MovieChat Forums > Blade (1998) Discussion > Is this the movie that started it all?

Is this the movie that started it all?

posted 11 years ago by michaelward15
48 replies | jump to latest

Before Blade was released WB made big budget Superhero movies, and all Marvel made was made-for-TV garbage (Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, Captain America, Captain America II, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, The Death of the Incredible Hulk, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield).

(Edit: When I first wrote the above I forgot about Howard the Duck and the 1990 version of Captain America, but both of those on further illustrate my point.)

Starting with Blade, Marvel has released 28 major motion pictures based on Marvel Universe characters by my count, 7 of which grossed over $300M in the US alone. In the same time WB has only released 7 DC Universe theatrical films--9 if you count Constantine and Watchmen, and only 2 of those surpassed $300M.

I think 1998's Blade marked Marvel's turning point just one year after 1997's Batman & Robin foreshadowed bad times for DC.

[–] MonoEnojado 8 years ago

Definitely. Before Blade, Marvel had effectively tried to make it in the big screen, but they had no success whatsoever, neither critically nor commercially. Blade was the movie that paved the way for future Marvel films.

It's good to bring this up, because after all the success Marvel movies are having these days, most people are not aware that they should thank Blade for it.

[–] IceWave2000 8 years ago

Blade definintely did start the trend of world wide big budget Marvel movies.

[–] generationofswine 8 years ago

I'd give that to the X-Men.

Blade was made in 98, and despite Tomb of Dracula, The Nightstalkers, and a short lived solo series, he wasn't exactly hugely popular.

At the most we were expecting a sequel, not much more. The X-Men was when the franchises really started.

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