we all want to feel special in some way don’t we? Like a superhero. You can catch Fantastic Four as it premieres on Star Movies at 9 pm on May 15.